I went away for a weekend retreat in the Kaimai Ranges a few weeks ago, and it was the most confronting and beautiful thing I’ve experienced in a long time.
The confronting thing was that I couldn’t relax. I was exhausted, wired and in desperate need of rest, but I couldn’t unwind.
I had forgotten how.
In Japan, there has been growing concern over the last few decades about a phenomenon called karõshi, literally translated as ‘death from overwork’. An estimated 200 people are dying annually in Japan alone from overworking.
Even concepts like burnout are relatively new, and have become common even in young people. Burnout can be the result of excessive and prolonged stress, and is characterised by severe physical and emotional depletion to the point of disengagement with life.
It might seem over-dramatic to be talking about karõshi and burnout, but I think many of us are on a path that may lead to burnout if we don’t slow down. Especially living in the city. As incredible and vibrant as Auckland is, there tends to be a culture of busyness being seen as a badge of honour.
All of this falls so short of what is healthy and natural for us as human beings. It sounds corny, but we are human beings, not human doings.
Rachel Grunwell, author of beautiful wellness book Balance, talks about ‘resisting the culture of busy’. Grunwell relays practical ways that have helped her regain balance, such as sleeping at least seven hours a night, moving your body throughout the day, and disconnecting from technology in order to connect with loved ones. We all know these practices will be good for us, but most of us still don’t follow them.
Since busyness has become the norm, to do things differently will be an intentional act that will go against the grain. If we don’t purposefully draw boundaries to protect ourselves, and we don’t instil rituals to maintain balance in our lives, we will get swept up in the fast lane along with everyone else.
Slowing down and doing less takes getting used to. But It is worth fighting for balance in an imbalanced world, peace in a noisy world and rest in an overworked one.
Life is worth slowing down for. (Alana Bruce - Ecostore)
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