I Am No Longer Busy
- By: Jessica Faust | Date: Mar 23 2017
For years I answered the question, “How are you?” with “Busy.” I’ve come to despise that word and I’m working incredibly hard to eliminate it from my vernacular. I am no longer busy.
“Busy” is so self-defeating. It implies we’re unhappy or that we’re too busy to enjoy life. We’re just busy. In my experience the word “busy” lends itself to a big sigh and a comparison of how busy we all are and how none of it seems to make us happy. We don’t enjoy the holidays because we’re too busy rushing around, our jobs are just a pathway to the next thing, so are our schedules, our trips to the gym, and even writing time. We’re just too busy.
Whenever I used the word I felt weighted down. It made me unhappy and brought on negative thoughts about the life I was living. So I stopped. When people ask me how I’m doing or what’s going on, I tell them. I’m doing great! My business is growing, my authors are writing incredible books, my life is full of cupcakes and Nespresso coffee, and Buford snores at my feet all day long (unless he’s in my reading chair).
I am no longer busy. I’m enjoying the life I created.
Lovely. And Amen. I must warn about the Nespresso coffee, though. I used to love it a few years back, and then I got so-called anxiety attacks. It stunned me, because, you see, I’m not a panicky kinda gal. It usually takes Hulk teaming up with the Joker to get my knees shaking. It took the doctors a few months, but they did discover in the end it was the Nespresso coffee that gave my body the symptoms of anxiety attacks. It started with the strangling sensation. My best friend has been drinking it for a year, though, and she’s fine. Still, I thought I’d share my experience in case anyone goes through similar things they don’t understand.
interesting on Nespresso. I had heard others mention an allergy to it. Good to know if that starts to happen.
I LOVE this post and totally agree.
My word is “tired”. When I say it I really mean I’m so busy I’m tired, as in, so much to fill my wonderful life I’m tired. But it sounds way to negative, sounds like I’m exhausted from being busy doing stuff I don’t like.
Hey, busy is good, being tired from busy is good but the connotation…bad.
So, I’m no longer so busy I’m tired, I’m having another great day…in paradise.
I like being busy, I don’t like being stressed or overwhelmed. But as you’ve pointed out, perhaps the meaning of the word ‘busy’ has moved from having a lot to do to overwhelmed and time poor, stressed with the volume of things to be done. Thinking about it, I can see how it does get a lot of negative use.
Something to think about next time I’m go to say ‘I’m busy’.
I hate the word busy too. It is not a badge of honour to be busy, yet people use the word like it’s something to be proud of. I do think busy has moved to being synonymous with overwhelmed with too much to do. It doesn’t mean anything now when someone says they are busy.