Thursday, April 14, 2016

Hurry Sickness: Tame it before it tames you!

We live in a frenzied-chaotic world, where being in a rush always has become the norm. In a fast paced world with constant flurry of activity, it's easy to get sucked into this madness.  

Image result for hurry sicknessWe get programmed to be in hurry from early in childhood. It all starts with wrong teaching imparted by parents and teachers. One is made to believe that the world is always in a rush and one would lag behind if he/she spends a little time  in quiet; doing nothing. Damn, the world would pounce on him making him believe that he is a laggard.
At times we need to hurry especially while living in a big city to keep pace - to catch that train/bus for work - but still we can find time to be with self- once we board the train (Unless it is Mumbai, India!). But instead we are instantly glued to our tablet checking emails, facebook updates, news and what not.

Even when there is no need, also one is hurried - smitten by the 'hurry bug'. I have seen people who are in a hurry while watching television, flipping through channels at the speed of light, anxious to glance at what the other channel might be showing. Let me highlight the term "Might be".
Might be this, might be that; is a major underlying factor for hurriedness. Not just TV but "Might be" along with it's close companion "Hurry" has driven mankind to lunacy. But let's stop and take a moment to reflect on nature which creates miracles constantly without being in a hurry: "Flowers blossom, crops sprout, trees get laden with fruits, list goes on".
So what miracle are we accomplishing by being in a hurry; and would the world collapse if we miss that party or forget to put cinderella-like makeup for party, or miss a trivial meeting, a TV show e.tc.
Before we try to fix this hurry disease, let's look at the underlying reasons:

  1. Greed: This is evil no 1. Man's greed is insatiable and the line between how much is too much gets blurred in most cases. In order to satiate this monstrous greed to acquire more, one tends to cram more work in a day's schedule, to earn more - making himself huiried. Statistics prove that around 60% of our belongings are not needed and can be easily done away with. Is this sanity to always hurry - acquiring things - many of which are not needed.
  2. Self-Importance: This is the evil twin of greed. Many of us have this irresistible urge to feel important in our circle; let it be family(sibling rivalry) or society. And keeping oneself busy pampers one's ego even when it may not be a penny's worth! I have seen people who are miserable idlers without meaningful work, hobby or a cause; saying they don't have a minute to spare when invited over dinner!
  3. Dislike for One's Job: Dislike for one's job or profession breeds irritation instead of satisfaction. Nothing like the joy of a job well done and so is the pain of drudging in the wrong job. This scars the deep crevices of mind resulting in fickleness, as an escape for the mind.
  4. Procrastination: Ailment of procrastination has been as long as mankind itself. By delaying things, they tend to pile up and create metal clutter. A cluttered mind is an unhealthy mind which would always jump hither and tither.
  5. Impatience: This is a 21st-century malady arising out of one or more of the above factors. We live in a world of instant gratification: fast food, reality tv shows, pop music, thriller movies, computer games and internet porn.  All these conspire to steal joy of living in the present - "without any external stimuli".

List of remedies for combating this sickness:-                             
  1. Let Go: No matter what, we can't fit everything in a day's schedule. And the world won't go for a toss if less important activities are sacrificed at the altars of health and peace of mind. Therefore "Let Go" of less important things and don't bother with nitty-gritty of everything under the Sun.
  2. Plan, Organise and proritise: Now that we have learnt to let go, it is important to plan and organise our chores like a funnel - "Most important : Important : Less Important : Least Important" and allocate time accordingy. Least important activities can be done away with entirely in the event of time constraints.           Being organised would save us of many a troubles and time expense like misplacing important stuff and spending a fortune (of time) in locating it.
  3. Stop or Minimise Watching TV: Oof! Television! The world would be such a quiet and beautiful place without this piece of crap. TV creates restlessness by bombarding us with tons of advertisements, eating into a chunk of our time and affecting our sleep. Remember a sleep deprived mind is a "Monkey Mind".
  4. Brisk Walk: Walking slowly and steadily whenever one can afford to can have a tremendous therapeutic effect. It definitely would subside mental chatter that makes us feel busy even when one is not.
  5. Early Rising: Animals, birds and beasts, all rise with sunrise, barring human being. But we were not always like this. In fact for most of our evolutionary history(approx. 99.9% of over 1,00,000 years), we too were like the rest in waking up early but for the past century.           Early rising saves a lot of time, helps to plan and organise for the day better; thus reducing the need to be in a hurry for the rest of the day.
  6. Meditation: Ah! This is like a breath of fresh air. It heals jagged nerves, soothes and calms a chopped mind. Just a few minutes of it can work wonders by making us better decision makers, forging conducive relationships, improving overall health & persona, achieving our goals and innumerable other benefits. Most importantly meditation helps us connect with our own inner placid self and get answers to many of life's perplexing issues. Try it dilligently every day without fail and you would never be the same again. I swear!
  7. Stop Eating Junk Food: Yup! It's junk food which is devoid of any nutrition, laden with toxic chemicals(flavour enhancers, preservatives, thickening agents etc etc.) that deceive our taste buds and wreck our body, making it a fertile ground for many of modern maladies. Most importantly such food makes us restless by exciting our nerves, makes us irritable(body reacts when deprived of nutrition - http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/fast-food-nutrition-junk-foods-effect-on-your-body.html) and makes us more prone to violence (http://www.momsacrossamerica.com/violent_behavior_and_junk_food)

Admit that the world has changed drastically over past century and we need to keep pace.
But actually in hurrying we loose the race by committing costly mistakes in our jobs and fixing them over again, risking safety, getting ill with huge medical bills, dying prematurely in accidents or sickness. Remember the adage: “The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.” 

One can be quick and get the job done smartly and efficiently without mental hurriedness. This would surely create a better person inside and lead to a meaningful contended life..