Resisting "Busyness'

We attended a Bible study group the other night. I treasure times when I get to catch up with people, spend some time in community, build each other up, study the Word... Good stuff!

Amid the clamoring "Hello!" and "Hey there!" greetings happening, I caught this little snippet of conversation. Two of the ladies were greeting each other. One asked that ubiquitous question we never get away from: "How are you?"

(It's such a habit to ask this, right? Do we really mean it? Are we ready and prepared to hear what people really have to say if they answered truthfully? But that's another train of thought...)

Of course, the second lady answered with that typical modern-day response, the one I use so often as well, "Oh, we're staying busy!"

The first lady replied, to my surprise,"Oh, that's no good." She continued (and I paraphrase), "When I get busy, I just feel stressed. It's better not to stay too busy."

These words have stuck with me since Saturday night. I probably thought more about it, imbibing it with more meaning, than the actual speaker of the words actually intended any of us to do. Yet, there was a lot of wisdom in this simple answer.

We seem to take an enormous amount of pride in being "busy", almost like it's a badge of honor to be "the busiest". Inside the competitive world of "busyness", who wins? Nobody. What's our motivation? To feel accomplished? To get a pat on the back? As a parent, are we involving our families in so many things to make ourselves feel better? As human beings, is this where we're finding our value - the number of pies into which we're sticking our fingers?

And yet, I don't think it's necessarily the actual quantity of "things" we do that make us busy. We've all seen that one person who seems to hold it together so well while being involved in every little aspect of work, school, church, and community. And then, when someone around us starts complaining about how much they have on our plate, we might roll our eyes when we think about how much more we are involved with than they are. (Or maybe that's just me... Guilty...)

I think it's more about our attitudes and inner demeanor while we're accomplishing everything. We all arguably have pretty busy lives. However, some of the busy days run like clockwork, but on other days, even if I actually have less to do, I feel more stressed.

I LOVE being involved. I am very active in my church and the school where my kids attend. Most of the time, I am at my best when I feel like I'm accomplishing a lot. That drives me, and gives me energy. Yes, I do tend to agree to take on things more than I should. But I honestly do enjoy having a full schedule. I do like living a full, fulfilling life. However, when I begin to feel stress because of any reason, even easy tasks seem to weigh me down and make me feel like things are overwhelming. Does that make sense?

This is obviously something that I'm needing to be more observant and intentional about in my own life. I want to make it a goal to be present in the moment and not worried about what's next on my agenda. Not that I'm not going to take care of what's next on my agenda. Just that I'm not worried or preoccupied with it to the point of ruining the joy I could be having in the middle of any given day. I'm going to be as active as I can, without letting it make me feel "busy". Once I feel "busy", I know I need to change something.

I feel that this is a two-headed dragon to slay.

1) Streamlining - whether that means schedule, finances, workload, to-do-list... Cut out the non-essentials. Simplify to be doing the things you actually enjoy doing or are the most important to you and your family. It's okay to say "No" to stretching yourself too thin.

AND maybe even more importantly -

2) Having the serenity to handle each day's tasks without giving into the feelings of being overwhelmed or anxious. It's all about perspective. Keeping a calm heart throughout any day - whether it's a "normally" busy day or not. Keeping tabs on my inner emotional workings can make any busy day just seem satisfying instead of draining. Am I really doing too much? Or is it just time to refocus and recharge emotionally, then get on with my day?

I think discerning what "busy" means can be different at varying points of life, or even at varying points of the seasons or the year. I am still discovering what this means to me and my family. I hope and pray that it is something I improve on in the future, as I continue to grow.

We live in a wonderful, beautiful, glorious world. Everywhere we look we see God's creation. With every person, there is the opportunity to share in community and relationship - a chance to connect and grow and feed each other emotionally. A full life is an amazing thing. A busy life is not. So many good things here - why let the busyness distract you from the blessings that this life does offer? Or the blessings that the activities provide with which you ARE involved? It's definitely a learning experience, but I look forward to genuinely enjoying our full, active life, and avoiding the "busyness" our modern world uses to ensnare us and steal our hope.

What about you? Are there any tips or ideas you have to make sure you're not too "busy"? What do you do when you find yourself feeling overworked and overstretched?