I see this often in the workplace, where the constant refrain of “next steps” and the overwhelming need to stay on task can create huge problems for people, but we do it outside of work too, whether you want to talk about your side hustle, your hobby, or even something like social media. We spend too much time focused on our to-do list, forgetting why we are doing those things in the first place.
“Too many of us live in a constant state of anxiety, worrying about what’s next, what we have to do, and what we’re behind on. It can lead us to feel a bit like the world is going to end if we don’t stay on task or lose focus. Although we know it won’t, the feeling that there’s always something to attend to as opposed to things that can be enjoyed, even if it is a must-do rather can be hard to shake. This can have physical repercussions as well. High blood pressure, heart attack, and stroke have all been associated with being constantly under stress. It doesn’t matter that the stress may be self-imposed. “
Lately, I’ve been a victim of this myself. I’ve been feeling way more anxiety than usual, taking very little pleasure out of little things in life that I used to enjoy, and generally feeling overwhelmed. I don’t sleep more than 5 hours a night, I fidget all the time, and my focus is completely shot.
Why? Well many reasons, but one big one is the constant need to be getting the next thing on my list done.
It’s all well and good to be productive, but if you don’t have anything you do just because you enjoy it? That’s a recipe for mental health disaster in my book. I’ve lived it.
As they say, read the whole thing –