Do You Feel Guilty If You're Not Busy All the Time? Here's What to Do

by www.Sedona.com

If it feels like you've been working a lot lately, it's not your imagination. One-third of Americans work 10 hours a day or more, according to a study by the National Sleep Foundation -- and one in five spend another 10 hours working from home.

Not surprisingly, the percentage of Americans planning to take a much-needed vacation this year dropped from 40 percent in 2007 to 33 percent this year, according to a survey by travel insurance provider Access America.

“We live in a world with the busies. Most of us are rushing all the time so we do not take the time to relax and smell the flowers or simply enjoy the activity at hand,” says Hale Dwoskin, CEO and Director of Training of Sedona Training Associates. “We are often so programmed to believe that we need to be productive all the time that we can feel guilty if we take any time for ourselves to relax.”

And this is a problem on numerous levels.

For one thing, a study published in Occupational and Environmental Medicine found that working long hours is bad for your health. After analyzing over 100,000 job records from close to 11,000 workers from 1987 to 2000, those who worked the longest hours had an increased risk of:

• High blood pressure
• Heart disease
• Depression
• Diabetes
• Chronic infections
• General health complaints
• Death

And on an emotional level, working all the time is a surefire recipe for a breakdown.

“When you rush and do not take time for yourself you burn out and actually get less done,” Dwoskin says.

Are You Someone who Has a Hard Time Relaxing?

If so, you must realize that taking time for yourself is essential for your physical and mental well-being. In fact, it's just as essential as sleeping and breathing.

Fortunately, there is help.

"There are several ways to release the feelings that cause you to be tense and rush through life," Dwoskin says. "First off remember that you are enough as you are right now. If you find yourself thinking you need to do more to justify your existence treat it like any other feeling and simply let it go using The Sedona Method."

“Also, if you feel like you are rushing, allow yourself to slow down by letting go of the feeling of rushing. Lastly, let go of wanting to punish yourself for taking time for yourself or slowing down enough to simply be relaxed,” he continues.

The bottom line is this: many people believe that the more they do, the better person they are. But in reality, you can’t reach your life’s potential unless you take time to relax and enjoy the small moments that make up a lifetime.

Sources
Occupational and Environmental Medicine September 2005;62:588-597