Have you responded to the current period of isolating at home by finding ways to “stay busy”? When we stop to think about it, we may believe that
“being busy” is the only way to live. We wake up and move from one task to another, without pause, sometimes juggling our morning coffee with reading the news, answering emails, shooting off text messages. Our self-care can become a series of obligations. When the things we do start to feel obligatory and endless, when we start to feel dependent on these activities yet unfulfilled by them, we may feel addicted to doing. When our eyes are on the prize, we may not listen to ourselves but instead on the rules for ourselves—be productive; don’t be lazy; look good; be happy; prove you deserve this.
If the need to keep busy resonates with you, consider these questions: What are you staying busy for? What might you be avoiding through staying busy? For clues, reflect on whether you tend to move to activity when you feel uncomfortable, empty, lonely, anxious, frustrated or bored. If you have slowed down during self-isolation, have you noticed anything come up that’s been hard to sit with? If so, see if you can practice being still, right here, in this moment, and make space for your experience. Is there another way to relate to this experience? Could these thoughts be a narrative no longer beneficial to you? When you feel restless and compelled toward keeping busy, encourage yourself to stay in the moment and notice what comes up. It can be hard to slow down, to sit with uncomfortable feelings, to be present with painful thoughts. It’s helpful to acknowledge that you don’t need take in anything more than the moment we are in. So let’s start here, slowly.