The idea that we live in a culture of urgency can help us to frame why so many people report struggling with anxiety and worry. If we are always in a state of movement, our minds respond by overthinking and our bodies by overproducing cortisol, the naturally-occurring stress hormone. This recipe leads to persistent anxiety, stress, overwhelm, and worry.
Urgency culture can mean anything from unhealthy relationships with our jobs to pushing ourselves despite feeling exhausted to overscheduling our lives and not allowing ourselves to say “no.” The following are some of the ways that our culture stresses urgency and how these imaginary rules contribute to feelings of anxiety.
Misdefining “Productivity”
There are many myths surrounding the concept of “productivity.” Who can truly define what it means to be productive? Does it mean we are unproductive unless there is a tangible result to our actions? Or that if we are not busy, we are not productive? The answer is open to interpretation.
Through this lens, we can redefine what productivity means for us uniquely. Many of the cultural “rules” about productivity are ripe for reassessment—for instance, the idea that anything less than a 40-hour work week is unproductive or the belief that we should be available to our jobs 24/7. When we fixate on being productive, we unwittingly push ourselves beyond our limits and throw our nervous systems into a state of overdrive. Accepting that it is OK to engage in activities that do not necessarily produce a tangible “result” is a radical shift from the narrative of urgency, but one that can result in a healthier life balance and a more realistic definition of productivity.
Stigmatizing Rest
In a culture of urgency, rest and relaxation are often misguidedly viewed as idleness or laziness. We have, however, tons of scientific research to back up the idea that rest, leisure, and self-care are actually vital to our health.
Without them, we simply run ourselves, our minds, and our bodies into the ground and the results can be catastrophic. Burnout is real and if we are not mindful of our daily functioning, we can quickly become burned out, which can have severe consequences for our minds and bodies. Destigmatizing rest and self-care is an important way to challenge some of the unhelpful and unrealistic messages of urgency culture.
Fixating on Perfectionism
Perhaps you have heard the saying, “Perfect is the enemy of good.” Nowhere is this more accurate than within a culture that extolls the virtues of busyness and repeats the message that anything short of “exactly right” is not good enough.
When we strive for perfection, we become stuck—like an artist who never completes a painting because he is unable to allow the work to be finished or “good enough”; he fixates and agonizes over each line, shade, and brushstroke. Letting go of perfectionism allows us to be “good,” to do well, and to balance our lives in a healthy way.
Misprioritizing Our Lives
Urgency culture often causes us to unknowingly prioritize our lives in ways that are not actually aligned with what we value.
Imagine a person who loves her family but places her job at the top of her priority list. Authentically, her family is her priority, but cultural rules cause her to mis-prioritize what is truly important to her. This leads her to focus more on her job than she wishes to, to miss out on important family experiences, and to feel stressed and anxious about making the various components of her life fit.
We cannot argue that our culture is one in which urgency is often seen as not only a virtue but also a requirement. Unfortunately, this way of looking at our lives leaves little room for joy in the moment, healthy balance, or time to rest. Challenging the imaginary rules of urgency culture can help us to live healthier, less stressful lives.