Busy Minds, Busy Hands

Many of us need and like to be kept busy. A lot of us find a variety of things to do as a source of distraction.

It’s said that being busy can increase motivation and reduce task completion. Busy people too are more inclined to have a schedule, set goals and prioritise their workload so they become more productive.

Both adults and children often struggle with sitting still, and there are many reasons why we rely on distraction as a mental coping mechanism. These are often put in place to help us cope with stress and anxiety. There is a link between staying cognitively and socially active and a thought that that link supports our brain health. But taking on a new hobby, learning a new skill or studying can have short- and long-term benefits for your brain.

According to Psychcentral there are various signs that you are keeping busy as a coping mechanism that include:

1. Anytime you begin to have feelings, you dive into staying busy.
2. Upon stopping your busyness, your feelings immediately return, leaving you sad or hopeless.
3. You find yourself feeling angry, frustrated, short-tempered, or anxious.
4. You no longer have time to take care of yourself or slow down.
5. You find other people commenting on your busyness and asking if you’re okay.
6. Your schedule is completely full with no wiggle room for anything else.
7. You feel burned out or exhausted because of your packed schedule.
8. It’s been ages since you’ve checked in with yourself.

We often enter this time of year with great intentions, having perhaps set ourselves new goals for the forthcoming year or new year's resolutions, many of which we never stick to, us included.

It can be a very 'flat' time of year, with January often being described at the most depressing month of the year - something which is often linked to the weather, increased hours of darkness and dreary landscapes, not to mention our finances which have usually taken a hit over the festive period, even more so this year with the cost of living increasing and people struggling financially.

But there needs to be a middle ground between keeping active and our work/life balance. Everyone will have their own idea of what being too busy means to them. Very Well Mind recently wrote an article on how keeping busy affects our wellbeing.

If you feel overworked, overwhelmed, or burned out, it's important to prioritise your health and wellness. Although it may feel difficult to shift your priorities and your time, doing so may lead to increased mental and physical wellbeing, as well as more connected relationships with your loved ones.

• Practice mindfulness as a way to connect with yourself, observe your thoughts without judgment, and ground yourself. This can also help interrupt a racing mind if you're feeling overwhelmed.
• If possible, plan a holiday or staycation for yourself (and don't fill it with activities) so you can recharge.
• Make it a priority to spend time with your loved ones. Doing so can help you feel connected, loved, and energised.
• Take small moments every day to appreciate yourself. This may include offering yourself positive affirmations or journaling about one thing you are grateful for every day.
• Set boundaries with others and remind yourself that it's okay to say "no." Sacrificing your well-being to overextend yourself can have severe consequences in the long term.
• Remind yourself that your self-worth does not come from being productive or busy. Come up with a mantra that expresses what self-worth means to you or why you love yourself and try to recite it everyday.
• Set a reminder on your phone or post a note in your home that reminds you to breathe and take time for yourself.
• Connect with a therapist if you are experiencing difficulty with acts of daily living or notice your overall quality of life has decreased.
• Set appropriate expectations for yourself when it comes to how much you can comfortably take on and know that this may change over time.
• If you use busyness as a tool to avoid unpleasant thoughts or feelings, try to determine what you are uncomfortable facing. If this seems too overwhelming, it's a good idea to reach out to a therapist who can support you.
• Schedule your work or busy time and your free time in chunks. Always make sure you leave time for yourself throughout the day, even if it's just for a small break, and deliberately disconnect from your work.

Here are some other ideas that can help you keep busy but offer an opportunity to switch off for a while.

January marks National Lego Day, National Puzzle Day and National Fun at Work Day - which all celebrate something different but can all be linked to keeping ourselves busy and helping us switch off and unwind at the same time.

National Fun at Work Day is dedicated to celebrating the large number of hours spent at work. We often don’t put fun and work together, so this day gives employees and employers an opportunity to connect the two and build staff morale, strengthening the company culture.

There are many things that you could do like baking cakes, and just all having a break together and a catch up and sharing a slice (or two in our case). You could all go into work in fancy dress however that’s not for everyone; you could set some time aside for a team game and build interdepartmental relationships this way. If we are happier are work it impacts on the rest of our life for the better. It's a no brainer to us!

If we look at the times that we spend on our own or with family members we can find activities to do. It is winter and spending time outdoors is not as enjoyable for most people when the weather is cold and wet.

We celebrate two further days in January with National Lego Day on the 28th. Lego has been around for over 90 years. It's multi-generational - it does not matter what age you are there is something for everyone to enjoy. Lego isn’t just creative or experimental either. It has many other benefits. It can help with teamwork and social skills (why not take some in on National Fun at Work Day and set people a building challenge?), it encourages communication when you are building with others (especially when you can’t find a piece).

Because there are sets for every age group too, they challenge us and test our patience and problem solving. It often means you need perseverance to manage those frustrating moments. And let's not forget busy minds, busy hands. Lego can be very calming and relaxing, playing with Lego can bring a feeling of order to a chaotic or stressful day and can have enormous therapeutic benefits.

At Fortis we are huge advocates of Lego therapy and use it with a lot of the children and young people that we see. We also offer training to adults who work in a variety of settings to use Lego play therapy with the people they help and support.

Another therapeutic tool we use that ties in nicely with its national day on the 29th January are puzzles. Puzzles are the perfect way to exercise our brains. When we think of puzzles we often think of jigsaws, but puzzles can include crosswords, brain teasers or sudoku.

Studies have found working on a jigsaw uses both sides of the brain, and spending time doing this on a daily basis improves memory, cognitive function, and problem-solving skills. They are a social activity as well, we can work on a jigsaw puzzle with our children or an elderly relative, it encourages further interaction which is an added bonus. Even as we are working on our own quietly with a puzzle, it gives us the opportunity to focus our mind in a meditative way which creates calm without it being forced.

What we need to remember is keeping busy has positive and negative effects, we need to ensure we listen to our bodies and take time to rest keeping the balance even between everything we do.