Niksen: The Art of Doing Nothing
Allowing time just to be
Niksen is the Dutch concept of doing nothing on purpose but without purpose.
The audacity, right? Who could ever justify doing nothing? Especially in the fast-paced, progressive, electronically stimulated, the media-possessed society we call home. You’ve been told from a ripe young age that if you aren’t doing something, you’re doing something wrong. There are a frenzy and chaos for money, power, success, progress, and minimal time to pause, think, reflect, or even breathe (consciously). We run on this speed addiction 24/7, and it’s slowly draining the joy out of life, whether we are mindful of it or not.
It is time to normalize slowing TF down and doing absolutely nothing.
While you may consider yourself an expert on Niksen, remember that scrolling through social media, watching The Office for the 100th time (guilty), or mindlessly stimulating yourself with nonsense, isn’t “not doing anything.”
Now before your eye starts to twitch or you start scratching at your skin, hear me out.
For the past few days, I went to the beach, sat in the sand, and searched for shark teeth for multiple hours. There was absolutely no purpose to it, nothing to gain, nothing to lose; I was simply doing nothing, purposefully.
In the midst of this practice, there was a peace and calm that encompassed me. I would compare it to bathing in an Alpine hot spring with Snow Monkeys braiding your hair or sitting on top of Manchu Picchu with your sexy guide playing a tranquil flute solo dedicated to your beauty.
You get the picture, but here’s what I learned-
Not thinking is a great way to think-
While practicing Niksen, there are Zen moments where you are consumed with multiple thoughts yet not engaged with a single thought at all. When you hit this sweet spot, you are aware of the thoughts swarming your consciousness, but instead of exploring them, you see them as billboards passing by on a nostalgic Sunday drive down the Pacific Coast Highway.
It’s a fantastic way of observing your thoughts without letting them consume you.
Who cares what other people think about you-
There is a pang of external guilt in doing nothing, guilt-driven by society and others’ expectations of you. When you take time to slow down and center yourself, you realize you decide if you care about others’ opinions and how their views affect you. When you practice Niksen, not are you unbothered by others’ judgments, you find a greater appreciation and respect for your very own opinion of yourself.
The only opinion about you that is significant and relevant is your own. Doing nothing will not only help you understand that, but it will give you more substantial cause to love yourself wholeheartedly, something we all need.
Disconnecting is the best way to re-connect with yourself.
If you want to find true peace and beauty, try disconnecting from the world around you. Leave your phone behind, turn the TV off, and do a technology detox! You will be amazed at how aware and connected you become to your body and senses. We often take solitude for granted, but in disconnecting, we gain a meditative space to be present at the moment and just be.
Doing nothing is reenergizing.
Feeling burned out and exhausted is expected in the draining, high-maintenance environments in which we existent. Distinguishing and prioritizing when to take a break and practice Niksen will substantially increase your productivity long term; it is your chance to recover and reenergize. When you feel overworked, stressed, and overwhelmed, that is the perfect time to rejuvenate your body and mind by actively pursuing nothing.
Creativity flourishes when you’re do nothing.
By practicing idle behavior or not doing a damn thing, you allow your wandering mind to find its own form of stimulation; when doing so, creativity blossoms. Grant yourself the time for your mind to create and interact with its original thoughts. You’ll be amazed at what your creative and live spirit comes up with.
People, it’s time to regain our livelihood. It’s time to stop looking forward in anticipation but rather to look around in admiration. Instead of always striving, let us bask at the marvelousness of life itself. We may be experts at driving ourselves, but we are poor at taking the time to refuel.
Niksen offers you a chance to find peace and calm, explore beauty and possibilities, and be present and within yourself. Give it a try; you may be amazed at how transformative “doing nothing” really is.
