National Geographic recently posted an article on Urgency Culture and its impacts on our daily lives. What it highlights is how we are beginning to feel the impacts of being constantly connected and having access to information at our fingertips. A trend of urgency culture has been established, and is showing no signs of stopping.

Where this can impact overthinkers and overdoers is that most of us (for one reason or another) have been operating with a sense of urgency for a long time!

How do we begin to undo urgency culture in own lives? This may be a long term pursuit, so for now let’s focus on 3 places we can begin calming the urgency.

1. Phones…You know that was coming

This comes as no shock, but our phones are one of the biggest proponents of urgency culture. We all have our reasons for having them by our side and we know there is room for improvement.

Therapist Tip: We can’t all or nothing this, so focus on shifts that can be frequently practiced instead of fully abstaining. This can be leaving it outside of the bedroom when sleeping, taking a phone break for 30+ minutes a day, removing notifications, or establishing specific parameters (no phone during a meal, etc).

2. Pausing Before Choices

Also mentioned in the National Geographic article, pausing before everyday choices or responses can help exercise our internal breaks. Pausing can increase intention, contact with the present moment, and reduce unhelpful decisions as a whole.

Therapist Tip: To reduce the likelihood of stalling or overthinking, set a time limit. Count to 10 for smaller decisions, set a timer or a deadline for more in depth decisions. There is big difference between stalling and avoiding.

3. Correcting Mistakes

This might be big ask of my perfectionists out there, but pacing our repairs serves two purposes. One, it helps us better tolerate distress that comes from mistakes by increasing exposure to the uncertainty between the mistake and repair. Two, it helps us engage in more effective repair with a balanced perspective.

Therapist Tip: Allow yourself to sit in the cringe with compassion. A lot of times we can rush the process to avoid feeling the discomfort, and tending to ourselves in a compassionate way can help reduce the rumination and self criticism that follows.

Don’t Forget

Eliminating urgency is not the goal. It is about increasing awareness and intention when facing moments that might trigger our need to act quickly. We must remember that our thoughts, emotions, and urges are information…meaning they are meant to inform–not dictate our decision making.

The Nine to Kind Possibility Planner and Daily Notepad are both great tools to help with slowing the pace of your life and increasing intention day to day. Find out more in our shop!