6 Signs You’re Dealing With ‘Hurry Sickness’ (And What To Do About It)

Do you often rush through your to-do list, juggle multiple tasks at once, and feel like you’re behind schedule?Do you get irritated by any obstacle, no matter how small, that tries to slow you down?Then you may be dealing with “rush disorder”.

Hurry Sickness is a pattern of behavior (an undiagnosable disorder) characterized by chronic hurry, anxiety, and an overwhelming, constant sense of urgency – even when there is no need to move as fast as possible.

The term was coined by cardiologists Meyer Friedman and Ray Rosenman and became well known in their 1974 book, Type A Behavior and Your Heart.(At the time, they believed that people with Type A personalities were more likely to develop heart disease.The strength of this association has since been questioned.)

John Schaubroeck, chair and professor of management at the University of Missouri’s Robert Trulaske School of Business, says “hurry sickness” has proven to be a component of the broader Type A personality syndrome.

If a person is in a perpetual state of hurry, they are likely to also be desperately seeking small results in the short term, have a strong sense of competition, and have no patience for others.

What does rush disorder look like?

1.You treat everything like a race.

Some situations do require us to move quickly – like when we need to meet an important work deadline or get to the airport on time for a flight.But other situations don’t.People with hurry sickness have a hard time distinguishing when rush is needed and when it is not.

Lee Chambers, a British environmental psychologist and health consultant, says, “If you find yourself seeing even everyday chores such as shopping, eating or driving as a race, where any procrastination causes anxiety, then you may be suffering from hurry sickness.”

2.You find it impossible to complete one task at a time.

When you suffer from rush, multitasking is your strategy.

In fact, focusing on one task – even if it’s only for a short while – can be overwhelming.For example, you’ll be trying to figure out what else you can squeeze in to do while heating up your lunch in the microwave or brushing your teeth, says Richard Jolly, an organizational consultant and adjunct professor at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.

3.You can become very irritated when experiencing delays.

Standing in line at the bank, waiting in a waiting room for a doctor’s appointment, or getting stuck in traffic can really get your blood boiling.

Even if you don’t need to be at your destination at a specific time, you can still feel anxious and frustrated in traffic

Another sign?You’re the kind of person who repeatedly presses the “close” button in an elevator.You’ll do anything to avoid wasting time, even if it makes you look ridiculous.

Half the time, these buttons aren’t even connected to anything, just light bulbs – they’re called “mechanical placebo”.But even if they work, how much time do they save?Five seconds?

4.You feel like you’re always behind schedule.

When you suffer from rush disorder, there never seems to be enough time in the day to accomplish what you need to do.And no matter how much you accomplish, you always feel like you’re trying to catch up.

5.You interrupt someone or break up a conversation.

Your impatience isn’t limited to long lines and traffic jams-it also affects your personal relationships.You may not intend to be rude, but you’ve been told that you have a habit of interrupting people in the middle of a conversation.

You often interrupt people when they are talking, especially if they are talking slowly.

6.You’re obsessed with completing to-do lists.

You love the satisfaction you get from completing a task and crossing it off your list.But that satisfaction doesn’t last long – you quickly move on to the next thing.

Such a fast pace won’t actually make you more productive.On the contrary, it will make you more likely to make mistakes.

[Hurry Sickness] manifests as hyper-vigilance about things that need to be done, repeating them over and over in one’s head.This symptom can be over-exertive and eventually cause you to forget things or make mistakes as you rush through your current task while thinking about the next one.

How this lifestyle can cause damage over time

Living in a perpetual rush can negatively impact your physical and mental health, your work, and your relationships.

For starters, chronic stress can weaken your immune system and interfere with your sleep schedule and energy levels.A constant sense of urgency also makes it difficult to concentrate, which can affect your performance and mood.

It affects our behavior, especially in dealing with others and situations that get in our way, leading to feelings of failure, irritability and hypersensitivity, and sometimes anger and frustration.

We need to accomplish more and more in less and less time, which can distract our attention and emotional bandwidth from focusing on the meaningful relationships in our lives.

We lose patience with our loved ones who don’t move at the same pace, we can’t be there for them, we have a hard time connecting and empathizing with them because emotional support for others wastes time.This can eventually lead to short tempers, conflict, and even breakups and fights.

Suggestions on how to deal with “rush disorder

Consider what is truly time sensitive and what can wait.

Treating every task as an emergency that must be dealt with as soon as possible can lead to chronic stress.Prioritize the tasks that really need to get done and put others on the back burner.Try to see time as a friend rather than an enemy, writes psychologist Michael Ashworth on PsychCentral.com.

Time constraints are a matter of thinking.Everyone is under pressure to get things done.However, if you think everything is equally urgent, you’re likely to have a stress problem.Rethink your view of time, your relationship to it, and what’s really important to you.Put events and tasks in perspective.

Set aside some time for self-care.Then, gradually increase the time for care as you feel more comfortable.

When you suffer from hurry sickness, relaxing may not be easy at first.So start small: instead of booking a week-long vacation, try setting aside an hour on the weekend to go for a hike or read a good book.

Use this time to reconnect with the things you love and let the feelings float as you rejuvenate and do something enjoyable.Reading, talking, walking and meditating are all examples of ways we can relax in a pleasant way.

Create an evening routine.

If you have a hard time getting your brain to rest at night, then develop a nighttime routine that will help you relax and fall asleep easily.This could include drinking a cup of tea, taking a warm bath, journaling or anything that makes you feel calm.

Sleep rejuvenates us and keeps us emotionally balanced, but it can prevent us from staying up to speed, and worse, it’s harder to get when we’re in a constant state of anxiety.Finding an afternoon habit that gradually allows us to “unwind” can improve the quality and quantity of our sleep, promoting recovery, happiness, and focus the next day.

Give yourself time to think.

When you’re constantly jumping from one task to the next, you can get bogged down in minutiae and fail to see the bigger picture.At first, taking the time to think deeply may feel like a waste.It’s not an action item you can cross off your to-do list.But it is necessary if you want to work towards a bigger goal.

There’s a saying that originated in Florida: “It’s hard to remember to drain the swamp when you’re fighting alligators”.Today, we can spend a lifetime wrestling with alligators-email, Zoom phones, social media-but never achieve the goal of helping us “drain the swamp”.

Get support from loved ones.

Changing ingrained behaviors isn’t easy, but you don’t have to do it alone.Ask your support system to point out when you’re stuck in old habits and help you replace them with healthier ones.

With the support of your family, coworkers, and friends, you can build a base of support that will help you identify your patterns and triggers, hold you accountable for slowing down, and prevent you from repeating your mistakes.If this becomes an ongoing struggle, seek professional help.