As we all know, being busy has become somewhat of a status symbol. Often when I ask someone how they are I get the predictable knee jerk response: a long, deep sigh followed by ‘busy’.

Reminded of Michael McIntyre’s observation that the Brits can use almost any word to describe being drunk (gazebo-ed being my all-time favourite) I wondered whether or not the same could be true for the word ‘busy’. So whilst on holiday with 17 family members last week I decided to canvass the gainfully employed amongst us. Across the breadth of industries represented, my top picks were: ‘maxed out’; ‘sinking’; and ‘plates or balls being dropped’. Evidently, in local government, it is not uncommon to check whether colleagues’ heads are above or below water.

What did I conclude from my small research sample? We are all at it. We are all being busy.

So how is that going for us? Bearing in mind our brain cannot distinguish between fact and fiction, I suspect not great. If we repeatedly tell ourselves we are drowning, swamped or sinking, we will convince ourselves that’s really happening and end up feeling pretty rubbish.

Whilst we may not always be able to control the number of plates spinning or balls up in the air, as Don Miguel Ruez recommends in ‘The Four Agreements’, we can be impeccable with our word.

Next time you are asked, ‘how are you?’ may be pick a word that makes you feel good or even sounds funny instead. For what it’s worth, my go-to is ‘vibrant’. It usually gets a laugh but more importantly, persuades me it feels good to be alive.