The Glorification of Mental Overload ~via @PensivePoet97
One of the main causes of stress is due to work-related matters and one of the main causes of stress in the workplace is due to the tasks that are to be done at that moment. In a society and culture that glorifies and prides itself on constantly being busy and having a heavy work overload, it is definitely no surprise for these unfortunate events that occur on a daily basis. While I believe in the importance of hard work to be done effectively and righteously, I also believe in the importance of rest for clarity. Our society constantly pushes a narrative to be a ruthless, unapologetic go-getter, do more and more (far beyond what some are capable) so we appear to always be mentally and professionally exemplary. This is far from what can actually serve as a beneficial factor in one’s professional life. I never want to pride myself on being too busy for what is important whether those include potential endeavors, people I love and care about, and especially God since He is never too busy for me or any of us. Being busy has become a factor in narcissism because we have been led to believe that being busy increases our social status due to the narrative that more is necesarily better. The concept of being too busy for pretty much anything outside of what we are busy doing is a dangerous concept our culture glorifies in saturating. The reality is that what one may be busy with may not be that important. If anything, we should be striving towards being busy and productive doing what is creative, enhancing, worthy, and impactful to hone what busyness truly ought to look like. I will never agree with society’s definition of being effective in one’s position. To get ahead for my own gain without any regard, respect, or concern for my fellow man is one of the biggest lies we have been taught. If we focused more on being productive rather than being busy, we would honestly get more done instead of disheveling unimportant tasks under the guise of “work” and “being busy”. By making time for being productive, we make time for matters that sustain their usefulness. If I end up hurting/compromising myself or worse for the sake of trying to look like a hustling and solemn go-getter while ignoring what’s important or forgetting to be an encouragement to those around me, then I’ve failed no matter how much I may acquire. May we as a society stop prioritizing a false concept of “being busy” especially where it doesn’t apply and start prioritizing what and who truly matters. (At the same time, there is nothing necessarily wrong with being busy every now and then especially if what you’re busy with is worth it. Talking about being busy increases the ego, but actually being busy increases opportunities)
To read more about my thoughts on this subject, they are shared in Chapter 4 in my latest book Create, Execute, Repeat: Leveraging Creativity in Business and Life.
