The Zen Antidote to Hurry And Worry

Hurry Sickness is the birthplace of stress.

The greatest misery in life is being in a rush. It’s a miserable way to live because when you are driven to catch up with your ever-growing “to do” list you get locked into the mindset of Hurry Sickness.

Symptoms include:

• always having more to do
• believing that the sky will fall in if you don’t get it all done.
• when you’re doing one thing, your mind is somewhere else
• always thinking about whatever you need to do next
• worrying about intercontinental things
• dreaming about what needs to be done
• eating lunch on the run or at your desk
• forgetfulness and scattered thinking
• feeling tension and anxiety, especially in your stomach, jar and neck.
• and more

The Cure to Hurry Sickness

I suggest that you take a break from doing and simply be.

It’s not as difficult as it sounds. Right now you may think it is because your mind is infected with it. You see your Hurry Sickness has become a nasty habit. It’s an addiction (like eating sugar or smoking).

Now,  I don’t know if you can let it go forever, but I believe that perhaps you can slow down enough to alleviate the symptoms for a few minutes and get to enjoy being in the moment once or twice a day.

The health benefits of letting go

• Weight loss – yes weight loss, especially around the stomach
• more restful sleep
• lower blood pressure
• lower blood sugar
• increased circulation
• and much more

The psychological benefits of letting go

• improve focus and concentration
• increased self-confidence and sense of purpose
• deeper peace of mind and sense of balance
• more rewarding relationships
• and much more

One of the best descriptions of how to slow down and get off the hamster wheel is a passage from the famous children’s book Momo by German author Michael Ende .  It is the absolute antidote and cure for worry and Hurry Sickness

“…it’s like this. Sometimes, when you’ve a very long street ahead of you, you think how terribly long it is and feel sure you’ll never get it swept. And then you start to hurry. You work faster and faster and every time you look up there seems to be just as much left to sweep as before, and you try even harder, and you panic, and in the end you’re out of breath and have to stop–and still the street stretches away in front of you. That’s not the way to do it.

You must never think of the whole street at once, understand? You must only concentrate on the next step, the next breath, the next stroke of the broom, and the next, and the next. Nothing else.

That way you enjoy your work, which is important, because then you make a good job of it. And that’s how it ought to be.

And all at once, before you know it, you find you’ve swept the whole street clean, bit by bit. what’s more, you aren’t out of breath. That’s important, too… ~ Michael Ende | Momo (Author of The Neverending Story)

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Additional Resources
Mindfulness meditation improves connections in the brain
Get Your Zen On
Buddha in Blue Jeans: An Extremely Short Zen Guide to Sitting Quietly and Being Buddha