Feeling overwhelmed? Unwinding doesn’t have to be complicated. Discover Niksen, the Dutch art of mindful doing nothing. Relax, reduce stress, and boost creativity by simply allowing yourself to be present. Start small with short breaks throughout your day to unwind and reconnect with yourself.
Niksen
as a hobby
AKA: Doing Nothing
Related Hobbies: Cloudspotting • Discovering and Enjoying Art • Discovering and Listening to Music • Listening to Podcasts • Meditation • Tea Appreciation
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I see niksen as a form of self-care that is easier to put into practice than other kinds of relaxation.
Olga Mecking, author of Niksen: Embracing the Dutch Art of Doing Nothing
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I want to say, in all seriousness, that a great deal of harm is being done in the modern world by belief in the virtuousness of work, and that the road to happiness and prosperity lies in an organized diminution of work. [… Work] is emphatically not one of the ends of human life.
In Praise of Idleness, Bertrand Russell
Basic lingo for orientation.
- Niksen: Verbification of niks, Dutch for ‘nothing’. The practice of doing nothing as a means of relieving stress; idle activity, as staring into the trees or listening to music, with no purpose other than relaxation.
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How to break the ice and make a start. One Aha! moment is all you need.
- Make use of life’s natural pauses, such as a bus ride, for Niksen.
- Schedule dedicated Niksen time.
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Never put off till to-morrow; what you can do day after to-morrow.
Mark Twain, The Galaxy
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Further reading.
- Can Doing Nothing Unlock Your Decision-Making Superpowers? | Psychology Today
- Constantly scrolling on your phone? Why we can’t stand feeling bored | Well actually | The Guardian
- Do you run away from feelings of emptiness? It’s time to face them head-on | Mental health | The Guardian
- Escape the grind with “niksen,” the Dutch art of doing nothing – Big Think
- Everything About Niksen, The Dutch Concept of Doing Nothing | TIME
- People just do nothing: is the Dutch concept of niksen the best way to relax? | Mindfulness | The Guardian
- The art of doing nothing: have the Dutch found the answer to burnout culture? | Netherlands | The Guardian
- The Case for Doing Nothing – The New York Times
- The Dutch solution to busyness that captivated the world – BBC Travel
- The life sabbatical: is doing absolutely nothing the secret of happiness? | Life and style | The Guardian
- The Secret Power of Idleness | Psychology Today
- Why ‘doing nothing, intentionally’ is good for us: The rise of the slow living movement – BBC Culture
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This process of assimilation, which takes place in depth, requires a state of relaxation that is becoming rarer and rarer. If sleep is the apogee of physical relaxation, boredom is the apogee of mental relaxation. Boredom is the dream bird that hatches the egg of experience. A rustling in the leaves drives him away. His nesting places – the activities that are intimately associated with boredom – are already extinct in the cities and are declining in the country as well.
Illuminations: Essays and Reflections, by Walter Benjamin
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What is the difference between Niksen and meditation?
While meditation is essentially about stopping your mind from wandering, Niksen is about letting your mind wander.
What are the benefits of Niksen?
Niksen can reduce stress and improve well-being.
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Nowadays, we enjoy any number of inexpensive and readily accessible stimuli, be they books, videos, or social media. We need never be alone, with no one to talk to and nothing to do. Wilson et al. explored the state of being alone with one’s thoughts and found that it appears to be an unpleasant experience. In fact, many of the people studied, particularly the men, chose to give themselves a mild electric shock rather than be deprived of external sensory stimuli.
Just think: The challenges of the disengaged mind
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The parts of the brain that come “online” when you are doing nothing are called the Default Mode Network. Research finds that the Default Mode Network is also activated by intense aesthetic experiences. This draws an interesting line between our ability to do nothing and our ability to derive aesthetic pleasure from the world around us.
The brain on art: intense aesthetic experience activates the default mode network
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