I have a fascination with time. For some years I’ve studied time management – for lack of a better term. That’s really a misnomer because we can’t manage time. We can only manage ourselves and how we relate to time. Very often we end up running against the clock, or struggling to get more done in less time. Not a good idea. That can lead to hurry sickness.

What’s Hurry Sickness?

Dr. Larry Dossey first coined the phrase “hurry sickness” in the 1950s.  In his book, Space, Time & Medicine, he wrote: “The perceptions of passing time that we observe from our external clocks cause our internal clocks to run faster. . . [This hurry sickness] is expressed as heart disease, high blood pressure, or depression of our immune function, leading to an increased susceptibility to infection and cancer.” 

I think those faulty perceptions cause us to put pressure on ourselves. I know I’ve done it. I try to go faster, faster, faster, work harder, harder, harder. I’m exhausted and tired. How about you? How often have you rushed to be first off an airplane even though you have to stand in line at baggage claim along with everyone else? Do you listen to podcasts with the voice set up twice as fast so it will take only half the time? Ever skip breakfast to save time? Or eat on the go? A young man from France once clued me in on a typical American practice – brunch. He pointed out our obsession with time and said we’re trying to save time by combining breakfast and lunch into one. He prefers to take time to savor his meal — and avoid hurry sickness!

If you think you may have hurry sickness, here’s a prescription I’ve put together for you to condition you to slow down. It’s a reminder to enjoy each moment, notice life around you.

Rx for Hurry Sickness

Apply one of the following daily. Continue for three weeks, even after the symptoms disappear.

1. Choose the longest checkout line at the supermarket.
2. Go a day without checking the time on your watch or cell phone.
3. Sit still for five minutes and breathe, slowly.
4. Don’t pass the slow-walking senior in front of you. Patiently walk behind him/her.
5. Don’t interrupt when someone else is speaking. Listen and wait your turn.
6. Walk slowly and take in your surroundings.
7. Telephone – don’t text – someone who has been on your heart, just to say hello.
8. Eat slowly. Slow down and savor the taste of the food.
9. Get out of the car and go into the bank rather than use the drive-through window. Smile. Enjoy a conversation with the teller.

Have fun. Chill. Add some remedies of your own in the Comments below.