One evening my husband asked, “Darling have you ever experienced the feeling of doing nothing” I stared at him. Same look back to me. I started to think. Have I ever thought this?? I rarely sit doing nothing, most of the time I have something to go through. “It’s an art a kind of meditation” Meditation? I asked. Yes, While I was practicing martial arts we were trained to be so. Our dialogue dragged a bit.
I started some extra reading on “Art of doing nothing”. According to Maartje Williems the author of “The Lost Art of Doing Nothing” says in native Dutch niksen means “to do nothing”.
While continuing my “doing nothing” position I found that “doing nothing” is not an easy task. Endless thoughts are coming and going. It is similar to water passing through a dam. Connected one to another. What will be the dinner tonight, do I have enough groceries in the refrigerator, did I send mails to my clients, lots of stuff one after another.
Modern world we all are engaged in tasks. We rush from task to task clinging to all deadlines and workload. Doing nothing doesn’t mean scrolling social media or sitting in front of the TV. Because you are still catching up on things. Once you look into a news feed you go through it. Even if you sit doing nothing, your mind is not so. It is still in work. Never ends. “Doing nothing” is something unplugged. You are fully relaxed and your mind is fresh as a blank sheet. You see how things come and go. But you still concentrate on doing nothing, It is all about allowing life to flow.
These meaningful “doing nothing” breaks help to reduce stress. Creativity and problem-solving can be boosted. Your imagination is far and wide you see things deeply and widely.
Have you ever tried this? What did you gain? Do you see “doing nothing” as a waste of time?
