Dr. John Duffy (author of Parenting the New Teen in the Age of Anxiety) explains the patterns to watch for in hurry sickness sufferers.
CHICAGO (NewsNation Now) — For anyone who is married to, related to, works with, or knows a type-A personality, the signs of “hurry sickness” may be obvious.
It’s not a diagnosable condition, but it’s a behavior pattern experts are seeing a lot of right now.
Dr. John Duffy, a clinical psychologist and author who lives in Chicago, said there are patterns to watch for.
“These are people who are racing through their lives when there is objectively no race at all,” he said. “It’s a lot like feeling road rage when there is no road.”
The six signs
- You treat everything like a race
- You find it impossible to do just one task at a time
- You get highly irritable when encountering a delay
- You feel perpetually behind schedule
- You interrupt or talk over people
- You’re obsessed with checking things off your to-do list
Duffy said hurry sickness shows up in emotional well-being and relationships, and it can have some physical effects, too. He said it, “absolutely has some impact on the immune system.”
If this sounds like you, he recommends five treatments.
Steps to take
- Shift your thinking
- Slow down
- Ask yourself, “is this a crisis?”
- Meditate
- Take breaks
“Over time you can slowly and gradually move away from being a hurry sickness sufferer to someone who is thriving,” Duffy said.
If people close to you say this is disrupting your functional life, reach out to a professional for help.
parenting the new teen in the age of anxiety
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