Especially as a college student, it feels like there is hardly ANY downtime. You're not hearing people brag about how well-rested they are, instead you're hearing them discuss how many nights in a row you can go without sleep. This poor health decision has turned into a popular lifestyle, but that doesn't mean it doesn't have very real consequences. Your attitude of busyness may get you in trouble if you don't take the time to slow down.
It weakens our immune systems
Never allowing your body any time to rest isn't good. It makes you more prone to illnesses such as the flu, and it can really affect your sleep cycles as well.
It makes us irritable
Come on — if you never stop to smell the flowers, go on a date, or go get ice cream with a friend, are you really all that great to be around? Being constantly busy just wrecks your mood and makes you a grumpy witch.
It raises cortisol
This is one of the most important hormones in your body! Cortisol is triggered by your adrenals, and constantly being busy and stressed makes you gain weight, have problems sleeping, anxious, depressed, etc. There's a whole lot of junk going on here, but the bottom line is that taking that time every week to do a face mask is a GOOD THING!
It disrupts deep sleep
Deep sleep is what our body needs to rebuild after a tough day, a rough workout, being alive. It repairs the pathways in our brain and is necessary for a healthy brain and restoring that mind-muscle connection. Excess stress dramatically affects our deep sleep and is the cause of many other health problems.
It escalates our caffeine addictions
Caffeine can be a great thing, but there are far too many people addicted to caffeine. Research some of the side effects of caffeine and the withdrawal: it's a literal DRUG and can harm us in many ways, from not triggering hunger cues to many other hormonal imbalances.
It takes away our passion
We need to have that rest so that we are able to put a lot of energy into what we're really passionate about. When you work nonstop, you lose sight of the fact that you actually enjoy what you're doing and get bogged down by how busy you are. Try to delegate tasks, or maybe drop out of a couple of student organizations. I promise you that Netflix time on Sunday nights really is worth it!
It causes us to gain weight
By not having time to cook and properly fuel our bodies, many of us reach for quick fixes to nutrition, which oftentimes packs on calories and pounds. Added sugar is one of the biggest causes of this, and it's in literally everything, disguised with clever names. Making time during the week to actually cook and fuel your body for its daily needs will actually help you to lose that weight instead of keeping it 24/7 no matter how hard you try.
It makes you miss out on memories
If you're so busy you never have the time to grab a drink with a friend, watch all the Harry Potter movies in a day, or go for a hike, chances are you'll feel left out. We need that human interaction with our friends in order to be happy and sustain our mood, and being so busy you miss out on things can lead to regret and disappointment later.
What's your favorite way to de-stress? Let me know!
