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Growing up, we have been raised to do more and to do everything faster. When we were in elementary school, as soon as the bell rang to signal the end of the school day, we were shuttled off to our various extracurricular activities and academic tutors. In high school, it was early morning sports practices, after school club, committee, and council meetings, and a part-time job on the side. Now, that we have entered university, it is safe to say that not much has changed. We are still trying to keep up the track record of extracurriculars that got us here in the first place, while maintaining a standard of academic excellence at the same time. In fact, if anything, I would argue that we are more aware of the passage of time.

Many of us probably have the condition of time sickness. Larry Dossey, an American physician, describes it as “the obsessive belief that time is getting away, that there isn’t enough of it, and that you must pedal faster and faster to keep up.” Similarly, author Barbara Sher calls it “a form of hysteria that makes you believe you must fill every waking hour going after what you want, that everything must be done at once because time is about to end.”

Our society is obsessed with speed and time. You don’t have to look far to find proof of this. Just look at the students in line at any of the many Tim Hortons’ establishments across campus. It is almost a given that they will be tapping their feet, mentally urging the line to move faster, rolling their eyes at the one person who has a large order in front of them, so that they can get back to their never ending list of things to do, places to go, and people to see.

Carl Honore’s novel, In Praise of Slow, claims that “in our hyped-up, faster-is-better-culture, a turbocharged life is still the ultimate trophy on the mantelpiece. When people moan, ‘Oh I’m so busy, I’m run off my feet, my life is a blur, I haven’t got time for anything,’ what they often mean is, ‘Look at me: I am hugely important, exciting and energetic…both sexes indulge in faster-than-thou one-upsmanship.” And as a result of all the stress that this lifestyle brings, doctors find more and progressively younger patients with complaints such as depression, anxiety, chronic migraines, upset stomachs, and sleep disturbances.

Society has turned the phrase slowing down into one with a negative connotation, an action which is almost taboo. There must be a way around this. Lily Tomlin, an actress and comedian provided a simple solution: “for fast-acting relief from stress, try slowing down.” With that statement, she has hit the nail on the head.

Harry Lewis, former dean at Harvard University, acknowledged the positive effects of slowing down and included a 7 page letter into the orientation package for incoming students in regard to this. His advice is more than applicable to students here and now: “In advising you to think about slowing down and limiting your structured activities, I do not mean to discourage you from high achievement, indeed from the pursuit of extraordinary excellence, but you are more likely to sustain the intense effort needed to accomplish first-rate work in one area if you allow yourself some leisure time, some recreation, some time for solitude.”

So with that said fellow AEOs, take a break. Watch a movie at the UCC or take a walk around our beautiful campus. Afford yourself some time for rest and relaxation, so that you won’t fall into the trap of time sickness.