30 Day Challenge for Overscheduled / Overstressed Adults
Much publicity has been made in recent years about the dangers of overscheduling (and the resulting overstressing) of our children. Books such as The Over-Scheduled Child (2001) by Dr. Alvin Rosenfield, MD, child and adolescent psychiatrist and former Head of Child Psychiatry at Stanford University; The Pressured Child (2005) by Dr. Michael Thompson, clinical psychologist; and The Hurried Child (2001) written by David Elkind, PhD, professor of Child Development at Tufts University, all document the issues surrounding the phenomenon of this generation of parents and their children who have become more frenzied than ever, so much so that some areas of the country are now offering Yoga classes and structured stress-reduction classes for children as young as three (3) years old to help them deal with all their stress from their crazy schedules! (Kirchheimer, 2004)
If its bad for our children, it cannot be good for us adults! In her book, The Gifts of Imperfection (2010), Brene Brown states, We are a nation of exhausted and over stress adults raising over-scheduled children. We use our spare time to desperately search for joy and meaning in our lives. We think accomplishments and acquisitions will bring joy and meaning, but that pursuit could be the very thing thats keeping us so tired and afraid to slow down. Many even wear their busyness like a badge of honor, you probably know someone like this: who has-to-tell-you-everything-they-have-to-do-today-and-how-important-it-is-and-how-exhausted-they-are-and-how-late-they-have-to-work-after-all-the-important-errands-they-will-run-and-they-are-soooo-tired and then, add a big yawn for emphasis at the end of their monologue.
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