What’s the Hurry?

In today’s connected culture, we are becoming more and more frantic and impatient. The reason, according to Fortune magazine, is that many people are suffering from what psychologists have named hurry sickness.

Symptoms include:

* Repeatedly pushing the button to close the door on the elevator

* Finding the urge to multitask while waiting 30 seconds for the microwave to finish

* Getting extremely frustrated waiting in lines

* Working while brushing teeth and eating lunch

Now, these might not seem like symptoms that are egregious to health, but all of these activities take a toll on the body in the long run as the body interprets this constant need to do more, faster, as stress. Hurry sickness, as far as the body is concerned, means that the stress hormone cortisol is produced double-time. This hormone has been linked with heart disease and can suppress the immune system.

Managing hurry could be a critical element of a person’s plan to stay healthy, and Success magazine suggests three ways to become more balanced and efficient each day while reducing the amount of unnecessary hurry.

Turn off the electronics – In a society that stays connected at all times, severing that connection can make all the difference. Being glued to the constant updates and newsfeeds on a smartphone has trained people never to rest. The issue is not that people want to get information; it is that once read, they simply crave the next bit in an endless cycle. Nothing is thoughtfully considered or analyzed before moving on.

Breathe – At its most basic level, the body’s instincts will tell it to seek flight, fight, or freeze when it encounters danger. When faced with unnecessary stress, the body often subconsciously slows or stops its breathing. A lack of oxygen overstimulates the brain and causes poor decision making.

Focus – Many tout multitasking as an excellent skill, but in reality, many multitaskers are merely good at not-quite-finishing lots of tasks at once. Slowing down and focusing on what is important will lead to better results in the long run.