In this post, I’m going to share with you why being busy all the time is not good for your health. In our society, people put an emphasis on working all the time rather than sitting back and enjoying life. While being busy might seem like a good thing, it can really have bad effects on your health if you are busy all the time without taking any breaks.
As humans, we always need time to ourselves to unwind. Without this, our brains are also stressed and release adrenaline and cortisol.
1. Greater Mental Stress
When you’re always busy, your mind is active. You’re not allowing your brain time to rest and recuperate. If your mind cannot rest, you don’t have time to think about your emotional well-being and the relationships in your life.
This can cause your relationships to suffer which in turn leads to more mental stress. As you can see, it’s an endless cycle of being stressed and not being able to find a way out of it.
2. High Blood Pressure
When you are always on the go, your cortisol levels are high compared to those times when you are relaxing between periods of activity. This can lead to your blood pressure always being high.
As most people know, high blood pressure leads to all kinds of health problems including heart disease.
3. Brain and Heart Have Impaired Connectivity
Your brain and heart are connected to be able to keep your body going. When you are always busy and stressed, the heart and brain have to focus on many other things because they don’t have the time and space to only focus on each other.
This allows signals to get lost. This can show up as symptoms of hyperactivity without you being able to control it. You might notice a fast pulse, fast breathing, or other physiological symptoms.
4. Chronic Stress
If you’re always busy, you will experience stress more, compared to others that take time to relax. Chronic stress lives in the mind and body even if you might not realize it. While you might seem fine at first, eventually you will have many different health problems because you are chronically stressed and unable to cope with things that life brings you.
5. Emotional Stress
Being busy without breaks also leads to a range of different, negative, emotional health factors. You might be anxious, overwhelmed, lonely, or frustrated for most of the day rather than feeling emotions like peace and joy.
Sometimes emotional stress can also cause you to feel incompetent, especially when you are busy all day at work but don’t feel like you really got anything done.
Other Physical Health Issues
The above 5 issues are not the only ones that people who are always a busy experience. Everyone experiences stress and busyness differently, but almost everyone experiences physical health issues when they are stressed. You might notice yourself feeling more tired than normal or you might start having digestion issues.
It’s also possible to experience a change in sex drive, insomnia, ongoing headaches, and a compromised immune system.
Decreased Self Esteem
Along with physical issues, you can also experience a range of emotional problems related to busyness – like decreased self-esteem. This can lead to other health issues like depression, anxiety disorders, and substance abuse.
All these issues can lead to a shorter lifespan, an inability to form meaningful relationships, and an inability to be able to perform well. If you decrease your busyness, you can lead a more impactful and healthier life.