People are extremely stressed in
America. Between 42 – 52% of them claim
they don’t sleep well because they are stressed. Why?
Because they feel so overwhelmed.
They feel like they are sooo busy they don’t have time to do everything.
Well, this is actually an illusion we live with here in our fast paced
lives. In his book “The Time Management
Workbook: A Catholic Approcah” (Pauline
Books and Media, $9.95) author Marshall Cook reminds us that we aren’t really
busier than our counterparts from the 1950s & 1960s. They spent 14 hours a day working at the
factory.
A recent survey sound that we actually work fewer hours and
watch more tv than they did. So why do
we perceive ourselves as so busy?
Because we live in a “culture of distraction.” It’s due in large to technology.
Americans are so busy developing their resumes. ( Captain of the X club, member of the Y
team, etc). Much blame goes to the sue
of social media. Social media usage
takes time, time which could be used to do other things. There’s an urgency to check one’s emails,
check ones text messages, respond to them, answer the ring, ensure that they
take a photo of whatever they are doing, post it on their sites. So much is a stressful waste of time. People are just reacting to those little
electronic devices.
What are they missing out on? True relationships, commitments which
satisfy. The ones they make online are
shallow and perhaps not even with ‘real’
people. How can we help ourselves slow
down? Take breaks from the
electronics. Put them away while
eating. Go Exercise. Enjoy an activity. Better yet, enjoy a relationship. How about one with God?! That doesn’t mean one has to totally forget
about FaceBook or Twitter. It means one
should schedule the time for them. Limit
the number of times you check your email in one day.
“For the chronically overscheduled,
Cook also recommends not taking on new commitments without dropping old ones,
plus leaving more time between scheduled activities — essentially planning on
things taking more time than expected. Lastly, he said, it’s important to leave
time for things that aren’t important — watching television, working on
crossword puzzles and just doing nothing — all of which can help lower stress
levels and stimulate creativity. “Being bored isn’t a bad thing,” he explained.
‘Boredom is where a lot of creativity comes from.’ In the end, perhaps the best advice comes
from St. Paul in Ephesians 5, who urges Christians to ‘look carefully then how
you walk ... making the most of the time.’ ‘It all comes back to intentionality
and an eternal perspective,’ ” ... Sarah Christmyer, co-developer of the Great
Adventure Bible study program says. “We only have so much time. How are we
going to spend it? What are we here for? How are we going to be Christ to those
around us? That’s what matters.”
New year, new priorities For a
less stressful 2015, clear your calendars, turn off your devices and tune into
what matters most Emily Stimpson OSV Newsweekly - See more at:
https://www.osv.com/OSVNewsweekly/ByIssue/Article/TabId/735/ArtMID/13636/ArticleID/16638/New-year-new-priorities.aspx#sthash.EJTlLDgU.dpufT
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