How to Rest and Do Nothing
“The time to relax is when you don't have time for it.”
Sydney J. Harris
It seems strange that we need to learn how to rest and do nothing. For many of us, there is an urgent need for that skill. How to rest and do nothing just does not come easily to most of us, trained as we are in the pursuit of achievements, multi-tasking and ultra independence. Let’s explore several ways to rest and do nothing, beyond the obvious ones (like napping!).
Why Do Nothing
Allowing the body and mind to rest and repair is such a super skill!
We are not meant to be constantly doing and achieving, and if slowing down and doing nothing is a challenge for us, we can gently examine why that might be so that we can sincerely commit to taking things easy a bit more often. Living in a perpetual state of emergency and busy-ness is one of the worst things we can do for ourselves—it will eventually catch up with us, and sadly I speak from experience. Although slow living is my lifestyle by choice and by necessity, recently my body told me in no uncertain terms that I needed to take even more space for actually doing nothing regularly, whether I like it or not. When my body talks I really listen and commit to readjusting priorities.
"But I Have so Much to Do…"
So many things to enjoy, so many things to do... but sometimes complete rest is what is needed.
Of course there are things to do, deadlines to keep and responsibilities to shoulder. I am not talking about doing nothing all the time, but about practicing the art of completely pausing often, resetting the mind and body to freshness and openness as often as possible. From there, we can do what is needed with a more ready mind and a more rested body. Paradoxically, we might find that as we rest more often, we have more focus and are more productive, more available.
Getting to Know Ourselves
Time with self: a great romance!
In those moments of doing very little or nothing at all, we have the privilege to be completely present with ourselves and to get to know the most important person in our lives—ourselves! No matter what we do or where we go, we always have to live with ourselves. Learning to know ourselves well and to truly love and respect ourselves so that we can meet our needs, understand how we function and interact in the world, is a super skill indeed. I deem it to be the most important thing and the basis for a harmonious life, as well as a great shield and resource in challenging times.
Planning our Rest Bubble
My rest bubble holds nourishing food that loves me back.
I have been promising a post on self-care rituals which I really look forward to writing for next week. One of the key things is to make time for rest, and if it helps, plan it like you would any important appointment. Making up our own rest and self-care rituals is a great way to learn to integrate rest in our lives naturally and joyfully. I see that as creating a bubble where we know we will be refreshed. It could be anything. One of mine is to have a therapeutic bath with Epsom salts and lavendin oil, and sometimes I add seaweed or clay to it. It eases the pain, helps the lymph to do its vital work, relaxes my mind, takes care of my skin and is a very caring and useful way to rest and do nothing. Or my rest bubble could be sitting down for a simple, nutritious meal, mindfully tasting and enjoying throughout.
Looking Up
Deliberate moments of pausing will not break our focus, but refresh it.
Absorbed in work that engrosses us can be a wonderful feeling, but I find I perform better when I look up and switch off for a few instants at regular intervals. While I paint, I keep a candle near me and often pause to look at it. My eyes then come back to the painting with necessary distance and fresh eyes.
Working at the computer, I like to look up and out of the window, connecting with the weather and the landscape for a little while before my eyes return to the screen. This gives some wiggle room to my ideas and can bring in new perspectives. I also keep a plant on my desk (and everywhere else for that matter!) and gaze at it often.
Unplug
Technology is a real wonder, but we must learn to use it in balance.
More and more we hear people worrying because they cannot keep away from their screens. I take this kind of concerns seriously, because I know what it’s like to get swept up in that little virtual world and yet not derive any satisfaction from it, not actually doing anything worthwhile with my time. I consciously try to minimise that and don’t spend that much time online as a lifestyle choice. When I notice myself straying, I remember Marie Forleo’s advice, “Create before you consume.” I think that is a wonderfully simple and helpful tip.
Resting Offscreen
Recipe books always give me a really enjoyable break.
Recently several people have asked me if I can share more about my non-screen activities. I love to share about that because as I said above, most of my time is indeed spent offline. I don’t have much energy for the intense stimulation and noise of social media, and I can only take a little bit of scrolling online before I feel off-balance, even if I am reading quality material. I have an instinctive time limit of about 15 minutes before I know it’s time to move away from the screen.
Knowing that helps me to focus those minutes into useful online activity. The rest of the time, I have my eyes on my plants, the landscapes, my creations, or lovely books. And of course, I also have my eyes shut when needed. Audiobooks are very good for me and allow me to rest my eyes while enjoying a story. I also have a keen interest in cookery books. As fond as I am of my Kindle, holding a paper book is so much nicer for me than reading on a screen.
Simply Sitting Outside
Instant refresh.
Simply sitting outside, or simply sitting at the window if it’s too cold. There is so much to look at everywhere and we can rest our eyes and let our mind drift while our body relaxes and our ideas gather themselves. I do appreciate that not everyone has the great fortune to have such amazing beauty to look at. You can bring nature in by enjoying house plants, find lovely books and magazines with pictures of nature, or admire my nature-inspired soothing art :)
Pretend to be a Plant
Being a plant, what a glorious life!
That’s not as silly as it sounds. Look at this gorgeous plant, all leaves alert yet relaxed, absorbing the sun and just being. It’s a lovely thing to be inspired by.
Pretend to be a Dog
Ginny teaching me to rest and do nothing.
Pretend to be a dog, or a cat, or whichever animal inspires you. It’s amazing how our animal companions can teach us so much about resting and doing nothing. I often allow myself to be inspired by them to make my human life easier, simpler, more joyful and open.
Admire Soothing Art
I painted "Weather Patterns" for myself, to soothe my days.
I love the activity of creating soothing art, and it is my experience that it really helps me slow down. But when I need to rest and do nothing, I love to just gaze at my paintings, allowing them to absorb me into their atmospheres and evoke memories and daydreams. I painted the set above for myself and called it “Weather Patterns.” I love rainy, drizzly days, and I also love sunsets, full moons and so much more. I love shifting weather and being a witness to it, it always makes me feel rested immediately. These two panels can be interchangeably displayed as an interactive landscape with rapidly changing weather patterns and light, just like our Scottish weather. For me they have an instantly calming and refreshing effect.
Finding Hidden Beauty
A hidden gem.
We never need to look very far to find beauty, and if we keep our eyes open, we might even be surprised to find it in unexpected places. What looks like a pond in this picture is actually a little bit of water collected in the bottom of a cut tyre, which is used in my garden as a weight to secure the wood pile! Some elder flowers gathered there after heavy rains, and I was delighted by the unexpected poetry of this mini landscape. Being open to such surprises is a great way to rest and do nothing for a few instants.
Nasturtiums resting and doing nothing.
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