The Art of Doing Nothing

You have been taught not to daydream, not to waste time, to always rush through whatever task you are attempting to do. To work too slowly, or stare into space is laziness.

What if we were to tell you that your body and spirit need down time just as much as they need food and water. You can understand this in terms of sleep, but sleep is not enough. Your body and mind need rest throughout the day. Of course, you take breaks, but you cheat on them. You are skimpy with your rest times. You work through them, you make phone calls, you watch television.

If your rest time were food, it would be a sugary coffee drink with whipped cream and a frosted pastry on the side. It looks good, but does nothing to recharge your energy.

Just as you have learned (or are trying to learn) that your body responds better when it is fed high quality food, your energy level responds to quality down time or break time.

Doing nothing, is not as simple as it looks. There is an art to getting the most out of it. Sometimes you have to work hard at doing nothing.

Let's take daydreaming, for instance. From a physical standpoint, you are doing very little. Your imagination, however, is running wild. For this period, you are allowing the ideas to surface without judgement. If you release the guilt of doing nothing, and pay attention to your thoughts, you will have many wonderful and creative things to share when you rejoin humanity.

Meditation is the ultimate in doing nothing. No movement, no judgement, release of thoughts that surface. Again, it appears unproductive, but the benefits are tremendous. In addition to releasing stress which causes many of your physical ailments, you clear your mind of the unproductive thoughts which clutter it causing confusion and distress. It's like cleaning and decluttering your home. It feels better and it's easier to find what you need.

Even a brief nap, can leave you feeling recharged, if you allow yourself to rest and forget to feel guilty about it.

So, today, goof off, loaf around, and stare blankly into space. This is not permission. This is your homework. Get to work at nothing. The sooner the better. ~ Silas

Jinnzania's side notes: I've had a long, busy week. For two nights, the insomnia has been pretty bad and the good nights I get about four to five hours of sleep. So today, I was up early and feeling guilty about the fact that I was tired and wanted to go back to sleep. I took a walk then came home and sat on the porch and started to daydream. That is why you are reading these words right now. Letting go of self doubt and mental clutter can do wonders for my receptivity. That is why I often feel rushed and overwhelmed. I need to slow down instead of speed up.

This message definitely came through for me and I imagine it will speak to others as well. So, read, enjoy, absorb, then go stare out a window. It has most likely been way too long.