Why Am I Always in a Hurry?

Our lives are increasingly fast-paced, and the effort to keep up often occupies all our time and attention. We are so busy ticking off things on our to-do list, that we forget to enjoy the ride.

I’ve come to realise that “hurry-sickness” involves an undercurrent of anxiety. It seems that stress and worry creep up when we are on auto pilot. When we race around in a hurried state we go through our day in a kind of frantic panic. This state of panic releases adrenaline which stimulates the release of dopamine in our nervous system. This contributes to the release of a substance that causes a feeling of well-being (who knew?). Once everything has happened and the perceived risk has been eliminated, the sensation of pleasure is noticeable.

So, it is safe to say that the rush releases a rush. And because we have control over behaviour that release this sensation – we fall into the habit of hurrying all over again.

This ongoing adrenaline rush to an imagined threat as opposed to an actual physical threat is unhealthy. It impacts stress levels, blood pressure and genuine anxiety. Another negative impact of the adrenaline rush is the feeling of dizziness, light-headed-ness, and blurred vision.

Always being in a rush and in a hurry doesn’t allow us the time to enjoy our lives that are filled with small ordinary moments of delight.

Bringing awareness back into our lives is a good way to reduce our levels of stress into a state of non-panic. Slow down, participate in acts of timelessness that could very well make the biggest city in the world start to feel a little bit more like a small town.

In order to really slow down and stop rushing, take things one at a time. Instead of doing several tasks at once, focus on one task only. Not only will you have more time, but you will also be able to do tasks better individually than you would if you were doing them all at once.

One thing we can do, wherever we live, is bring awareness breaks into our day and take 8 minutes to simply look out the window and observe what's happening outside. We might also choose to cultivate a relationship with someone we see regularly, such as a clerk at the convenience store or our neighbour who takes the same route home.

When we're rushing, we are living in a state of resistance. It produces a state of consciousness that often increases our anxiety levels. “Hurry-sickness” does have an antidote and that is to take time to have a conversation that is not necessary, this is a true luxury in this day and age, as is staring out the window.

Sending you opportunities to have deep, meaningful conversations

Ro