There is a strange phenomenon that seems to have risen in the past few years: the Busy Off.

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No longer can a person just go about their life and look for some peace and quiet. It’s more socially acceptable to say you haven’t had time to watch the latest hit TV show – you’re just too busy! – than it is to say you have and be up-to-date. It’s particularly a female phenomenon, with countless women going to great lengths to show the way they have to exhaust themselves to get everything done.

Perhaps this is a side effect of the idea women can “have it all” – a fine idea, but one that might be a little too simplistic for its own good. Of course, anyone can have it all if they so choose, but that’s going to mean they don’t have a lot of anything. And the biggest thing they sacrifice if they try to do everything and be everything for everyone? Time.

The busy competitions are at a point where it’s en vogue to be exhausted, to be tired, to be stressed, to feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day and that life is whizzing past you. In reality, all of the aforementioned are signs of really bad things.

Being Busy Isn’t A Trophy

Yet somehow, people are being convinced that it is. Some people are openly confessing that they hate the idea of idleness, of having nothing to do, so they will go to extreme lengths to counter that. Rather than risk seeming lazy, they will stress themselves with every tiny detail to ensure they always have a task at hand.

The problem is, it’s still stress. And stress kills.

Stress Makes Us Make Bad Decisions

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The more stressed we are and the more we get a delight out of announcing our busy schedules to friends and family, the closer we are to a bad choice. In an effort to be more “productive” and get things done, it’s far too easy to see people fall into a trap that will lead them directly to the Canadian Centre for Addictions. When you force yourself to keep pushing and pushing, then your choices are going to be more compromised.

Being Too Busy Is Unhealthy

For one thing, if you’re too busy rushing around from event to task to work to the school run, then chances are you’re going to make bad nutritional choices. After all, you will tell yourself, when you’re this busy, who’s got the time to make a meal from scratch? Far easier to grab some convenience food!

Then there is the impact of all of that stress from feeling you have too much to do. Stress is one of the major causes of heart disease, which in turn is a leading cause of premature death. This is not a goal you want to find yourself at the forefront of the charge towards.

Slow Down

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It might seem easier said than done, but if you ever find yourself tempted to boast of how busy you are, see that as a warning sign. Let the lightbulb click on, as a warning that your choices are not going in a positive direction. If you don’t take notice of that lightbulb, then your health – and your entire life – is going to suffer.