I am writing this blog at a time when I feel like I am fighting against urgency. It is one of the busiest times of the year for me, and I find myself increasingly concerned about the people I care about and their overall well-being. There are so many things happening around me, so many responsibilities competing for my attention, and so many people I want to make sure are okay.
As I write this, I recognize the audacity of choosing such a bold title when my own life currently feels like the exact opposite of what I am about to encourage you to do. I am writing about resisting urgency while actively trying not to be consumed by it myself.
But perhaps that is precisely why I need to write this.
I write this as a reminder. I write this as a protest against the constant pressure to move faster. I write this as a commitment to myself. I write this as an act of accountability so that I do not get sucked in by the urgency of this world.
I write this because I know what it feels like to carry the weight of everyone's urgency, only to realize that what felt like an emergency to someone else was never your emergency to carry in the first place.
When Everything Feels Urgent
Urgency comes in many different forms and fashions. It can look like a deadline at work, a family need, an unfinished task, an unexpected phone call, or a message that makes you feel as though you must drop everything to respond.
Sometimes urgency is legitimate. There are moments when circumstances require us to move quickly, adjust our plans, or show up for someone in need. Life will inevitably present us with situations that demand an immediate response. But urgency can also test our boundaries.
We establish boundaries, routines, and practices to protect our time, energy, and well-being. Yet when something feels urgent, those boundaries are often the first things we abandon. We skip our rest, rearrange our priorities, ignore what our bodies are telling us, and convince ourselves that we will make time for ourselves later. We tell ourselves that this season is just busy. We tell ourselves that once this deadline passes, things will settle down. We tell ourselves that we just need to get through one more week, one more project, or one more responsibility. What happens when there is always another deadline, another project, another need, or another person requiring something from us?
At what point does an occasional season of urgency become a lifestyle? Life should not feel like a constant series of emergencies pulling us in every direction. We were not created to live perpetually on high alert, responding to every demand as though everything depends on us.
And the research surrounding workplace stress, digital connectivity, and chronic pressure gives us reason to pay attention.
The Cost of Constant Urgency
Research on workplace stress and well-being consistently highlights the toll that chronic demands, limited recovery time, and the inability to disconnect can take on our lives.
Consider these findings and the broader patterns they reflect:
Workplace stress and mental health: The American Psychological Association has reported widespread experiences of work-related stress and mental health challenges among employees. Chronic pressure can affect emotional well-being, energy, and our ability to show up fully in other areas of life.
The spillover into our personal lives: Work-related stress does not always stay at work. It can follow us home, affecting our relationships, our rest, and our ability to be present with the people we love.
The difficulty of disconnecting: Many workers struggle to mentally step away from their responsibilities at the end of the workday. Even when they are physically away from work, their minds remain occupied by unfinished tasks, incoming messages, and what they need to do next.
The pressure to remain connected: Research on workplace boundaries and paid time off has repeatedly highlighted a challenge many of us recognize: people may take time away from work but continue checking emails, answering messages, or thinking about their responsibilities.
The effects of chronic rushing: Constantly operating in a state of hurry can contribute to mental fatigue, stress, and difficulty regulating our emotions and making thoughtful decisions.
We cannot continue to ignore the impact of living in a state of perpetual urgency. Our bodies communicate with us. Our minds communicate with us. Our relationships can reveal when we have stretched ourselves too thin. Sometimes, the very things we are trying so hard to manage begin to suffer because we have left ourselves with too little capacity to manage them well. his is where I want us to pause.
What if the answer is not to become better at managing every urgent demand? What if the answer is to become more intentional about which demands receive our attention in the first place?
Creating a Season to Bask
I love the holidays. And because I used to work in retail, I know firsthand that this is one of the busiest times of the year for that industry. The holidays meant increased activity, more responsibilities, and a constant push to keep things moving. When I transitioned out of retail and into another industry, I realized something about myself: this was the season when I did not want to become busier. I wanted to slow down even more.That realization eventually changed how I approached my time.
I stopped writing on the blog in December. Then, at some point, I sensed God leading me to give January to Him, too. So, December and January became a season for me to bask and soak. A season to slow down. A season to be intentional about what I allowed to occupy my time and attention. A season when I did not want to be moved by every demand simply because it felt urgent. I wanted to create space to hear, reflect, rest, and receive.
This practice has become a gift to me. Each year, I thank God that I took time away from social media and the blog. That time fills me up in a way that helps sustain me as I navigate the known and unknown that the coming year will bring. I return with a renewed perspective, not because every challenge has disappeared, but because I have made room to replenish what constant activity can deplete. Your season does not have to be December and January. You may not have the flexibility to take two months away from work, social media, or your usual responsibilities. That is not the point.
What I am encouraging you to do is identify a season in your life when you intentionally choose to bask rather than be consumed by urgency. It might be a weekend. It might be one evening each week. It might be a few days away from social media or a commitment to stop checking work emails after a certain hour. It might mean declining an invitation, postponing a nonessential project, or protecting time on your calendar that belongs to you and God.
