Three Ways to Do Nothing At All
Bruno Mars sang it, accompanied by a very laid back official music video:
" Today I don't feel like doing anything.
I just wanna lay in my bed.
Don't feel like picking up my phone
Leave a message at the tone...
Cause, today, I swear I'm not doing anything
Nothing at all!"
But how often do you welcome your lazy days without feeling guilty, especially when you are at home on a Sunday or day- off?
Even the phrase "lazy days" has an unwelcoming feel for workers cultured to be productive all the time. Moreover, some people equate taking breaks with laziness.
People from the Caribbean can attest to parents shouting or disciplining them if it seem as if the child had too much free time or nothing to do, "Go take your book!" Or "Find something to do."
Could you imagine yourself making your way home after a few hours of work just to take an afternoon nap. The Spanish has a name for it- siesta. Perhaps, you could cotch by a joint nearby for a glass of wine.
Cutting out of your job my midday may be quite unrealistic for many, but it can be quite beneficial. Italians embrace piddling around: “La Dolce Far Niente,” which means "the sweetness of doing nothing."
So, is it possible for you to sit and do nothing? We all know that even sitting is something. If you close your eyes, that's something else too. So how do people engage in the art of doing nothing? We can do nothing in the sense that "if a friend were supposed to call and ask what we are doing, we would say, "Ah... nothing."
Tip #1 - Start small
Doing nothing can seem uncomfortable or just obviously overwhelming for some. So, starting small can look like doing nothing for about six minutes- the time it takes to reheat your "Sunday-Monday" or leftovers.
Starting small and doing nothing for me, meant going to the doctor's office because waiting in line is as sure as the sands on the beach. Waiting in line can seem like the perfect time to read the latest news, make use of your unlimited talk plan, or draft a to- do- list, but it's a great time to do nothing, but just wait. While waiting, you can observe others or listen to their conversations.
Tip #2 - Eliminate distractions
Turn off the distraction. If you put away the phone, you will not need to answer it with, "Everything 'govern' man. I am just here doing nothing at all."
Slating specific times to check emails can diminish the urge to check emails as often as the thought of checking comes to mind. So, choose your nouns wisely: leaving particular persons, places, ideas or things is an experience you will have to customize for yourself.
And schedule your verbs of nothingness before hand- walking, watching, sitting, breathing.
How will you walk or breathe? Consider your adverbs: mindfully, often, reflectively.
When you feel as if you require improvement. Consider your prepositions to affirm appropriate time and guide your direction: "at" home, "in" the bathroom", "on" the grass.
The more you practise, you will exhale interjections: "Wow!" "Phew!" or even "Aah!"
Let's not forget our conjunctions. "And", "because", "since", "but", or "until" you make a deliberate effort, you might better interact with "he", "she", "it", "they", "him", "her", "this' or "that"- pronouns.
"The more you practise, you will exhale interjections: "Wow!" "Phew!" or even "Aah!"."
– Learning and development practitioner
Tip #3 - Notice your environment
Observing our sensory environment means to observe the present moment. Observing is experiencing. What does this have to do with nothingness? The ability to notice our environment in a non-judgmental way or not trying to changing anything, be it thoughts, feelings or sensations is mindfulness. For example: Feeling useless is a judgement, not a fact.
"I am noticing that my thoughts are racing faster than I can keep while my heart is beating a fast unknown rythmn" are facts, but you don't need to label yourself as a worrier.
Surrender!
Too often we are fighting World Wars in our heads, so noticing our environments is an opportunity to surrender to our bodies and our surroundings. This focus lessens worries of the past and future too.
From noticing your breathing pattern or listening to the uniqueness of each sound around, we need not miss out on the joy of this moment.
Moving through the emotions while observing and describing is fine instead of getting caught in unhelpful thoughts.
What if Saturdays and Sundays were no longer days to chill out? What if you could practise doing nothing instead of emailing, Tiktoking or checking the email?
Surviving the modern world has one trick or remedy- the ability to find time to do nothing.
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