Hey friends, today’s topic is one that has been aching on my heart for awhile. If you’re like me, I often find myself scrolling on Instagram. I might be catching up on today’s events, but many times, I’m subconsciously comparing myself to those around me. It’s an odd phenomenon how so many people LOVE to make their lives look so busy. Don’t get me wrong, I know that a LOT of you are busy. However, I think that a lot of the times, we like to make ourselves seem busier to impress others (even if we don’t realize we’re doing that).

Just think about it, how often do you talk to someone and you ask, “how are you doing,” and they answer back with “oh my goodness! We are so busy” When that individual asks you in return, you don’t even think… you respond with “oh, yeah! I gotcha I’m busy too!”

It’s sad and pathetic to admit, but I often find myself trying to top how busy some is. You know, if they say their busy two nights a week, I’m three. Even though I really do have things going on three nights a week, there is no reason why I need to try to top their scale. I’ve realized that to some extent everyone is busy, and it does absolutely no good to point out how much busier I believe I am. 

Since I’ve discovered this odd tendency, I’ve tried to not top others’ “busy” stories. It really just doesn’t matter. I try to listen to others, and if they ask what I’ve been up to then I share. I used to think if I listed everything I’ve been doing, people would know that I’m busy, and they would know that I’m being productive and not lazy. My goal was to impress others with what I was doing so that they would confirm my hard work. This is an endless and pointless game.

I share all of this because I believe many of you struggle with the same issue. You post your highlight reel on Instagram and hope that others see your work and life and confirm what your doing is amazing or difficult. You likely talk about how busy you are from day to day so others understand that life isn’t easy for you. You want confirmation that you are busy. When you say no to something, you feel that you must list all of the reason why just so others understand how complex your schedule is. Let me just encourage you to stop.

1. This is an endless and pointless game.
   No one wins a prize for being busier. You don’t get national recognition for having meetings 12 hours a day or being involved in every group imaginable. You won’t get praised for being ridiculously busy. Actually, you’ll likely miss out on many important events because you have booked yourself too tight.
2. Taking time for rest isn’t being lazy.
   I often associate taking time to rest or even take a 30 minute nap as being lazy. This has been a hard habit to crack, but I’m trying to teach myself that it’s okay to take some time for myself. The crazy part is that by actually taking off time, I’m able to be even more productive during my busy time. You can’t pour life into other areas if you are an empty glass. Fill yourself up in different ways. This can look like a multitude of different activities: napping, running, knitting, playing music, or going on a coffee date. The sky is the limit.

Today, I challenge you to rip off your busy badge. You don’t need to impress anyone with what you’re up to. Take time for yourself, and give rest a chance. I’m rooting for you!

xoxo,