Whatever it looks like, give yourself permission to create that space.
Rest does not have to be something you earn after you have completed every task. There will always be something else to do. Sometimes, the most intentional thing you can do is recognize that everything does not need to be done right now.
How Do We Resist the Urgency?
We have considered the patterns. We have acknowledged the pressure and perhaps we have even recognized some of our own habits in the process. So, how do we keep from getting sucked in by the urgency of this world?
For me, the answer begins with learning to R.E.A.D. my environment, both internally and externally. It means releasing the expectation that I must respond to everything immediately and examining how I can best use my capacity in the season I am currently navigating.
This is not just a concept I want to share with you. It is a practice I am actively working to implement in my own life. I have started checking my calendar daily, not simply to see what I need to accomplish, but to R.E.A.D. what is happening around me and within me. I want to recognize what truly requires my attention, what can wait, what needs to be released, and where God may be inviting me to move differently.
Here is what R.E.A.D. looks like.
R — Re-evaluate
Pause and assess what is truly an emergency versus what is creating artificial pressure.
Not everything that demands your attention deserves immediate action. Not every request requires a yes. Not every deadline carries the same weight, and not every problem belongs to you to solve.
Re-evaluating requires you to ask honest questions: Is this genuinely urgent? What happens if I do not respond right now? Is this responsibility mine? Am I acting out of wisdom, or am I reacting out of fear, guilt, or the expectation that I must always be available?
Sometimes, the most productive thing you can do is pause long enough to determine whether something needs to be done at all.
E — Execute
Act with intentionality on what actually matters right now.
Once you have re-evaluated your responsibilities, you can make decisions about where to direct your time and energy. This does not mean ignoring important commitments or avoiding difficult tasks. It means choosing your next steps with purpose rather than allowing every incoming demand to dictate your priorities.
Execution requires discernment. It may mean completing the task with the greatest impact, asking for help, communicating a realistic timeline, or allowing something less important to wait.
You do not have to do everything at once to be effective. You need to be intentional about what you do next.
A — Anointed
Operate from your God-given purpose and grace rather than human striving.
This is the reminder I need when I begin to feel as though everything depends on my ability to keep moving.
I can be diligent without being driven by anxiety. I can be committed without being consumed. I can show up for the people I love without assuming responsibility for every outcome.
Being anointed does not mean that everything will be easy or that we will never experience pressure. It reminds me that my ability to serve, lead, create, and contribute is not rooted solely in my own strength.
There is a difference between working faithfully and striving endlessly to prove that I am enough.
I want my work to flow from purpose, not from the fear that if I slow down, everything will fall apart. I want my decisions to reflect the grace God has given me, including the grace to recognize my limitations.
D — Discern
Notice your body's signals, honor your current season, and pay attention to the environment around you.
Discernment requires us to look inward and outward.Internally, what are you experiencing? Are you exhausted? Irritable? Having difficulty concentrating? Feeling disconnected from the people you love? Are you pushing through when your body is asking for rest?
Externally, what is happening around you? Are you in a demanding season at work? Are family responsibilities increasing? Have you taken on commitments that no longer align with your capacity? Are you responding to the expectations of others without considering what this season requires of you?
Discernment helps you recognize that your capacity is not unlimited and that it may change from one season to another.
It also reminds you that you do not have to navigate every season in the same way. What worked for you last month may not be what you need today. What you could carry in one season may be too much in another.
The goal is not to operate at maximum capacity every day. The goal is to recognize the capacity you have and steward it wisely.
You Don't Have to Answer Every Urgency
As I write this, I am reminding myself of everything I have just shared. I am reminding myself that I can care deeply about people without carrying every burden. I can be responsible without being constantly available. I can pursue excellence without sacrificing my peace to the expectation that everything must happen now.
I can acknowledge that there are things requiring my attention while also recognizing that I need to be intentional about how I respond. Perhaps you need that reminder, too.
Maybe you are in a season when everyone seems to need something from you. Maybe your calendar is full, your mind is racing, and you are trying to hold everything together. Maybe you have become so accustomed to responding to urgency that stillness feels uncomfortable.
If that is you, I want to encourage you to pause.
R.E.A.D. your environment. Re-evaluate what truly matters. Execute with intention. Remember that you are called to operate from God's purpose and grace, not endless striving. Discern what your current season requires of you.
And then make room to bask.
Make room to soak in God's presence. Make room to enjoy the people you love. Make room to rest without feeling guilty. Make room to be present in your own life rather than spending every moment preparing for the next demand.
The world will continue to move at its own pace. There will always be another deadline, another message, another opportunity, and another need. But you do not have to allow the urgency of the world to dictate the rhythm of your life.
Sometimes, the most faithful thing you can do is slow down long enough to hear what God is saying, recognize what you need, and remember that you are a person to care for, too.
This is my reminder. This is my protest. This is my commitment to myself. I will not allow the urgency of this world to become the authority over my life.
