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Being Busy: The Pros and Cons

9/4/2014

3 Comments

 
I'm touring my show "Sane New World" at the moment, zig-zagging the country and it's fantastic that people are now speaking out, especially men - about how hard they're finding it to stay sane.

All of our lives are consumed with incessant busyness. When did this obsession with being busy to the point of madness start? It's become like a plague spreading among us; a virus.

What's bizarre is the very thing driving us crazy is the thing we ask each other to find out how well we're doing. And the more busy you are, the more successful your life is. People ask me "Are you busy?" I say, "Are you kidding? I'm so busy I've had two heart attacks." They think that's fantastic.

There's such shame now if you're not keeping up with the next guy. I read about women who work 47 hours a day, have 13 children, know how to make a cupcake and jog at 3am in the morning. Am I meant to feel guilty? These women should be exterminated - not held up as role models.

When are we going to say like they did in the film Network? "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take this anymore!"

We blame the world for making us such a mess. We say it's because of global warming or the economy or whoever happens to be the enemy; they change ever half an hour I can't tell anymore but the conflict is in our minds and we project it onto the world.

It's like we've declared a war in our own brains against ourselves. Let's start to de-clutter our minds - and then we can worry about what's out there.

3 Comments
Julie mcmurdo
10/4/2014 09:01:40 am

Loved the show at stockport plaza last night ! Just completed a be mindful course recommended by my Dr and your show made so much sense x

Reply
Emma
10/4/2014 07:00:43 pm

Hi Ruby,

I know you are busy on tour at the minute but please read this for me... I'm clutching at straws and even wrote to you on fb! Here's hoping! I live in Northern Ireland and REALLY REALLY want to come to your show on Sunday in the theatre at the mill but I've tried everywhere (genuinely begging, pleading and bartering with official ppl and even scouring the internet for unofficial tickets or even just secret passages to the theatre! Truely- I'm one more disappointing phonecall from storming the Belfast City Hall town planning office... Hey if there's a way i can watch it from a drain pipe I'm there!) Is there any way - ANY way at all that you could get two more tickets for your sold out show on Sunday?? Pretty please? Ofcourse I'll pay for them-also I'm happy to stand/sit/hang from the rafters if necessary?

My desperation to see it comes from my own story which is currently unfolding... I have been suffering with major depression (officially diagnosed after a wee break down at the start of 2013) and it's been a pretty tough year and a bit. I've spent the last 6 months signed off work and after much, much trial and error, panic attacks, anxiety, frustration and a thousand side effects, I've found an anti-depressant which suits me and completed an intensive course of CBT and EMDR. It has definitely helped and the good days definitely have been outweighting the bad.
My work contract expired at the end of March and I'm now officially looking for a new job (although I honestly don't feel ready yet but unfortunately I've wracked up so much debt living on credit cards while I was signed off sick and now have maxed everything out so really I don't have a choice) :(
So-my reason for writing... I have been an avid admirer of yours ever since I read your own story. Throughout my psychiatric treatmebt I often found that learning and understanding why my brain is doing what it is really helped me come to terms with and overcome the depression. For me it often feels like a big black engulfing negative nothingness-monster which seems to live with me constantly...just there on my right shoulder at all times, picking and choosing when he fancies growing and spreading himself inside and outside and all around me. However each time I went for a CBT session and understood what my brain was doing the knowledge and understanding was like a bright clarity which shone from inside out and shrunk my little monster-sometimes the light lasts for an hour, sometimes for a day or even - during really good stints a bit longer. All I know is I'm on a path and the scientific "enlightenment" (pun intended! ;) ) is really helping to get me to wherever that end goal is... Even if that is just getting up from under my blankets and getting some porridge - which I'm struggling to do as I type!

So-again I beg... is there any possibility of myself and my boyfriend (undoubtedly the most understanding person I've ever met about this!) getting to see your show on Sunday?

Please?

Thankyou so much for taking the time and good luck with everything on the tour-you are a star and extremely inspirational!!

Reply
Andy Brittan
11/4/2014 12:04:12 am

Ruby - being a bit thick and not sure how to get a message to you I am using this as my way to say thank you for your book and it's honesty - I am the 1 in 4 (wasn't that a UB40 song???) and have been diagnosed SAD - so keeping this brief your book is so easy to relate to and as said THANK YOU FOR IT!!! Much love - Andy B

Reply



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