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The Power of Play
The protestant work ethic combined with technology which has fast-tracked the ‘achievable’, has created a generation where multi-tasking is not an option but a way of life.
Hyperactivity is the norm and adrenalin rules in a world where “lose not a minute” has become the motto of our age.
However some things don’t suit the full throttle approach – i.e. love, sex, conversation, food, family, friends and nature.
Important life skills suffer – appreciation, memory, sorrow, sustained concentration and enjoyment.
Workaholism affects many of us to some degree, here’s 7 symptoms:
- Feeling guilty when you play, doze, gaze, amble or simply do nothing.
- Your answer to the greeting “Hello, how are you?” is “I’m so busy” – (like a trophy or a mantra, battling through becomes a mark of character).
- You don’t take breaks at work.
- You drive, talk, move & eat rapidly.
- Long weekends have replaced the 3 week summer holiday.
- You talk about sleep the same way hungry people talk about food.
- You live to work, rather than work to live.
Tips to Rediscover Play
- Reclaim spontaneity – Unstructured, childlike, impulse-driven leisure can be a perfect antidote to workaholic tendencies.
- Consciously slow down – Drive more slowly, talk more slowly & eat more slowly. Studiously strive to do less.
- Holidays are healthy – Some insurance companies lower premiums for clients who take 4 weeks holidays a year. If you can’t afford it, then lower your overheads – Prioritise. In a study of 12,866 men, there was a sharp reduction in risk of death for those that holiday.
We thank Graeme Sait and Nutri-Tech for allowing us to reproduce "Seventy Ways to Wellness" _ the DVD featuring Graeme Sait presenting the 70 Ways to Wellness is available now. It contains all the tips presented here plus much more detail on how to live healthily.