Could You Be On the Endless Treadmill of Life?
I spent years thinking that moving faster meant I was winning, only to realise I was just revving my engine in neutral. If you feel ‘successful’ on the outside but completely depleted on the inside, this is for you. There is a specific kind of tired that sleep cannot reach. It’s the exhaustion that settles in when we’ve spent years on the “treadmill of life”—moving faster and faster, yet never feeling like we’ve truly arrived. Most of us don’t even realise we’re on it until our bodies, or our spirits, finally whisper for us to stop. The Global Pulse of Exhaustion If you feel overwhelmed, you are part of a massive, quiet chorus. Statistics show that the world is more “revved up” than ever. According to recent Gallup polls, nearly 44% of adults worldwide report experiencing a great deal of stress daily. The World Health Organisation (WHO) identifies stress as the “health epidemic of the 21st century,” contributing to over 60% of all human illness and disease. The Hidden Price of the Race The treadmill lifestyle doesn’t just take our time; it takes our essence. When we live reactively—answering every ping and meeting every deadline—we experience a slow erosion of the self. We pay for this speed with our family relationships, our physical health, and our inner joy. We become like sheep following a path we didn’t choose, wondering why we feel so lonely in a crowd. The Courage to Realise The most sobering realisation is this: Life does not slow down by default; it only slows down by choice. Time moves far faster than our plans. We assume there will always be a “better time” to seek the quiet, but years disappear while we are busy being busy. To step off the treadmill, you first have to realise that it is spinning beneath you. You have to acknowledge that the only person responsible for the life God entrusted to you is you. When we finally choose to step off the bandwagon and simplify, we don’t lose—we actually start to win. By refusing to go ‘wherever the wind blows,’ you take back the controls of your own life. You are no longer just busy; you are intentional, focusing only on what truly matters and aligning your days with your purpose. In this quiet space, you don’t just exist; you finally begin to live a full, deep, and meaningful life. A Question for the Heart As you breathe in this moment, ask yourself: Who is setting the pace of my life? If the world is setting it, you will always be out of breath. Sometimes, the most faithful thing you can do for yourself is to simply stop. Because at the end of the day, we must face the most haunting question of all: “What does it profit a man to gain the whole world, and yet lose his soul?” (Mark 8:36) For reflections on simple, rooted living, visit: https://shiberoa.wixsite.com/shiberoakatsa Journey with me on YouTube:👉 https://www.youtube.com/@Shibero_R_Akatsa/videos Contact: spht@shibero.com
Read MoreWHY I LOVE MY SIMPLE GARDEN OF EDEN LIFESTYE
From an early age, I have always had a yearning for a quiet simple life, with as little stress and complications as possible. And to this day, in my sixties, that’s precisely what I am doing. Living a simple quiet lifestyle. Off the grid. and off the treadmill. And yes. It has been worth it. A journey that started in my 40’s. Yes, it took that long to get off the treadmill of life. Having worked and lived overseas through my twenties, thirties, and forties, the yearning stayed in me. When I think about it, it makes me think that we were not created to have all the stress that goes with how we live our lives. Neither were our bodies!!! We need to just stop. And rest amidst all that is going on around us. Because it is good and healthy and healing. I had worked hard in corporate and international community organizations to create a quality life for my daughter and I. Living in large and exciting cities provided great opportunities and entertainment, but what I once found exciting I began to find challenging. My brain felt increasingly overwhelmed with noise, excess stimulation, distractions, and ever-increasing crowds, all helping to pump up my stress levels. Noise. Noise. Noise. In my head.Around me. In me. Up went my blood pressure, until I consciously decided all ‘this’ wasn’t me. Much as I tried, I knew it wasn’t working for me, because of all the anxiety I was experiencing. I got tired of having to conform to the world’s standards to be ‘successful’. I wasn’t in tune with a world that demanded that ‘enough’ was always just a little more than I already had, and there wasn’t a lot of room left for the truly great pleasures of life: family, friends, and the time to enjoy them, nature and just being able to be and connect with God. I wasted many years just hoping life would change and things would calm down until I finally realized life doesn’t change. It has the potential to get even worse. I understood that my only real option was changing my life approach. I had to say no to another day of rushing around and feeling frustrated. I didn’t want any more prescriptions to mask another symptom of the real problem— chronic stress. It became apparent that I needed to get serious about simplifying my life. As a result, I found myself thinking about a quieter, more simplistic way of life, being closer to nature and in a more peaceful setting, which was more the person I was created to be. I worked from home surrounded by nature. I was more productive. And got my basic needs met, followed by enjoying what I had in my hands. And now I can say, by God’s grace, and by decluttering from the world and its demands, I really enjoy living my simple life where I co-exist with nature and live in my Mud Palace. BENEFITS OF THE SIMPLE LIFE The following are just some of the benefits of simplifying your life: You might choose to have fewer friends, but the friends you have will be much closer. It’s easier to focus on the other person when your life is more straightforward. The interaction is also sincere since you’re free of the need to impress them. Choose people in your life whom you can trust. The more things you own, the more responsibilities you have, the more you need to service your ego, and the less freedom you enjoy. You will find that simple things such as walking, looking at the clouds, and smelling flowers can make you so happy. A simple life gives you freedom from issues in life that should not be of major concern. It can be hard to learn to relax when you’re used to running around trying to get everything done. But free time is a gift that only a few truly appreciate. LIFE IS SIMPLE BUT WHY DO WE MAKE IT COMPLICATED? Have your say at Disqus!
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