“No” to the Fast Lane, “Yes” to Health
You may be getting ahead on your to-do list by scheduling every minute of every day, but your health could pay a price.
Death rates from heart disease are higher in cultures where people tend to walk fast, talk fast, work fast, and live by the clock compared to death rates in more laid-back locales. Here’s how to slow down your fast-paced world.
Sprinting and Such
Does your entire day feel like a sprint to the finish line the second you head out the door? There’s nothing wrong with working hard, especially if you feel upbeat and invigorated by it. But if you have a hard-driving, competitive, “Type A” personality and tend to feel angry or hostile as you strive to scratch “just one more” item off your to-do list, it’s time to reprioritize. Look at the list. Redefine success by doing only what you need to, want to, and can do comfortably.
Tuning Down
Still find yourself run ragged at the end of each day? Treat yourself to a little decompression time in the evening.
Paint pictures. Listen to music. Or just let yourself eat dinner without watching TV or talking on the phone or paying attention to the pressing thoughts in your head urging you to hurry up so you can move on to the next item on your list.
Just stop . . . breathe . . . and smell the roses.
fast lane, heart disease
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