“Why Do We Glorify Being ‘Booked and Busy’ But Fear Being Still?”
- Neha Kumari
- Jul 18
- 5 min read
Updated: Jul 21
We are living in the age where being booked and busy has become the medal of honor. You poke up to someone and ask how he/she is doing and his/her most resounding answer would be:
Busy, yaar. Back-to-back meetings. Not a second to be had to breathe.” Along the way, somehow exhaustion became a status symbol.
We have created a culture which glorifies in hustling and being over-scheduled and burnout but secretly shames calmness, restfulness and ease. But have you ever asked the question why? What is so terrible about decelerating? And why do we make our value based upon our full calendar?
The New Rich is busy?
In the current world, there exists the unsaid rule that when one is busy he or she must be important. When your DMs are blowing up, your Google Calendar is filled to the top, and your phone won’t stop vibrating anymore, then voila, you are doing good.
Is it really success or merely a decent camouflage of coping mechanism?
We have identified purpose with productivity. We have got mixed up between exhaustion and achievement. But being busy all the time is not necessarily good it can be just the avoiding. Denial of feelings, no interviews, provocative questions, and internal unease.
The Fear of Stillness
Come on, it is terrifying to be quiet. It compels you to deal with what you have been hiding beneath items on the to-do lists. There is no doubt that dread of facing yourself alone is real. Space makes way to things such as silence:
Are you, by the way, contented with this life?
But what happens when one realizes he/ she is not doing what he/ she wants?
How can it be that despite all these achievements I am so much disconnected?
When you are motionless, you are not able to conceal what you have done. This is the reason why we prefer chaos to calmness. Since the state of calm requires a confrontation - with ourselves.
The Hustle Culture Trap
The hustle culture informs us that we are supposed to do more. Wake up at five AM. Take 2 part time jobs. Side hustle. Be fit. Be social. Travel. Meditate. When they star in shows and have a relationship and an Instagram curated.
It’s exhausting.
However, when an individual tells you he is taking off a day just to rest, we secretly feel he is lazy or is behind in life. This is because it is something we were conditioned to believe as something of a luxury, not a necessity.
However, the thing is: a constant busy-ness is not a flex. It is the trauma reaction.
Psychology Behind the Idea of Busyness Perfection
Most of us keep ourselves occupied so that we might not feel empty, as though worrying, or that we lack a self-worth.
When you have always depended on your performance to be a valuable person in school grades, accomplishments in your work setting and social power then slowing down makes you feel unworthy.
You are not lazy. You are only afraid that when you desist, people will desist in loving.
With this internal pressure, a cycle is established:
Burnout → Feeling guilty to take rest → Overworking once again → Burnout.
And the really ironic part of this, the more we boast that we are booked and busy, the less we move closer to finding peace.
Do nothing and make it your Superpower
Not moving does not imply laziness. It is the state of presence. It implies that it is sitting down with your thoughts without having to fix or run away.
It implies a redefinition of the term productivity as not only associated with production but also emotional well-being.
Some of the creative ideas, subtle healing insights and strong life choices are best found in moments of non motion. It is that step without music. That 10 minutes of looking up in the sky. The weekend you did not plan anything.
At stillness your nervous system stops, your mind starts thinking and your soul breathes.
Sleep is Efficacious - Says Science
Some research indicates that rest is not something good, but it is necessary.
Neuroscience documents that deep rest has been beneficial in enhancing memory, concentration, and control of emotions.
Research done on mental health indicates that excessive work leads to anxiety, sleeplessness and even depression.
The arguments presented by creativity experts stress that the brain will not be able to solve complex problems when concentrating intensely.
But even when we do slow down we still find ourselves over booking as if rest is something that we have to earn. You do not work a resting-place. You’re human. It is required in order to work.
It is time to continue with the Normalization of the Comment: I am resting.
Consider a scenario that:
When a person says I did nothing, it is not judged, but admired.
Sleeping is not a sign of weakness.
Saying no to plans is not impolite it is self-care.
Expressing the desire to change one thing and say “I should pace myself down” is regarded as a sign of strength and not embarrassment.
We have to relearn that it is not productive to be inactive. We, as people, tend to find out who we are in that tranquility, we tend to identify who we are and not who we are pretending to be.
Personal Check-In: Do You Rest or Do You Just Distract?
A few moment self check:
Do you or are you really resting or are you feeding time with distraction (scrolling, binge watching, false productivity)?
What was the last time when you simply sat down without a screen?
Do you not like to be alone, or do you even dare not to?
These may turn out to be uncomfortable questions but they tell you so much about what we actually require.
Holidays: You Are Still Worth Something, Though You Are Still
Not moving forward does not imply that you are not progressing. It is equivalent to telling that you prefer rest over stress. It implies that you are courageous enough to listen to yourself, emotion, and mind.
You should not based your worth in how busy you are. It is the kindness in you. Your joy. Your creativity. Your presence. None of which necessitate you to always be busy.
And when you get that guilty feeling next time of resting, remember this: You have a right to stay put. You may take time off. You can simply exist.
Since life is not a competition. It is a flow. And sometimes, the idea that you have to do is by far the best thing you can possibly do - slow down.
📅 By News Anek Digital Desk | July 18, 2025
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