The Cure for Busyness Disease & Overwork

Posted on April 17, 2023 under Career & Work

We are a nation of busy people. Always on the go with something to do and someone to see. But when we desire quiet and rest, we don’t know how to make it happen.

There are dreams of the ultimate vacation – the holiday that completely recharges us and makes us “feel like ourselves again”.

There is the Bucket List that is to be diligently attacked, yet somehow untouched.

There is the exhaustion that leads us to go-to comfort habits. Like emotional eating, spending, playing hard, smoking, drinking, caffeine fixes, and romantic prowling.

The disease of “busyness” really is just a mask for our lack of knowing and fear of what else to do.

What if we actually embraced our greatness and became exactly what we were meant to be? Smart, powerful, and rich human beings? Perish the thought!

When overwork leads to un-wellness and overwhelm it can be difficult to understand how to get out of this black spiritual hole.

The answer is not to keep filling in the quicksand with more dirt. We need to be present and feed our souls, not choke it.

Finding out who you really are is the journey and joy of a lifetime.

A few years ago I coached with two different executive clients. One experienced my full day “VIP” coaching program and the other committed to a half-day intensive session.

Both women held heavy levels of responsibility and different workplace challenges, but both ultimately asked the same question. “How do I make the time for myself to figure who I really am and what I really want?“

Finding out who you really are is the journey and joy of a lifetime. The work of making space to unearth the real you is the first critical and unavoidable step.

When I meet with my Career Coaching clients, I ask them what they enjoyed the most out of their coaching experience. A top response is always, “space dedicated to just me.”

Indeed, time to focus on yourself with a coach can be a groundbreaking experience unto itself. My uber-busy VIP clients moved heaven and earth in their calendars to make the space to meet with me.

It was not easy or comfortable for them to say “YES” to meeting with me – which in reality was them saying “YES” to themselves.

This unfamiliar action of prioritizing self was the beginning, even before showing up to the session with me, of seeking who they really are.

So, where to begin? My clients are hard-driving, hard-working professionals and many qualify as bona fide workaholics.

I love to work with achievers. I already know that you with all your intelligence and accolades can draft the most beautiful plans, push forward with brute force, and gather all the resources in your arsenal to make most anything happen in the workplace.

However, being at peace in your mind, body and spirit requires a different approach.

If all your amazing business skills were helpful in finding yourself, then you would have done it already, right? Self-care and awareness isn’t a practice that is taught in B-school or in the boardroom.

I can honestly say that I never would have believed in a million years I could break free from my desk to create a life that I love.

I was burned out and sick from working 70+ hour weeks and not clear on how I could continue to function. Now what?

It was the brave inner work of discovering who I am by getting quiet, curious, and caring about myself that allowed me to create the perfect choices for my life.

This freedom is readily available for your taking. It starts today, right now. Are you with me?

The key to the beginning is to find a method of connecting with self that is effective for you. It takes some experimentation but likely you already know.

I want you to remember times when you would consider yourself in “the zone” or in “flow”. This might be meditation, running a marathon, gardening, photography, playing guitar, walking on the beach, boxing, programming code, or any other creative / spiritual / leisure activity.

If you can’t recall a time when you were in the zone, you might be getting too close to the sun. You’re blocking it out or are in denial.

It could be a long time since you’ve allowed yourself to visit your soul, and it’s getting scary. Just relax into it, and know the answer is within your fear.

Experiencing your talents helps you get in touch with the real you. The more you hang out with yourself, the more comfort, clarity and energy you’ll receive.

This is the ultimate vacation you can take at any given moment. The perfect destination just for you. Your next steps will be revealed to you during this nurturing experience.

I want you to take out your calendar right now. Make a date with yourself to do the things you love. If you are serious about finding your true work, then you will pick up this challenge.

For more Career Development and Job Search tips, follow me on LinkedIn.

– Kelley Joyce, MBA, CPC

Kelley is a career development coach who is dedicated to helping people discover their career path and land their dream jobs. Kelley and her partner Josh live in New York City from which she has served hundreds of professionals across the U.S., U.K., and Australia since 2012 to radically change their relationship with work.

Join the Conversation on Twitter @kelley_ann or leave a Facebook reply below!