Doing Nothing

Recently, I’ve had the opportunity to take a little break. It just so happened that everything in my life seemed to slow down at the same time and I was finally able to catch my breath for a while, after completing my psychology degree. I love it, but at first, I had a really rough time. I was feeling worthless, like I didn’t deserve happiness if I wasn’t working 24/7. I initially thought that it was the result of having too much free time, but then I realized I just couldn’t slow down. Even on days where I would stay home, my mind would be constantly working, thinking about a new project, something I could come up with to prove to everyone that I was still busy.
 
In this day and age, we are conditioned to move constantly, to be perpetually engaged; when we’re doing something, we should be doing something else, something more. On our commute, we’re working just to, you know, extend our work day a little. In the car, while driving, we’re making calls to confirm appointments and meetings (and if we are on the passenger’s side, we are straight up working on some papers). At night, when unwinding, we’re checking our emails, getting ready for the next day (even though the one we’re in isn’t even over yet.). While eating, we’re looking at the news or reading the newspaper. It’s like we’re scared of our own thoughts, and we’d do anything to keep them at bay. Now, don’t get me wrong; being productive is great. And keeping ourselves busy is healthy. But I’m wondering if we don’t sometimes go overboard.
 
A few months ago, I’ve noticed that I’m always so busy mentally. Even when I’m showering: prior to getting in the shower, I will think about what I could think about in the shower. How messed up is that?! I plan my showers like I would be planning a day at work: what project could I work on? What improvement could I come up with? What text could I prepare? If you ask me, that’s kind of a crazy thing to do. Aren’t showers supposed to be relaxing?
 
So I’ve taken on the challenge to do nothing once in a while. If I’m on my commute to school, or if I’m getting ready for bed, I will make a point of letting my mind wander, in all simplicity. It’s surprising what thoughts pop into our mind when we just let them come. Kind of like meditating; if a thought comes, just let it come, and observe it as an outsider. As a result, I’ve started noticing that I’m more focused and more creative. Like my mind is a little clearer, less cluttered. It’s actually my best friend who originally inspired me to start doing that. She once told me that she would purposefully “forget” to bring something to do on the metro, so that she would be forced to just sit there and let ideas come to her. She sets a specific time out of her day to imagine new things and mentally create. How cool is that? That friend writes stories, by the way. Just in case you weren’t convinced of the efficiency of her ways.
 
Since then I’ve realized that slowing down mentally, and giving my mind some free time is fairly easy to do, and very beneficial. And I don’t mean procrastinating. I don’t mean staring at our phone in a haze. I mean consciously taking a break from all the active thinking. It’s not boring, I promise. It’s like watching your own personal movie. Here’s a few places you can easily bust out the day-dreaming:

• In public transportation. Like I said, on the bus, on the train, on the metro… It’s the perfect place to let your mind wander. You can even do some people-watching!

• In the car. I think we’re all guilty of overthinking while driving. But once in a while, open your window and let the wind ruffle your hair and your thoughts.

 

• In any waiting room. I agree, sitting on a plastic chair in a room full of strangers makes you want to dive into your phone (literally). But if you find yourself in a quiet corner with a good chunk of time in front of you, why not take some of that time to just… be? (And again, you can people-watch! I love to people-watch.)
  

• In the shower. Don’t be like me. Just chill.

• At night, when unwinding. Before going to bed, I like to take a few minutes to just focus on relaxing and letting go. Let your thoughts roam free.
  

 
The point is not to stop thinking. It’s to stop forcing ourselves to think about the same stuff all the time.

-TM-