The Art (and Struggle) of Doing Nothing
Laundry, make grocery order, run by pet store, study for certification, work out, clean bathroom, write thank you note, get reading done for pre-marital counseling, cook... etc.
These are the things I type into my phone's to do list as I dare to lie in bed, doing nothing but watching Hulu. Why do I feel like if I'm doing nothing but relaxing, I at least need to be making a to do list, if not carrying it out? When did our society become so hyper-focused on doing things, all the time? Like, no second to breathe, relax, think about nothing?
You see it all around on social media, especially right now during quarantine. People's attitude of, if you're not using quarantine to master a skill or make extra money, you're doing it wrong. Wrong? Wrong? There's absolutely nothing wrong with capitalizing on your skills or hobbies. But what if someone just wants to do it for fun? What if someone just wants to do nothing for a second? Why do we scoff at that?
I believe this hustle mentality is great for a lot of people, but for many people it's damaging. Thoughts come in like a black cloud, telling people they're so lazy for wanting to sit on the front porch and drink lemonade with their mom instead of meal prepping for the week. Or for wanting to take that nap instead of cleaning the bathroom. Or for wanting to binge their favorite show and take just one night off studying, or freelancing, or whatever. Wanting to have a girls' wine night, but without checking their work email for once. Just one night. Wanting a video game night with their friends without checking a work chat every five minutes.
Your brain, your body, and your spirit all need breaks. Filling up the void, that hour gap you have in between tasks with more and more tasks, more and more efficiency, it's not always the answer. Sometimes you need to meditate. Or read a book for fun. Or look at stupid TikTok videos mindlessly for two hours. Or maybe just talk to God without doing something else at the same time. I'm way guilty of praying while I'm running errands, or cleaning or whatever. It's so much better to focus on something like that without that pesky multi-task attached on.
Different things work for different people, but I for one want more nothing in my life. More laying in the sun with a beer. More watching Hulu without making a to do list at the same time. More watching cooking videos on Youtube with Matt. More time just being outside. More time just being with family and friends, having real conversations filled with laughter and thoughtfulness, but devoid of distractions from the tiny computer in our pockets. More time just being - without feeling guilty about it.
These are the things I type into my phone's to do list as I dare to lie in bed, doing nothing but watching Hulu. Why do I feel like if I'm doing nothing but relaxing, I at least need to be making a to do list, if not carrying it out? When did our society become so hyper-focused on doing things, all the time? Like, no second to breathe, relax, think about nothing?
You see it all around on social media, especially right now during quarantine. People's attitude of, if you're not using quarantine to master a skill or make extra money, you're doing it wrong. Wrong? Wrong? There's absolutely nothing wrong with capitalizing on your skills or hobbies. But what if someone just wants to do it for fun? What if someone just wants to do nothing for a second? Why do we scoff at that?
I believe this hustle mentality is great for a lot of people, but for many people it's damaging. Thoughts come in like a black cloud, telling people they're so lazy for wanting to sit on the front porch and drink lemonade with their mom instead of meal prepping for the week. Or for wanting to take that nap instead of cleaning the bathroom. Or for wanting to binge their favorite show and take just one night off studying, or freelancing, or whatever. Wanting to have a girls' wine night, but without checking their work email for once. Just one night. Wanting a video game night with their friends without checking a work chat every five minutes.
Your brain, your body, and your spirit all need breaks. Filling up the void, that hour gap you have in between tasks with more and more tasks, more and more efficiency, it's not always the answer. Sometimes you need to meditate. Or read a book for fun. Or look at stupid TikTok videos mindlessly for two hours. Or maybe just talk to God without doing something else at the same time. I'm way guilty of praying while I'm running errands, or cleaning or whatever. It's so much better to focus on something like that without that pesky multi-task attached on.
Different things work for different people, but I for one want more nothing in my life. More laying in the sun with a beer. More watching Hulu without making a to do list at the same time. More watching cooking videos on Youtube with Matt. More time just being outside. More time just being with family and friends, having real conversations filled with laughter and thoughtfulness, but devoid of distractions from the tiny computer in our pockets. More time just being - without feeling guilty about it.
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