Do, do, do

There are many people who cannot stop doing. They must do, do, do, all the time, at least that's what they believe. This doing, this continual activity, can be understood in several ways. So, let's take a look!

By doing something all the time, a person can avoid other aspects of life that might need attention. The children might need attention; the house or apartment might need attention; a parent or family member might need attention. Being in continual motion or doing constant activity can be understood as mania, attention deficit disorder or maybe hyperactive thyroid. By doing all the time, a person might be attempting to avoid being bored or avoid emotions or even trauma or believe it's what society expects! The list goes on and on.

Excuses, whether based in actualities or not, often are present too. For example, my work is so much pressure. I have so many things to get done before summer arrives. I must be responsible for.....and, again, the list can be quite long.

Another possible understanding of someone constantly doing is an avoidance of oneself, feeling afraid to be alone with oneself. This avoidance and fear frequently mean that people don't know themselves at all. Often, they are covering up an intense feeling of emptiness. When these people ask, "Who am I," they typically respond with a false sense of identity. For example, I am a truck driver, I am a mill worker or I am a mother. These are things we do, not who we are.

To know who we are requires going beyond our egos (identities) to discover our inner worlds, our inner selves. This means that we spend time with ourselves, which is the opposite of avoiding ourselves, experiencing our emotions and discovering ourselves. It means we pay attention to our inner world, not just our outer world.

An image that applies, which comes from a dream, is a person sitting by a well, quietly, and intently, listening and watching for what might emerge from the well. The well symbolizes the internal depths of a person, the internal world. As we sit by the well, quietly listening, observing and waiting, we are spending time with our inner selves and our inner worlds. We are not actively do, do, doing, but being quiet and relating to ourselves.

So many of us can understand what it means to be in constant motion and always doing something to fill our days. If this describes you, then try to sit by the well, at least an hour a day, and quietly listen!