I recently realised that during my waking hours, I am always doing something. There is never a time when I am doing nothing. By doing nothing, I mean just having quiet time to think, mull things over or just relax and do nothing.
What is nothing?
To be clear, what I define as doing nothing is just that – just sitting there and breathing, that’s it. There are times when I am doing nothing productive, but I honestly can’t remember the last time I was doing absolutely nothing at all.
I wake, and then eat. When I am not at work I’ll be reading, writing, watching TV, playing the guitar or working out. I think that I get edgy when I have nothing to do, my attention span is so short that I always have to be doing something.
I read recently that the human brain is chemically conditioned to respond to new stimuli. This is why as humans, by nature we slip in to multi-tasking, the inevitable procrastination and the inability to finish anything. We chemically respond to new things to do and therefore we are always doing something, as new things crop up all of the time.
There is a trend for mediation in some circles. I don’t think that you need to go that far – mediation isn’t about being a hippy.
Here’s the simplest form of meditation that I am going to start to try:
1. Find somewhere quiet to sit.
2. Close your eyes.
3. Say a mantra (something like just saying “in and out” as you breath is fine).
4. If, and more likely when, you mind wanders, let it. Just relax, say your mantra and allow your mind to empty.
Before you approach meditation, it may be beneficial to do one of the following:
a) Not call it mediation. Just have quiet time.
b) Start with just 5 minutes.
c) Make time in your schedule to do this. You will benefit from it.
I’d love to hear other people’s experiences in this area. Do you meditate, or can you not remember the last time you truly did absolutely nothing?
Image by connordowney on Flickr via Creative Commons
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I can’t remember the last time I did nothing. In fact, I think doing nothing would make me feel uncomfortable because my mind would be full of the things I should be doing…………….:)
I’m learning about the practice of meditation as well…a great book to read is “Wherever You Go, There You Are” by Jon Kabat-Zinn. As a beginner, I was given this book by a very kind and experienced woman, and it is as billed – great for novices like me.
Great post Chris. I was thinking about this the other day. There are sometimes no time in the day to just “be”. As sad as it sounds we need to plan some down time. When it is alll said and done we are not going to wish we did more; we will wish we stopped and watched the water more, spent time among the trees, and just became one with ourselves. Let’s not wait till the end, lets “be” now!
Hey Chris, I agree we all need to take time away from our hectic modern daily grind! That’s why I started reading fiction more and blogs less LOL.
OK now that you know why you’ve seen less of me online, let me comment on your post. I think it is a great idea for people to take a moment and ponder about what they are doing with their lives
I feel like fate/destiny or whatever you want to call it is shaping my life in many ways. Reading your post is another nudge in that direction. I recently read “One Small Step Can Change Your Life: The Kaizen Way” by way of another “nudge” from a blogger/tweeter ;) Reading this book was just what I needed. It reminded me that small steps are all it takes to make big changes. I started blogging with this idea in mind, but recently – flowing back to my “I need to make the post perfect” ideal, I did less posts and slowed my momentum. Now I am back, and I’m starting another blog ;)
Getting back to do nothingness. I’ve tried the “meditation” idea once or twice, never succeeded. I find just taking a calming walk and noticing my environment helps me.
Thanks for a great post. Hope my comment was not too long winded.
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I do nothing every Thursday from 6-7, after my cleaning lady leaves. It’s the only time in the week when there is absolutely nothing to do. I have come to look forward to this time like one would when meeting a lover.
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@LisaNewton – I know what you mean Lisa, and perhaps that is exactly why we should all do nothing sometimes. Thanks for your comment.
@Mike – Thanks for the book recommendation, I’ll have to check that out.
@Jay – Nicely put. We spend a lot of our lifes trying to get somewhere, without appreciating where we are now or the journey.
@FrugalNYC – I like long thought out comments! I like your idea of just going for a walk, maybe that is a nice way to ease in to doing nothing… Looking forward to hearing about your new blog!
@Miss Expatria – Sounds great and exactly the kind of thing I was shooting for with this post. Would be great to know how this helps you gain mental clarity. Thanks for your comment.
this is Thai people’s old religious style to get more concentration.