There is no time to think.

I go through these days with blinders on, head down and steadfast in only the path a few steps ahead of me. Everything around me becomes a blur, shapeless only because it doesn't directly affect what I'm doing in that moment. Sometimes I'm not even quite sure in which direction my footsteps are taking me, but I push onward because autopilot remembers better than I do. I have grown accustomed to the chronic kind of exhaustion that puts me to bed each night and greets me each morning before the sun even has a chance to. It hangs on, dragging behind as chains and sitting as rocks in my bag as I somehow find myself onto the next stage of the day. But in the end, I'm not even able to recall in detail the series of steps that got me that far in the first place.

It's mind numbing, and, sadly, this is what is promoted in this day and age. We are constantly tempted to always be doing something and almost encouraged to do so. It ends up being a task in itself trying to fit my own well-being into my own schedule. I typically never have to worry about falling short of words, there's an incessant stream that runs through my head never failing to distract. However, lately nothing has come to mind. I've become so busy that I don't even realize that I don't have enough time to think.

I don't mean this literally, there's always something on deck in the mind, waiting to be called upon after the task at hand is taken care of, but take a second and think to yourself when the last time was that you were able to sit down and have a conversation with yourself. One that the thoughts you have are not about tasks and assignments but about yourself and other people. It's hard to go to bed at peace with yourself every day if you're not even able to slow your mind enough to consider how your own being is reacting to the stress that you're putting it through.

Getting mind and body on the same page is easier said than done, but if we are not willing to take the time and effort to get ourselves there, all the incessant time that we invest into self-actualizing will have been wasted. The rate at which our minds are moving will eventually overwhelm our bodies or vis versa. We can take all the credits in the world or take on as many projects that we want to, but there is a limit on everything. We are only human, after all, and one of the tiers of success is being able to enjoy it once it has been obtained. If we spread ourselves so thin that the end product of our hard work is more of a burden lifted than it is a celebration of a job well done, then it's time to reevaluate.

Let's stop trying to keep up with the pace we are pushing.Life is a marathon, not a sprint, and sooner or later, we will burn out.