Have you ever tried doing nothing? Does the very thought of it make your nose twitch, your toes curl, and leave you feeling a tad bit uncomfortable? Are you already feeling it? Twitchy!. Congratulations !!! You aren’t the only one to feel this way. Many of us have forgotten how to relax and unwind. Before you start thinking that unwinding and relaxing to you is playing padel or pickle ball, or reading books, or watchingTV, let me clarify that I meant doing nothing literally means doing absolutely NOTHING.
‘Niksen’ is a Dutch term that translates to doing nothing. Idleness in English. It basically means you pass your time gazing out the window, spend time in nature, enjoy the aroma of freshly brewed coffee or masala chai, and so on… are
you getting the gist of it?
‘Do you ever feel like a plastic bag drifting through the wind, wanting to start again?’ These lyrics by Katy Perry summed it up perfectly in her song Firework.
We all feel at some point that we are drifting aimlessly, running like a hamster in a wheel, never taking a break. It’s emotionally and physically exhausting. Overstimulation can be daunting. Whether you are managing a house or an ofce or working for someone else, at some point we all feel that the work never stops, that we aren’t appreciated enough, that the Instagram lives of others seem so much more rosier than ours. Just know that you are not alone.
How? You may ask! I recently went for a trip with my friend. Just the two of us. It was a beach holiday, and all we did was look at the ocean, sip on some frozen margaritas, and soak in the sun. That’s literally all we did, hit the beach after a hearty breakfast and remained plastered on that sun lounger till the stars came out. We lay there in the dark long after the sun dipped, admiring and counting the little lights twinkling so
marvelously in the inky sky. It was peaceful. Besides the fact that spending time with a friend(s) can do wonders for your soul, the fact that we did absolutely nothing felt so very relaxing and refreshing. Now I am back in the bay, and I already feel myself stressing about work. I can hear the constant drumming of
hammers at the construction site near me as I type on my laptop at this very moment, grey skies and humid weather adding to my woes.
That’s life, one would say. We live in a city, and not everyone can escape to the mountains or the
beach to take a break. That is, unfortunately, the reality. And that is why I insist you try doing nothing. It is an art, and well, I am an artist after all. Pun intended. So if you cannot go away for a relaxed holiday,
don’t fret. Try doing nothing at home. Sit with your cuppa tea or coffee and enjoy the aroma.
Don’t scroll through Instagram or your emails while you are doing that. Take a walk at a park near you, stroll without listening to music, observe the people around you, look into the skyline,this might be tricky since we can’t see the horizon anymore, maybe smell flowers, bouquet preferably, again i am being realistic, can’t possibly smell the flowers planted along the pavement, sit in silence without distractions,
take a nap in the afternoon. Just “be”. It’s not as easy as it sounds. It took me some time to prioritize myself, too. To not feel guilty for being useless. Being busy is not always a great thing. To not worry about constantly proving my worth by doing some kind of work. A lot of us carry guilt; sometimes it could also be childhood trauma. Some of us grew up in homes where doing nothing was frowned upon. We were shamed for it, made to feel small, but please know now that doing absolutely nothing is the perfect way to
rejuvenate your mind, body, and heart.
Doing absolutely nothing is healing. Try it. I know it helped me, and I hope it helps you too. Heal the
parts in your heart that you don’t show anyone.
Don’t use your energy to worry. Use your energy to believe, create, trust, grow, glow, and heal.
(By Rakhi, she is an art therapy practitioner & teaches mindful art to kids and adults. Art N Soul Studio, Om Chambers, Kemps Corner. @artnsoulbyrakhi Mail me at artnsoulbyrakhi@gmail.com)
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