“Doctor, you must have misdiagnosed why I am tired all the time,” I said.

“Nope. I don’t think so. You have most of the symptoms of hurry sickness”

“What? I never heard of that. What are the symptoms?”

My doctor replied, “The 5 most common symptoms are: Constantly hurrying to the next activity, always multi-tasking, feeling clutter in your brain, superficiality in relationships which never allows you show love deeply.”

I stood quiet realizing I did do all of those things. Could he be right? Could my lifestyle make me tired?

I quietly asked, “Doctor what do I do now? Do I need a prescription?”

“Yes – 2 parts. First, slow down. Deliberately choose to place yourself in positions where you simply have to wait. Second, get alone. Solitude is the one place where you can gain freedom from the forces in your life that drive you.”

“Wait a minute Doc, drive me?”

“Yes, your circumstances are driving you, you are not driving them. In your quest to ‘keep up with’ life you are losing yours”

“Whoa,” I said, “that is going to be hard. Can’t I just take a pill?”

He replied, “We live in a lethal environment. There is much mental and emotional pollution around us. Society is filled with ideas, values,  pressures, and temptations about success, security, comfort, and happiness that are lethal. You must slow down, withdraw on occasion and get perspective.”

“I don’t know if I can do that,” I replied.

“I know it’s hard, the truth is the dangers to which you are most vulnerable are generally not the sudden, dramatic, obvious ones. They are the ones that creep up on you that we don’t even notice them. Start with 5-minute intervals during the day of sitting back and reflecting on God about how your day is going”

“I will try.”

“You need to do more than try because your hurry sickness is effecting your health.”

“OK, Doc. I hear you.”

The apostles returned to Jesus from their ministry tour and told him all they had done and what they had taught. Then Jesus said, “Let’s get away from the crowds for a while and rest.” There were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his apostles didn’t even have time to eat. They left by boat for a quieter spot. Mark 6:30-32 (NLT)