When Covid-19 forced people to stay in the house, many people began to feel like being `imprisoned`.
WHAT IS THE “NIKSEN” LIFESTYLE REALLY?
Photo: Pexels/Jeremy Bishop
In Dutch, “niksen” is a verb that means “to do nothing”.
Similarly, sociologist Ruut Veenhoven – an expert on happiness research in the Netherlands, shared: `While mindfulness focuses on being aware of the reality in which you are living, Niksen is a way for you to
Tips for living
Unexpected benefits from a sustainable lifestyle
Sometimes, Niksen’s lifestyle is easily misunderstood as `lazy`, `wasteful` and meaningless.
We should have moments of relaxation with activities that are performed easily and semi-automatically, such as knitting.
BENEFITS FROM PRACTICE OF NIKSEN
Photo: Pexels/Vlada Karpovich
As stress levels increase globally and its adverse health effects are recognized by the medical community as a disease, doing nothing is increasingly seen as a positive way to cope.
Eve Ekman, a stress and burnout researcher at the University of Southern California, said that slowing down by practicing Niksen has powerful effects on the practitioner’s physical and mental health, such as reducing anxiety.
Another benefit of practicing Niksen is that this lifestyle helps people find new ideas more easily.
Tips for living
10 amazing benefits of a minimalist lifestyle
A 2013 study published in the journal Frontiers in Psychology on the pros and cons of letting your mind drift freely also shows that this process can inspire and help you achieve your goals at home.
HOW DO PEOPLE PRACTICE NIKSEN?
Photo: Pexels/Cottonbro
For many people, doing nothing is not as simple as it seems.
Find out when you’re most productive and creative, then notice when your mind starts to shut down or you start performing inertial tasks.
Tips for living
9 good books to read about Japanese lifestyle
FIGHT THE CULTURE OF BUSYNESS
If you’re doing nothing, enjoy it.
Photo: Pexels/Vlada Karpovich
MANAGE YOUR EXPECTATIONS
Practicing Niksen requires time and effort, so don’t be discouraged if you don’t feel the benefits you expected when you first started practicing.
REORGANIZE YOUR ENVIRONMENT
Your surroundings can have a big impact on how well you feel while practicing Niksen.
Photo: Pexels/Taryn Elliott
LET YOUR THINKING GO BEYOND NORMAL ROUTINES
If you can’t sit still in your home or workplace, go to the park or have a relaxing day at the spa.
After all, spending time in idle mode, whether it’s sitting quietly in the garden and doing nothing or simply staring out the window, is essential.
Photo: Pexels/Masha Raymers
Sandi Mann, author of the book The upside – The science of boredom, once said: `I think we need to seriously reconsider `dead` time and stop considering doing nothing as waste.
