Q. I feel pressured by time. The more pressured I feel the more
stressed I become. My friends seem to be able to relax and enjoy life yet still
keep their homes in order, feed their families, have a career and even do
volunteer work. Why can’t I? How can I learn to not feel so pressured by time?
A. Many of your friends may feel as pressured as you do.
Busyness and “hurry sickness” is epidemic in our culture. Studies show that the
average American sleeps two and a half hours less and works ten hours more than
those of fifty years ago. The many technological advances which we enjoy -
computers, TVs, cell phones, DVDs, access to others via e-mail, vast amounts of
information on the Internet, and an array of labor saving devices create more
complexity in our lives than ever before.
Even
our cell phones take our time and attention. We are intrigued with the games,
distracted by messages coming in and hooked on the latest Facebook post. All of
these activities cut into family time, sleep time, restful time. Every new
technology changes the way we live.
We
long for simplicity yet we enjoy the luxuries we have. As a result we live in
constant overdrive. We pride ourselves on being able to “multi-task” - which
means we try to do two or three things at once. Our culture has convinced us
that “down time” is wasted. Most
disturbingly, when we feel such time pressure we may see our family members and
friends as obstacles that slow us down rather than as the loves of our life;
the people who care for us and will always be there for us. Our hurried world
glorifies productivity and even workaholism as the price of achieving our
ambitions. As a result our relationships suffer and our health and well being
suffer.
So
what is the answer? How can you solve your problem of time pressure and hurry
sickness? We all need to examine our priorities and decide what’s really
important in life. We need to realize we can’t do everything. We need to set
boundaries on our time based on our priorities.
We
should be able to work hard and yet still have time to play with our children,
eat meals as a family, take naps, read a book, get enough sleep. We need to
trim our schedules to make time for rest and relaxation. We can turn off our
phones during dinner - or even beyond! We can reduce the number of activities
in which we and our children are involved. We can learn to say no.
Our
attitudes, beliefs and thoughts can contribute to feeling pressured by time. Are
your expectations of yourself too ambitious? Pare them down. Don’t rush, breath
deeply, relax. Think positively and realistically about what you can
accomplish. Let go of perfectionistic expectations.
Carve
out some alone time for prayer. Use routine activities, such as your morning
shower, a coffee break or a lunch hour alone as times to pray rather than as
times to worry. Take your mind off work and express gratitude for the blessings
in your life. Exercise times can also be used for times of solitude and
relaxation.
Take
time off. Purposely waste time. Enjoy your weekends. Take vacations. Hurrying
through each day is less rewarding than slowing down and accomplishing less. You
will feel better, your family will be happier and your immune system will
improve.
For
more ideas on how to simplify your activities check out one or two of these
books: When the Game is Over It All GoesBack in the Box by John Ortberg, Simplify Your Life byH. Norman Wright, Simple Abundance by
Sarah Ban Breathnach, The Seven
Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R. Covey, and Margins by Richard A. Swenson.
Blessings,
Dottie
“Don’t copy the behavior and customs of
this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you
think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and
pleasing and perfect.” Romans 12:2
NLT
No comments:
Post a Comment