Too Busy for Self

By Steven Mills

Firstly, Hi to all of our new subscribers to Rebel Zen and for the great comments we have been getting for the latest posts. Both Seamus and I really appreciate your thoughts and feedback.

I wanted to write today about a concept that is all too common for modern, internet connected people.

Almost everyone I know these days seems to be living their life at a frantic pace, working far too much and not spending enough time on themselves. They are living life at a speed that would make even Led Zeppelin circa 1973 want to lie down and take a Nana Nap. Sure it’s not hard livin’, hard drinkin’ party all night style living, but attaching yourself to a computer screen for 12 hours a day can certainly take its toll.

There is so much media and connectivity simultaneously vying for our attention that the important things like personal development, exercise and spiritual practice are often let go.

We put it to the back of our mind, and instead of keeping our meditation times and going to our yoga classes; we put personal time to the side until the busy period is over. Which is a shame, because meditation, yoga, and any other time where you get to sit, center your mind and simply be is the BEST thing to do when you are crazy busy.

It’s what you should be taking the time to do at 3.00pm when your mind is completely fried from a hectic work day. If you start to feel the old brain doing back flips under the strain of another spreadsheet or word document take 10 minutes to stop, and refresh yourself the best way you know, and then continue.

But if we don’t do this, and continue to push ourselves past our limits without rest, then there is the risk losing our true selves to work. Our unique personality, the fun loving part of ourselves that makes us who we are, is often the first part to fade when we become overtired and too obsessed with the unimportant things in life. We lose our ability to connect in a meaningful way with those we love, or don’t find value in spending time just being. Do this for long enough and all that will be left are the boring, stressed out and grumpy parts of us.

You see workaholic types that have lost any idea of who they are and what makes them happy. They lose that spark that makes them who they are; they become someone that is just “going through the motions”.

Don’t let this happen to you, you owe it to your SELF.