Busyness

Let me ask you, “when was the last time you weren’t busy?”

This time of year in particular, before the holidays, people say to me, “you must be busy!” 

This question get’s me reignited on ‘busyness’ over and over again. 

Regardless of the holidays and gift giving season when jewelry is on people’s minds in a particular way, when was the last time I wasn’t busy? There’s always much to do and get to. 

This is a snapshot of part of my studio today. Indeed there’s much to get to!

Surfaces are covered, there’s lots going on, many decisions to make, projects to finish.

It’s not atypical for this to be a common sight. (And let’s not even talk about the things to do in the home, friends and family I’ve been meaning to get back to…)

I circle back.

When was the last time you asked someone how they were and their response was, “I’m so busy” or “things are so busy”? (Probably not that long ago.)

In a wonderful essay by Omid Safi, The Disease of Being Busy, published in 2014 on Krista Tippett’s On Being blog (a favorite of mine, by the way), he asks:

“How did we create a world in which we have more and more and more to do with less time for leisure, less time for reflection, less time for community, less time to just… be?…This disease of being “busy” (and let’s call it what it is, the dis-ease of being busy, when we are never at ease) is spiritually destructive to our health and wellbeing. It saps our ability to be fully present with those we love the most in our families, and keeps us from forming the kind of community that we all so desperately crave.”

Attempting to balance ‘work’ running a very small business and being active on the board of a small arts nonprofit, Art Jewelry Forum, with ‘leisure time’ such as sharing experiences with family and friends, cooking, walking, going for day trips…keeps me on my toes. 

It’s a juggle that consciously and unconsciously I choose over and over again, even though sometimes I wonder why. 

When it feels like to much I try to come back to my breath.
(I know, I know, you’ve probably heard that so many times too these days, perhaps even as much as “I’m busy,” but I have to say, for me, focusing on breath is truly a respite, a pause that allows for me to see and think and feel more clearly. It’s a blessing.)

Today I share with you a breathing exercises that holds value for me:

BOX BREATH for when you feel too ‘busy.’

• Stand or sit with feet actively connecting to the ground below you, jaw soft, shoulders relaxed.

• Close your eyes.

• Breath slowly in and out through your nose.

• 4 parts : inhale, hold, exhale, hold (for equal lengths of time)

  You choose how long each part is. You can experiment with keeping them all at a 6 count for a few rounds, or starting with a 4 count, then stretching your breath, moving in sequential rounds to a longer and longer count. *Please note, it should never feel full of struggle.

• Repeat at least 3 times. If you have 3-5 minutes to spend that’s ideal. Practice until you feel more able to meet whatever it is you have to do and is making you feel ‘busy.’

It’s as straight forward as that. Give it a try and let me know what you think in the comments below.