The Anti Hurry-Worry-Scurry Pill

Joan Marques - Ed.D., MBA.
Burbank, California

Here is a prescription that comes from the heart. It is meant for all those who got caught by the Hurry-Worry-Scurry bug, rushing through life from early morning till late night and hardly ever allowing themselves the opportunity to take a break: children need to be fed and prepared for school or daycare; errands need to be run; parents need to be taken to the physician; jobs need to be executed; bills need to be paid; functions need to be attended; you name it!

Life happens, and sometimes it does so at a speed that is hardly controllable. And we go through the motions, thinking that this is the way it should be, and forgetting that we always have a choice. And I'm not talking extreme choices here such as walking away from it all and taking the next plane to Dubai or Timbuktu: I am talking about getting things done according to their levels of priority.

The Anti Hurry-Worry-Scurry Pill can help. It's not an actual pill, of course, so you can't get it in the pharmacy. But you can get it over the psychological counter of your own natural health store, if you are willing to try it. The only possible side effects from this pill are: 1) a sense of disbelief at first, and 2) a desire to continue taking the pill long after its necessity is over. But these side effects are fairly innocent, so why not try it?

First of all, let me clarify that you are the only one that can create this pill for yourself, since some of its non-basic ingredients will depend on your specific circumstances. The purpose of taking this pill is in any case the same, though: it is meant to get you adjusted to a life that is less rushed and more intense than the one you are living now.

Here are the basics for the Anti Hurry-Worry-Scurry Pill:

  • One scoop of the realization that life is short; that you only have one life to live (for as far as we know), and that you are not irreplaceable. This realization is necessary to relieve some of the stress that the urge to get everything done one day in advance brings along: a type of stress that many efficiency fanatics are troubled with. This realization is also necessary for reducing the arrogance of thinking that the company, the family, or the club you are part of cannot continue to perform without you.

  • A few sniffs of selectivity and organization-mindedness, in order to make sure that important matters are distinguished from unimportant ones, and that, subsequently, the important matters get arranged in order of execution-status. No important issue should be allowed to become a pressing matter, because that is the greatest threat to relapsing into the Hurry-Worry-Scurry mode. Tackle every important matter as early on as you can, even if the due date for its delivery is not in sight yet.

  • A sprinkle of healthy egoism, which will encourage you to prioritize the things that are important to YOU. Everybody around you will try to force you into prioritizing his or her needs. Don't let that happen. You can only do so much, and let that much be in your own favor.

  • A gallon of self-love, which entails elements such as: finding out what you would really like to do; considering whether you have the job you like; and contemplating whether your relationships of any kind are rewarding or not.

  • A dust of the child in you, which you suffocated for far too long now. It is this child in you that will rejuvenate within you the dreams you once had, and awaken the courage to chase them in spite of what others say or what the circumstances seem to indicate.

    • Once you have blended all these elements together, the basic anti Hurry-Worry-Scurry pill is ready. All that's left now is the preparation of some specifics pertaining to your circumstances, which could vary from a huge scoop of self-esteem to effectively treat the emotional browbeating from a possessive partner or an intimidating boss, to a pint of courage to say "no" more often to fastidious friends, colleagues, kids, or partners. However, for most of us the sniffs of selectivity and organization (the second listed ingredient above) may be enough to represent the solution in any case.

    The Anti Hurry-Worry-Scurry Pill is not a promise that you will never be busy again, but it will help you to select your activities, engage in the things that really matter, discard issues that only place unnecessary burdens on your shoulders, and have a better feeling about your accomplishments and yourself at the end of the day.

    Remember: it is good to be a member of various organizations and clubs, but if you have children or parents that need your attention, and a fulltime job on top of that, you might want to cut down on these memberships, or at least become less actively involved in them for a while: Everything in due time -- that's the secret of a good life. Don't worry about missed opportunities. They only pass you by because something better is on its way.