Back in February, I had a bad case of the urgencies. My husband Bruce coined this term to refer to times when you give everything on your to-do list the same priority level.
I like to get things done and I like to have things finished. I love to check things off my endless to-do list. But sometimes things get a little—or a lot—out of hand.
I had a particularly bad case this time around.
All kinds of unpleasant things happen when I get the urgencies such as…
- I get irritated easily by small things that otherwise wouldn’t bother me.
- I become very impatient with other people.
- I feel bad about myself when I get irritated or impatient with someone who is acting completely reasonably.
- My body hurts—sometimes a lot.
The interesting thing about the urgencies is that you create it for yourself. Because you decide how you want to think.
Your thoughts have repercussions in your body.
You know from personal experience that when you encounter a stressful situation, your body usually responds by tensing up—very often in the neck, shoulders, and upper back.
That’s pretty normal and it’s a perfect example of the connection between mind and body.
When you get a case of the urgencies you’re creating a stressful situation by how you’re thinking. By assigning everything on a to-do list the same priority level you’re saying to yourself “All of these things have to get done and they all have to get done NOW!”
If that isn’t stressful I don’t know what is.
So, what did I do to get rid of my urgencies? I didn’t take a pill, that’s for sure.
I took my to-do list and I divided it into three categories:
- Personal-related
- Business-related
- Mom-related
Then I had a heart-to-heart with myself and decided what things needed to be done first, second, third, etc. I used this list for about three weeks until I got everything taken care of. Because I wrote it down I got to cross things off and I could see that I was in fact getting a lot of stuff done. And that made me feel good.
I created this case of the urgencies for myself. And I’m sure you’re just as capable of the same. Just don’t forget that because you create the problem you also have the cure.
Sometimes when others around you are suffering a case of the urgencies it can become contagious. But whether you catch it, that too is up to you. Because you decide how you want to think.
And you don’t have to let other people’s urgencies become your urgencies.
One of the best pieces of advice I try to remember—because it’s a good remedy in case you sense a case of the urgencies coming on—is that: Life is Not an Emergency!
Tuck it away in your medicine cabinet for when you most need it.
P.S. Would you like to be notified of new blog posts? Are you craving more information on moving better and feeling better? Then sign up for the e-newsletter. When you sign up you’ll get a free booklet with tips for exploring your posture (that has nothing to do with standing up straight and pulling your shoulders back. I promise!).
