The Hidden Cost of Constant Busyness

What’s All The Rush?

This time of year is often referred to as “Maycember” - that chaotic stretch that can feel as stressful as the December holiday season. Packed schedules and life transitions can create a sense of overwhelm, and women especially find themselves rushing to get it all done and make life pleasant for their families.

Why Women Tend to Rush

According to internationally acclaimed nutritional biochemist and author of the Rushing Women’s Syndrome (2011), Libby Weaver, through her research, has found that women often “rush” not simply because they have too much to do, but because of a combination of biological stress responses, social conditioning, and emotional patterns. Rushing becomes both a behavioral habit and a physiological state where the nervous system becomes accustomed to stress hormones like adrenaline. Let’s take a closer look at the root causes according to Weaver.

Biological

Adrenaline Dependence

Weaver argues that some people become highly accustomed to the biochemical “buzz” of stress from adrenaline. The body adapts to functioning on elevated stress hormones caused by deadlines, multitasking, urgency, and constant stimulation.

Disconnection from Body Signals

Weaver says women often override natural physiologic cues such as fatigue, hunger, and the need for rest. Instead of slowing down, they push harder with caffeine, sugar, intense exercise, or mental determination.

Social

Cultural Expectations

There are modern societal pressures on women to simultaneously excel at their career, parenting, relationships, appearance, fitness, and emotional caregiving. Some women internalize unrealistic expectations to “do it all,” causing emotional and physiologic stress. 

Identity Tied to Productivity

Some women may unconsciously feel safer, more valuable, or more in control when constantly busy. Quietness or stillness can bring up uncomfortable emotions that busyness temporarily suppresses.

Emotional

Fear and Perfectionism

Fear of failure, fear of not being enough, perfectionism, and people-pleasing are all underlying beliefs and emotions that can cause women to overcommit and overschedule themselves.

Internal Pressure

Many women feel underlying internal pressure to demonstrate what I call the 4 P’s:

• Perform - demonstrate achievement

• Provide - care for everyone

• Please - avoid disappointing people

• Produce - appear capable and productive

This can create a belief that self-worth comes from constant doing.

Impact of Rushing On Our Health and Wellness

Chronic urgency and nervous-system overload can eventually affect:

• mood

• sleep

• hormones

• digestion

• metabolism

• relationships

• joy and presence

Take a moment to reflect on your current state of health and overall wellness. Are you struggling in any one of these aspects? Then examine your schedule and ask yourself, does “rushing woman” describe you? If so, it’s important to press pause and examine why you are doing all that you are doing. Is this a short season in Maycember, or has this become your “normal”, your everyday way of life?

Reversing the Impact of Rushing

Creating quiet in your schedule is easy to say, yet sometimes much harder to do. While it is a practical approach, learning to calm the nervous system and change internal beliefs that drive chronic urgency are critical to sustaining wellness. Weaver encourages evidence-based stress reduction principles focused on both physiology and mindset.

Create Pauses

Try intentionally slowing small moments throughout your day, such as:

• eating without multitasking

• driving more calmly

• arriving early instead of rushing

• taking a few slow breaths before responding

• building transition time between activities

Reduce adrenaline dependence

Avoid behaviors that keep the stress-response activated:

• excessive caffeine

• overtraining/high-intensity exercise every day

• constant phone stimulation

• overscheduling

• skipping meals

Learn to notice body signals

Become aware of how your body may be signaling stress:

• clenched jaw

• shallow breathing

• tight shoulders

• racing thoughts

• eating too fast

• inability to relax

Reevaluate beliefs about self-worth and acceptance

Constant busyness is often socially rewarded, and productivity can become an identity. It is important to question internal narratives, such as:

• “I must do everything.”

• “Rest is unproductive and lazy.”

• “My value comes from achievement.”

• “I can’t disappoint anyone.”

Setting boundaries and tolerating the discomfort of saying “no” will enhance resilience and improve wellness.

Wellness Made Simple During Busy Seasons

At @Well, our approach to wellness aligns with Weaver’s suggestions for increasing the parasympathetic (“rest-and-digest”) nervous system activity and reducing the chronic state of sympathetic nervous system (“fight or flight”) activity caused by rushing.

Fuel Your Body

As a nutritionist, Weaver links rushing with unstable blood sugar and stress hormones and suggests eating habits to stabilize stress physiology. We agree and commonly suggest fueling using the same approach: 

• adequate protein

• reduce processed foods and excess sugar

• mineral-rich whole foods

• moderate alcohol and caffeine

• avoid skipping meals

Move with Intention

Simple daily movement calms the stress response and optimizes fitness. 

• Daily gentle movement, like walking or stretching

• Moderate functional movement like resistance training, or carrying groceries and lifting babies and toddlers!

• Regular movement balanced with adequate hydration (half your body weight in ounces) and restorative sleep (7-8 hours).

Feed Your Soul

Like Weaver, we encourage prioritizing restorative practices that support spiritual wellness:

• walking in nature

• prayer or meditation

• journaling

• quiet time

• slower breathing

• time away from devices

• meaningful connection with others

As you approach Maycember, pause to consider if this is a moment in time or a lifestyle pattern. Wherever you find yourself, we are here to walk beside you.

Wishing you a happy, healthy Memorial Day weekend 🇺🇸 Break out the cornhole!

Be Well ❤️

Kelly

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