Always in a hurry? You may be suffering from ‘hurry sickness’

2 min readJul 29, 2019

Are you always in a hurry?
Running, even sprinting from point A to point B?
Do you feel like you are constantly switched on?
Fighting a never-ending battle against the clock?
At the end of the day, do you still have a half-empty to-do list, and the feeling you could have done much more?

Hurry sickness

Then maybe you have fallen victim to ‘hurry sickness’.

Segen’s Medical Dictionary (1) defines hurry sickness as

A malaise in which a person feels chronically short of time, and so tends to perform every task faster and to get flustered when encountering any kind of delay.

Psychology Today (2) defines hurry sickness as

A behavior pattern characterized by continual rushing and anxiousness; an overwhelming and continual sense of urgency.

Fortune (3) defines hurry sickness as

The constant need to do more, faster, even when there’s no objective reason to be in such a rush.

Because of constant rushing, your mind may get stuck in a state of overstimulation. Which will make you tired, anxious, prone to irritability and unable to relax.

You can even get sick from hurry sickness because it increases the body’s output of the stress hormone cortisol. Cortisol suppresses the immune system and has been linked with heart disease.

So what can you do?

Every time you feel you getting into ‘rush mode’, ask yourself the following questions:

Why am I in a rush?
Is this a true emergency?
How urgent/important is this?
Can it wait for another hour/day/week before I do this task?
What can I do to learn to enjoy carrying out my daily activities at a relaxed pace?

Some tips and tricks

Don’t take to much on. If possible delegate
Question the rationale behind the demands made on you
Avoid multitasking. (Try to) focus on one thing a the same time
Prioritize (using an ‘urgent versus important’ matrix)
Improve your time management skills
(Politely) say ‘no’ sometimes
Remember to give yourself a break (go for a walk)
Build a positive mindset and keep a positive outlook
Manage your self-control. Manage your anger, show patience and enhance your emotional intelligence
(If possible) share your concerns with your spouse, family member, friend, a co-worker or (even) your boss

Always in a hurry? You may be suffering from ‘hurry sickness’

Hurry sickness

So what can you do?

Some tips and tricks

Further reading/sources

Written by Nik Silverans