State of Mind: Take it slow this summer

Memorial Day commonly marks the unofficial beginning of summer. For some, it’s the start of days at the swimming pool and nights at the ballpark. For others, it might be the time of epic road trips and relaxing vacations. Yet, it can also be a time of jam-packed schedules that leave little downtime for kids, and adults wondering how they’ll juggle all the activities while maintaining their own jobs and responsibilities.

Too often in our society, we view the absence of scheduled events as vacant opportunity. In other words, it is a common belief that every available moment of the day should be filled with structured and defined activities. But what if the opposite is true? What if doing nothing is not the absence of doing something, but rather an intentional experience itself? More importantly, what if making the decision to intentionally allow ourselves and our families downtime could have profound positive impacts on our mental health?

Being overly busy has become a trendy epidemic of sorts as we tend to glorify busyness in our culture. In fact, some people’s feelings of self-worth or social status are directly connected to how busy they feel.

Unfortunately, for adults and kids alike, being constantly busy has been linked to increased stress, anxiety, depression, irritability, anger and frustration. It can also negatively impact memory and attention, cause fatigue, weaken the immune system, and lead to cardiovascular and digestive issues. Burnout, insomnia, headaches and stomachaches are also possible in response to being overly busy, especially in children.

Like many things, social media can cause or exacerbate our perceived need to stay busy, as we’re routinely faced with fabricated narratives that appeal to our own insecurities. For example, a parent might be flooded with reminders of all the ways they aren’t living up to completely unrealistic standards of their children thriving in every league and every camp. Another person longing for a vacation may be bombarded with others’ carefully curated highlights from idyllic tropical destinations.

Often times, we associate downtime with things that are in reality just the opposite. Things like scrolling through social media, watching television or even reading a book require mental engagement and are merely add-ons to our already scheduled responsibilities. True downtime is time spent without agenda, deadline or processing necessary. In years past, people even had regular opportunities for downtime throughout the day. Things like sitting on the front porch, riding an elevator or even taking a shower were small moments when the mind was unoccupied and allowed to wander. Now, those times are typically filled with things like podcasts and videos.

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This new reality of constant stimuli coupled with the pressures to always stay busy make it vital to be more intentional about spending moments of real downtime. That might be as easy as committing to putting away the phone and simply allowing yourself to be and think. Spending time in nature, such as going for walks, has shown immense benefits that include the opposite of virtually all the risks of being overly busy.

For kids, unstructured free play, which has become almost non-existent, is associated with similar benefits, in addition to teaching and improving decision-making, problem-solving, emotional regulation and social skills.

Ultimately, sometimes choosing to do nothing is not the opposite of being productive. Instead, making the intentional choice to not pre-plan and pack every day’s schedule, disconnect from screens and social media, and maybe even spend time outside simply being might just be some of the most productive things you can do this summer.

Bryan Busch is a licensed mental health counselor in Cedar Rapids. He also works at Folience, the parent company of The Gazette. He can be reached at bryan.busch@thegazette.com.