WHEN was the last time you sat back and did nothing? A little mindless indulgence, a daydream or two can help make you a little bit happier.
Block out your morning schedule. Sit on your couch. Put your feet up. Gaze into the ceiling and let your mind wander. Do nothing.
When on vacation, resist the urge to pack your days with wall-to-wall itineraries. Checking those must-see sites is indeed an experience, but so will hanging out idly by the beach, watching the waves.
Go to a café, order your favorite drink. Resist the urge to hook up to wi-fi. Take in the scenery, people-watch. Enjoy the sensuality of doing nothing.
“What a waste of time!,” one may think. I think otherwise. After all, you’re spending time with yourself, aren’t you? Making time for yourself is hardly wasted time. By doing nothing, you connect with yourself quietly, meaningfully.
Do you find it hard to do nothing? Perhaps you are feeling too restless? Take baby steps. Here are some doing-nothing ideas. If you have:
1 minute: Close your eyes and breathe deeply. Focus on your breathing and let your stress melt away with each exhale.
10 minutes: Take a slow-motion bath. Rushing off to work allows us no time for smooth carefree movements in the shower or tub, so use these 10 minutes for some slow-motion shampooing and body pampering.
30 minutes: Go for a coffee break. Sip your drink and enjoy its sweetness, its bitterness. Gaze absent-mindedly into your cup or at the scenery. If you have a garden at home, take a chair and sit back with a glass of lemonade. Take in the fresh air and good sun, just be quiet.
1 hour: Take a walk. Walk aimlessly. See where your feet take you. If you’d rather not walk, grab a light comedy film and pop it in your DVD. Throw in some popcorn for some absent-minded but enjoyable chewing.
1 day: Do not plan anything. See where your day takes you. If you find yourself staying home painting your nails or listening to music all day, well and good.
During any of these moments, do not think of anything else! Indulge in the nothing-ness of the moment. You’ll feel lighter, calmer, more connected with yourself. And doesn’t that make you happier? There IS happiness in doing nothing at all.
August 22nd, 2008 at 10:22 am
[...] One of the many things that were being suggested in the medical sphere to avoid getting the awful disease called Alzheimer is keeping your mind as active as you can - card games, puzzles, crosswords, board games, etc. - and have plenty of social interactions, and if you can’t get out and about easily, the Internet can be a place to start. Well, not only that we want to do this to avoid Alzheimer, we need to do this to enjoy and lengthen our life as well. Relaxation is very important to our body and mind. I imagined it like a garden that just got its fresh manicure; or a cluttered house that just got uncluttered and organized; or a kitchen that just got emptied from the last night’s party. It’s doing nothing after a hectic day and there is happiness in doing nothing as I have read in this article I stumbled upon here. [...]
April 22nd, 2008 at 6:02 pm
[...] Follow the link to her blog, simply named “Happy Nest” here. [...]
April 17th, 2008 at 12:58 pm
Hi,
I really appreciate my life today! doing things that i want,and doing nothing when i get home from the office,is really a treasure for me! while resting, either, sitting while stretching my legs, and staring nowwhere, with a glass of water in my hand; or lying in bed & standing my legs on the wall,while listening to music ,is my everyday routine, to keep me connected to myself and enjoying being alone in the house… its absolutely relaxing…
April 3rd, 2008 at 10:27 am
i like this idea … once in a while it’s very healthy but too much is lethargic … sit and move on after …
March 25th, 2008 at 11:34 am
Happiness of doing nothing is something new to me but all you’ve said is indeed true. My favorite thing to do is to daydream when am alone. Thinking those unattainable dreams to come true, being a most handsome man in the world, taking revenge to my enemies which in reality I can’t. All of these daydreams suit and relax me and make me happy in some way. But I have limit myself though not to live in all these fantasy because it’s not healthy.
-Jan
February 29th, 2008 at 6:44 am
This a simple but brilliant idea of relaxation.
February 28th, 2008 at 8:26 pm
yes, doing nothing like sitting down on the breakfast table and just watching the sun rise on a saturday morning, is very refreshing after a long, hard week.
