Are you always in a rush? Do you spend most of your day racing to check off your to-do list and do you feel agitated when anything tries to slow you down? Do you walk fast, talk fast and think that there isn’t enough time in the day to get things done? Do you have a driving need to make the most of every second?
If you answered yes to any of these questions you might have hurry sickness. In today’s blogpost I want to take some time to tell you a bit more about this specific type of stress response and how you can get out of the habit of rushing to get things done.
What is hurry sickness?
Hurry sickness was first mentioned in a 1974 book with the title “Type A behavior and your heart”, written by cardiologists Meyer Friedman and R.H. Rosenman. It isn’t an actual medical or mental health condition but it’s known as a sense of excessive time urgency which causes stress and anxiety. People who suffer from hurry sickness constantly feel rushed and they have a feeling of urgency to get things done when there’s no need.
The effects of hurry sickness
With the demands of modern life, most people are in a rush most of the time. But when you start to juggle too much at once and you treat everything like it’s an emergency (even when it’s not) you’re putting a lot of stress on yourself - which can have repercussions on your mental and physical health, your overall wellbeing and your relationships. For example:
Having an extreme sense of time urgency and always being focused on constantly accomplishing more often leads to burnout.
The overwhelming anxiety and stress that you feel from taking on too much causes fatigue and headaches, lowers your immune system and interferes with your sleep schedule and energy levels. Being chronically in a hurry can also lead to stress-related heart issues.
Constantly thinking and worrying about the next task to do can put you in a steady state of low-grade anxiety.
You’re likely to find yourself exhausted far before your day is over because you’re constantly jumping from task to task to keep up with your own standards.
Feeling that you never have enough time to complete the tasks on your to-do list may cause you to fixate on getting things done in the least amount of time possible which leads to making mistakes and forgetting or neglecting important things – even while in the middle of them.
As you rush from one thing to the next, you might experience trouble concentrating because you’re always worrying about the next item on your list.
Rushing through life can leave you feeling unfulfilled and unable to devote attention to the people and things you care for most.
Relaxation and alone time might be the first “unnecessary” activities you scrap when you feel busy but many people with hurry sickness also start to ignore things like hydration, balanced meals, physical activity or sleep.
Being focused on productivity and almost nothing else leads to irritability with anyone and anything that gets in the way.
When you’re focused on getting things done quickly you might have a hard time slowing down to be present with loved ones which often leads to relationship strain.
The first step to combat hurry sickness
There are several ways to manage your hurry sickness but the first step to conquering this stress response is to realize what’s happening and learning how to recognize when you’re moving too fast.
For example:
Are you rushing through tasks?
Do you get anxious, frustrated or highly irritable when there’s a delay?
Are you interrupting or talking over people?
Are you endlessly running through your to-do list in your head to make sure you haven’t forgotten anything?
Are you treating everything like a race?
Do you perpetually feel behind schedule?
Are you constantly trying to find ways to save time?
Do you find it impossible to do just one task at a time?
Are you obsessed with checking things off your to-do list?
Are you rushing through work tasks and household chores to the point where you sometimes make mistakes and have to do them again?
Are you frequently performing time calculations in your head to see whether you can fit in another task?
Do you quickly become anxious when you find yourself stuck in traffic, early for an appointment or waiting for something with nothing to do in the meantime?
Do you always have a sense of urgency?
Strategies to help you get out of the habit of rushing to get things done
When your brain is programmed to constantly be on the go, the sheer thought of slowing down might seem impossible. Fortunately there are several strategies you can use to get out of the habit of rushing to get things done
EMBRACE MINDFULNESS
Consistently pushing yourself to meet a deadline or to get things done (even when it’s not necessary) puts stress on your mind and body. Practicing mindfulness will help you to slow down by focusing your attention on the here and now. For example, meditating in the morning can help you calm yourself down about the day’s tasks. Doing a few breathing exercises when you’re feeling stressed is also a great way to encourage relaxation.
PRACTICE SELFCARE
Taking care of yourself is essential for your mind, body and soul regardless whether or not you suffer from hurry sickness but even more so when you’re going through an intense period of hurry sickness. Prioritizing selfcare (whatever that looks like for you) can really make all the difference during such a period in your life so treat selfcare like you would treat a doctor’s appointment and pencil it into your schedule. You can then use this time to do things you enjoy, whether it’s getting a massage, quiet moments sitting alone, an afternoon with a good book, an hour of online shopping, being with friends or anything else that brings you comfort and rest. And remember: how you choose to unwind matters less than the fact you do find time to unwind so the choice really is yours here.
PS: in case you struggle to find time to relax or you can’t justify taking that time, aim for just 15 minutes to yourself each day. As you start to notice the benefits of these short daily moments of selfcare, finding longer periods for relaxation might prove less of a challenge.
LEARN PROPER PRIORITIZATION
Reframe your thinking around your to-do list in a way that doesn’t assign equal weight to every task. Instead, ask yourself “what is time-sensitive and what can wait?”. Focusing on the essential things and setting aside (or delegating) the other things that are trivial or that don’t need your attention right away may be hard at first because you’ll probably feel like everything is equally important but trust me: it will get easier in time.
TAKE BREAKS
Putting down what you’re doing and temporarily changing your environment can help you counter the need to hurry – even when you feel most rushed. So give yourself permission to stretch your legs and go for a long walk, spend time with family or read a good book. These breaks will allow you to devote your efforts more effectively to the tasks at hand when you return and you might even find yourself returning to your responsibilities with a renewed outlook and improved mood.
SET BOUNDARIES
When you accept more responsibilities than you can realistically handle, you’ll almost certainly find yourself rushing to cram everything in. Setting healthy boundaries for yourself (and sticking with them) can help you avoid this. Examples of healthy boundaries you can set, might include things like “I won’t take on extra work when I have more than one current project” or “I’ll make time for a walk every day so I can relax and recharge”. Learning to say no when someone asks you to take on something is also a key ingredient when you want to set healthy boundaries and adopt a slower living lifestyle.
SEEK HELP
It’s not always easy to break free of long-standing patterns so in case you feel like it’s too hard to break free from your patterns on your own: know that you’re not alone and that there are people to help, guide and support you. For example, you could talk to your doctor/general practitioner about how you’re feeling or you could speak to a therapist to help you put together a plan to cope with your hurry sickness.
Pressing the pause button and disrupting the hurry cycle is often easier said than done but living your life on fast-forward won’t do much to support your long-term mental, emotional and physical wellbeing. And yes, “stop and smell the roses” might be a cliche but that doesn’t make it bad advice: taking life at a more gradual pace leaves you with more time to enjoy important relationships and savor everything life offers, both large and small.
©HolisticHappiness2024
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