fast paced life

4 Signs Your Fast-Paced Life Is Killing You

About a year ago, I hurt my back and had to see my doctor. As I sat on the crunchy paper in his office, he asked about my life, about everything I had going on. My test results were terrible—all my numbers were bad. He told me that unless I change some things up, my fast-paced life was going to kill me. It was a wake-up call that forced me to make some changes.

We are all aware that life can be busy. My calendar is jam-packed each week with work, kids, school, sports, and friends. I have had to create multiple calendars just to keep track of it all. Our culture moves that quickly and keeping up can be so exhausting that it hurts us. Here are 4 signs your fast-paced life is killing you.

1. Your body is telling you.

The human body is amazing. My back pain wasn’t just from working out. It was a warning for me to slow down. You may have heard that you need to listen to your body and this couldn’t be truer when we examine the fast-paced life we have set for ourselves. Headaches, back pain, shortness of breath may be signs that you need to slow down. What is your body telling you?

2. There are no boundaries between work and home.

Are you always on call, even when you’re not on call? Does your boss contact you regularly after work? With so many working from home, one challenge we see is the blurred lines between work and home life. There are always exceptions when we have to work extended periods for projects or assignments, but we have to be diligent in maintaining healthy boundaries. Sooner than later you may find yourself crashing if there are no boundaries between work and home. Do you have set times when work starts and stops each day?

3. You travel more than you’re home.

Traveling may not just be related to work. Your kids may be involved in a travel sports team or your wife may have ongoing commitments that require travel and that you want to support. But even if you are traveling for great reasons, it takes a toll on you and you need to make sure you are recharging when you can. If you travel more than you are at home, you need to evaluate your pace of life. What needs to be removed from your calendar?

4. You have very few close relationships.

If you’re moving too quickly to enjoy the people in your life, then you’re missing the best part of your life.

If you are constantly on the move, chances are you are not slowing down long enough to have meaningful relationships with anyone in your life—even those in your home. How many close friends do you have? How close do you feel to your wife? Honestly evaluate the relationships in your life and assess the depth of those relationships. If you are moving too quickly to enjoy the people in your life, then you are missing the best part of your life. When your pace actually kills you, who will be at your funeral and what will they say? I hope they won’t say, “Dad was always really busy.” What relationships have you been neglecting?

Earn some points: Are you married? If so, share this iMOM article with your wife: 8 Habits to Break as a Family.

Sound off: What other signs have you seen in your life that you would add to this list?

Huddle up with your kids and ask, “What is the most important thing in your life right now?”