When someone asks you “How’s everything going?” is your default instinctive answer “Yeah… busy!” but then you might quickly realise that’s not the perfect answer so you qualify it better by saying “Oh but it’s good busy!”. Is this you?
It’s true we’re busy these days as we have an infinite amount of choices to help us occupy our time. There’s no shortage of things to do, people to see or work to be done. But is there a cost to constantly having all our time filled up, even if it is “good busy”?
Well it shouldn’t be any surprise to you when I say that there is. Being busy requires the constant activation of our fight-flight (stress) system, even when it is poised at low levels as we expend daily physical, mental, cognitive and emotional energy. Think of sitting stationary in your car with the engine steadily running all day, ready to kick into gear and drive off at a moments notice. But, leaving your engine running for too long can create some issues. Not only does it consume fuel and empty the tank, it also drains the battery, especially if you’ve also got the radio turned up, heat blowing and the lights on. Another serious problem is that the engine can overheat.
I hope you get my metaphor. Even while we sit still at our desks we are consuming fuel (what we’ve eaten) and gaining fatigue (draining our battery), but by being switched-on all the time we’re also stimulating a barely detectable level of low-grade inflammation throughout the entire body. Unlike a high stress event that flames like a bonfire for a few days or weeks, the chronic build-up of this low-grade inflammation from being constantly busy (i.e. work, home, family, friends, community) acts like lava in a volcano, bubbling its way slowly to the surface over several months and years and is now what is strongly linked to being a major cause of many of the serious non-infectious diseases associated with ageing.
So how do we prevent the volcanic eruption that could be ahead of us when we get older? Apart from eating well, being more active (sitting less & moving more), spending more time in nature, sleeping routinely and lovingly attending to our most important relationships, we perhaps need to pay more attention to our diaries and our bodies to gain a better balance between stress & recovery (context: recovery during your wakeful hours). By doing this, you may learn how to detect stress better and become even more balanced & resilient!
One of the best ways to do this is through silence & stillness. The key thing is that the practice is intentional and you (want to) commit time towards it. You can also learn how to body scan where you “check in” with yourself by noticing your breathing, heart rate and muscle tension. You could also listen to your gut instincts. Or you could follow a guided meditation or mindfulness practice through popular apps such as Headspace or Calm.
Ok, so this week’s challenge is all about deliberately slowing down. Aim to have 2 minutes of silence & stillness twice (x2) a day for the next 7 days. Schedule the time into your diary. If you can, see if you can extend that 2 minutes and maybe try 5 minutes instead, or give yourself a challenge and try a full 10 minutes. Thoughts will come and go and that’s absolutely normal and fine. Just let them, but take notice and be curious. Pay special attention to your feelings and the senses you discover throughout your body. Consider your busy schedule and what needs to be reduced.
Enjoy switching the engine off for a few moments twice a day and enjoy the anti-inflammatory benefits of the “rest-digest” system, helping to keep that lava at bay.
Article written by Health and Performance coach Dr. Jonny Bloomfield.
Jonny joined Thrive and the Young Professionals at a recent webinar on work/life balance, check out the How to Create a Better Work/Life Balance webinar on YouTube.
Jonny is a Health & Performance Coach specialising in stress, sleep, exercise & nutrition. He has a PhD in Sport Science and worked as the Sports Scientist for England Rugby, as a Physical Performance Consultant in the English Premier League and on Tour with Darren Clarke. Jonny is a qualified Executive Coach and provides Keynotes and Coaching for Organisations to help improve health, wellbeing and performance.
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