Sometimes I wonder if the rise in chronic illness has something to do with Mother Nature trying to force our society to slow down.
It seems like we have created an entire society based on fast-paced living and that if we aren't being 'productive' in the stereotypical sense of the word, then we aren't living properly.
Is this wide acceptance of fast-paced, high-stress living, detrimental to health?
Now, of course to be clear, stress is rarely the cause of major chronic health disorders and diseases. Stress, however, can and will exacerbate and even trigger existing underlying issues.
So is this consistent rise in cases of chronic illness just a sign that maybe we should all slow down just a little bit?
That is one of the main drastic changes that dealing with a chronic illness will cause. It will force you to alter the manner in which you do things. You are forced to find more efficient ways to accomplish the same task, to re-prioritize your life, and to cut out the things that cause unnecessary stress. It forces you to manage schedules differently and to slow your life down, even just the slightest bit.
Instead of racing from place to place, you learn to let go of the parts of life you cannot control (like traffic for example).
Instead of continuing to ignore your health for the sake of your job, you begin to view work a little differently for the sake of your health. Maybe you don't need to finish that project at 2am. Maybe you can delegate a specific task. Maybe you can ask for help or input. Maybe your boss will allow you to work remotely once in a while. Maybe you don't have to do every single thing and make every single decision on your own. Maybe that raise or that promotion is just as achievable without burning the candle at both ends until you crash or implode.
Though perhaps you are in a position that doesn't allow you to do any of those things. Are you feeling trapped? Are you feeling caught in a cycle that you know is damaging but have nowhere you can turn? Are you struggling to juggle everything in your life - without ever being able to set anything down, even for a simple moment?
I think there is this stigma of being seen as 'weak' if we are incapable of juggling everything, if we ask for help, or if we admit to being burned out.
That needs to change.
No one should have to sacrifice their own health permanently for the sake of progress and public opinion. We are allowed to ask for help.
Perhaps our evolving bodies are telling us something. It's possible that our bodies are now loudly hinting that we all need to find a way to slow down, even just the slightest bit.