Crazy Busy
Keeping Sane in a Stressful World
1. Edition September 2022
272 Pages, Softcover
General Reading
Further versions
Abolish stress. Rediscover joy. Replenish your energy.
In Crazy Busy acclaimed psychologist Thijs Launspach examines why we often work ourselves to the bone and what we can do to prevent this. He explains how to cope with stress and create more peace and calm in your life. He draws on the latest scientific knowledge, the methods used by experts and the stories told by those who have learned the hard way what stress can do to both body and mind. All to provide you with the answer to the question: how can you free yourself from a life of stress?
A full diary and no time to think; the feeling that you are always playing catch-up and never quite hitting the mark: our lives today are almost invariably crazy busy. Being busy is one of the hallmarks of the modern era. But the pressure is taking its toll on us.
The number of burnouts has risen dramatically over the past ten years. In fact, it has now reached epidemic proportions: approximately one in seven of all workers suffers badly from stress or has been forced to take a break from work because of stress-related complaints. And even if you don't reach the actual burnout stage, stress can still make your life a lot less enjoyable.
Why are our lives so hectic? Have we all become workaholics? Why are we so susceptible to FOMO (the Fear Of Missing Out)? And most importantly, what can you do to cope with the stress in your life and prevent a burnout?
* Do you find yourself rushing to get things finished more than once a week?
* Do others often offer you well-intentioned advice on 'how to slow things down a little'.
* Do you ever suspect that the stress you feel prevents you from being as happy as you would like to be?
* Are you more addicted to your smartphone than you would care to admit? Is it the first thing you reach for when you wake up in the morning?
* Do you often find yourself longing to stop and take a break from it all?
If your answer to one or more of these questions is 'Yes', then this is the book for you.
10 Ways to Lower Your Stress Levels -- A Quick Guide xv
1 WE'RE ALL WORKAHOLICS NOW 1
#LoveMyJob 6
Continuous change 10
Committed to the cause 12
Always on 16
The terrible tale of e-mail 20
The need to switch off 25
2 ALWAYS IN A HURRY 27
FOMO 31
Overclocking 34
Choice overload 38
The dictator in your pocket 43
Organising stuff 48
Tackling the symptoms 51
3 BEING BUSY IS A CHOICE 53
Have to versus want to 57
Being busy versus being under pressure 61
Procrastination 64
Perfectionism 69
Not my patch, sorry! 75
Setting boundaries 81
Choosing a more relaxed life 86
4 YOUR BOSS IS A BEAR 89
Hormones and the nervous system 92
Fight or flight 93
Cave dweller with an office job 95
Stressors 98
Baseline stress level 100
Breathe 103
5 BURNOUT 107
What is a burnout? 111
How do you recognise a burnout? 116
Past the shame 119
Recovering from burnout 121
Hello body, are you okay? 124
After a burnout 126
Intermezzo: relax! 129
6 WARNING! 131
Essential maintenance 135
Recognising your warning signs 139
Taking action 141
Contingency plan 145
7 PEACE OF MIND 149
Make time for yourself 153
An empty mind 155
Goals 159
Priorities 161
Planning for professionals 166
Pulling rank on e-mail 172
The power of habit 174
On becoming a robot 179
8 FOCUSED ON THE JOB 181
Mindfulness 186
Deep work 193
The pomodoro method 198
From source of stress to source of solace 200
Your attention is yours alone 203
2030 BURNOUT-FREE -- A MANIFESTO 205
When you are worried about someone 207
At work 209
Drastic measures 214
Two scenarios 219
THE DARK ARTS OF STRESS RELIEF 223
References 225
Notes 231
Index 233
www.thijslaunspach.nl
@thijslaunspach
