Kanisa George
ON MONDAY, most of us waited anxiously and, in some cases, frightfully for Hurricane Beryl's arrival. We prepared our homes, pantries and Netflix lists to ensure comfort and safety during that uncertain time. But aside from participating in the "hurricane snacks" trend and the very interesting art of securing roof sheets with ropes, if things did go severely awry, most of us would have been left with a lot of time on our hands.
Some might think, "Hmm, I could get used to some downtime."
But when actually tasked with utilising downtime to their benefit, they might be at odds with what to do with it.
Without electricity or internet access, most of us would be left with the options of sleeping the day away, exhausting conversations with loved ones, or sitting around doing nothing.
But when you think about it, is the latter approach really that bad? After all, some of the activities we get caught up in have a degree of nothingness attached to them. Yet, doing nothing is sometimes hard to do.
Oscar Wilde observed in his play, The Importance of Being Earnest, that it is "awfully hard work doing nothing."
But there is a unique lifestyle movement that advocates the art of doing nothing as a way to combat the stressful, full-on lifestyles we've become so accustomed to. It's called niksen, the Dutch concept of doing nothing, and according to Carolien Hamming, managing director of CSR Centrum, a coaching centre in the Netherlands, it could be as simple as just hanging around, looking at your surroundings, or listening to music.
"As long as it's without purpose," she says, and not done to achieve something or be productive.
A key element of niksen, based on research on happiness conducted by Ruut Veenhoven, a sociologist and professor at Erasmus University Rotterdam, is the ability to carve out time just to be, letting your mind wander rather than focusing on the details of an action.
In many ways, niksen is akin to slowing down and has outstanding benefits from emotional perks - like reducing anxiety - to physical advantages - like curtailing the ageing process and strengthening the body's ability to fight off a common cold. But it's not just about physical and mental health. Niksen can also be a powerful tool for personal development, allowing you the time and space to reflect on your life, your goals and your relationships.
In truth, most of us are pretty skilled at doing nothing. After all, we live in a world that somehow glorifies aimlessly scrolling social media. But to really gain benefits from doing nothing, we must practise intentional nothingness, and according to the available research, this means it's time to put your phone down.
One writer suggests that in order to let your mind wander, you must intentionally decrease screen time: no TV, phone, books, or social media. Instead, you could sit in a comfortable spot, perhaps a cozy corner of your home or a peaceful park, and allow yourself to relax or simply be present with whatever is happening within you and around you.
