Sometimes I forget to smile. And smiling is important. This is a shot of my daughter and I preparing our Hawaiian Christmas dinner this year. I don’t remember what tickled us, but I knew it would make you smile. It’s contagious, ya know. When I get too busy, my brain goes into its business mode, intently focusing on getting it all done. Frankly, I’m always shocked when I see a photo someone has taken when I’m preoccupied. Beyond ugly, I look kinda mean. Feelings are pretty much the last thing on my mind as this robot version of myself rolls from one thing to the next all day long, all week long, all month long. You really need this focus at work, but if life outside the office goes like this most of the time, it becomes normal. You get used to living by your list and take pride in crossing stuff off.
I’ve given this business of “busyness” a lot of thought because I’m positive it’s responsible for the isolation and loneliness that a growing number of us often feel. Since we’ve all become so busy in our lives, I don’t see friends as often and I miss them. Even when I try to plan a get together, meshing schedules isn’t easy and very frustrating.
It’s logical. When everyone is always tied up, there’s no time left over for each other. And that’s doesn’t mean on Facebook or Twitter or whatever else is keeping us electronically connected. It’s not that we’re actively rejecting spending social time together, it’s just that we don’t leave time to think about it as much. Brains are full. The trouble is when you get so busy “doing”, there’s no time left for “feeling”. Emotions get shut out without us realizing it. Thus… robots. Ironically, what automatically gets discarded is the thing we need most. As social animals we need those smiles around us.
I’ve been guilty of it myself, but manage to catch myself when I’m overwhelmed by the number of tasks and activities facing me. Having no breathing room eventually catches up to my high value on good health, which pretty much depends on keeping stress levels low. It feels good to feel good.
Do you ever feel like you’re just going through the motions, with you days full of one task after another? Do you think you might be turning into somewhat of a robot yourself, and not even realize it?