February 27th, 2008 at 7:51 am
Doing nothing and thinking of nothing is truly the best way to relax and flush out stress. Even my dog enjoy this therapy..teka, sa kanya ko pala natutunan ito. so now, we just sit together somewhere in the house and do nothing together when i need to relaxxxxxxxxxxx.
February 26th, 2008 at 7:57 pm
doing nothing will make us feel great!
February 26th, 2008 at 12:04 pm
so far, this is the best self-therapy i’ve ever read! thank you for sharing…
February 25th, 2008 at 4:20 pm
This is the best self-therapy, but don’t make it a habit. Do nothing ends nothing.
February 24th, 2008 at 7:34 pm
doing nothing…sounds good. second only to thinking nothing. best relaxation technique for me
thanks for the reminder toni.
February 23rd, 2008 at 6:25 pm
Just reading the blog made me relax already…
February 21st, 2008 at 5:01 am
This is the best self-therapy that we can do to treat ourselves. In a busy life we need a moment of quietness and feel the happiness without other’s comfort.
February 20th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
luckily, i do these things a lot of times after office since i am single and most of the time alone in my room.. it sounds weird, but nothing-ness makes me calm. it also helps if u turnoff your mobile esp while u r sleeping or during non-offce hours..
February 20th, 2008 at 2:50 pm
hahaha! know what, toni? i’ve learned to love this - doing nothing! it’s very therapeutic just sitting on the couch and listening to the sounds around me. i did this for an overnight trip in 2006. i was alone and i was just on the beach watching the waves and the people passing me by. it was so relaxing.
February 20th, 2008 at 6:31 am
when i took my ielts speaking exam, the examiner asked me the kind of relaxation activities i engage myself in. i blurted out reading, travel and spa. and then she said, “what about doing nothing?”. she has a point. doing nothing and thinking about nothing is such a decluttering mind activity. you feel good after.
February 20th, 2008 at 1:17 am
used to work in advertising…. got a chance to get out of it and joined a B2B company… and actually get lots of “happiness from doing nothing” moments…. ang saya…. sobrang saya…. aside from “sopping and smelling the flowers”, i’ve actually had a chance to “talk” with a monkey… trip, sobrang trip….
February 19th, 2008 at 7:38 pm
this is so awakening, i was teary-eyed having realized after reading your article the importance of connecting with oneself which i never had for quite a time. Bunch of thanks!
February 19th, 2008 at 5:06 pm
I have spent the last couple of weeks hunting down things to do at work…with a total of just about three hours in the last 14 days that I have actually done something work-related.
I wish there was indeed happiness in doing nothing.
But then its subjective.
February 19th, 2008 at 4:40 pm
this must be for guys who are always rushing. Always have time to smell the roses otherwise you would not be able to enjoy things that are truly free.
Relax.
February 19th, 2008 at 4:29 pm
One can go to Ninoy Aquino Parks and Wildlife in order to enjoy some quiet moments. My friend and I just hanged out last Sunday from 5 in the afternoon until 7 pm which is the closing time of the park. It was wonderful! The weather and the view (lake) were perfect combined with a very cool breeze amidst the bamboo trees…
A getaway within the city!
February 19th, 2008 at 2:34 pm
i’m discovering that now! grabe the past years! sobra na pala akong stressed out! kaya ako masungit. at the start of this year, i’ve learned to give myself more time, kaya i enjoy more! it’s a wonderful minute or day, whichever time you try it. go ahead try it!
February 19th, 2008 at 12:40 pm
love this toni. it reminded me that there is joy in doing nothing. even if you are swamped with things to do, the one minute break will be a welcome break.
February 19th, 2008 at 7:51 am
“Go placidly amid the noise and haste,
and remember what peace there may be in silence.” Remember those lines? Truly, silence is golden. It is a moment when we can commune with our inner self and settle for the kind of peace that eludes us most of the time.
February 19th, 2008 at 7:12 am
I should try this, I’m soo stressed out my back aches. I will definitely try the 30-min break today.