On the heels of the post about self-care a couple of weeks ago, let’s talk about being busy – a different kind of busy. It’s so, so easy to get consumed by all the things we need to DO. Many of us often have a to-do list that’s longer than our day. Even when we don’t, we might feel like we should. In our culture, it’s typical to judge how we’re doing in life by how much we’re accomplishing.
But consider this.
I lied and said I was busy.
I was busy; but not in a way
most people understand.
I was busy taking deeper breaths.
I was busy silencing irrational thoughts.
I was busy calming a racing heart.
I was busy telling myself I am okay.
Sometimes, this is my busy.
and I will not apologize for it.
b. oakman
Sometimes it’s important for busy to look like this. –
There’s a different between that (stillness) and this (inertia). –
One nourishes and helps us come to ourselves. One numbs and keeps us distanced from our deeper ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
We have a right, an obligation to ourselves to be unreachable from time to time. We do not owe it the world – even our own close, more intimate world - to be available at all times. We do owe it to ourselves to make time to be “busy” in ways that restore our souls.
It doesn’t have to take long: a few seconds to take a some deep breaths, a minute to pause a conversation in order to admire some small thing of beauty, a few minutes to take a solitary, silent walk, stopping to notice and breathe in a pleasing scent – anything that brings us back to our center.
So, the next time things or people feel like they’re pressing in on us, remember maybe it's time to be “busy” in a different way. Taking appropriate time to be busy caring for ourselves helps us be available more whole-heartedly during the rest of the time. That being true, being that kind of busy is one of the best acts of service to ourselves and others.