Learning to do nothing is another valuable tool that will help you get in touch with your inner self. I first learned to do nothing in an attempt to cure myself of the habit of moving too fast, and of trying to do too many things at the same time. And it worked. By scheduling time each week to do nothing, I gradually began to get some understanding about where I wanted to go with my professional life.
And as I continued to incorporate this practice into my schedule, I was able to reach a new level of understanding in terms of my inner life as well.
There are plenty of reasons why many of us have been moving at breakneck speed in recent years. Oftentimes, they have nothing to do with trying to accomplish a lot in a short amount of time. Some of us have kept moving, either to prove to ourselves that we’re still alive, or in the unconscious fear that if we stop, we’ll have to take a close look at who we are. That can be terrifying.
But learning to stop completely can be incredibly constructive. Doing nothing is different from meditating and from spending time in solitude, and in some respects, it is much more difficult. In our culture, anyway, it’s usually a learned habit that has to be nurtured. Or sometimes Mother Nature mercifully intervenes by providing us with a convenient ailment that forces us to stop and do nothing.
Accept the fact that it’s okay to do nothing. If you’ve begun to slow down, simplify your life, and go within, doing nothing will be much easier.
You can start by getting in the habit of doing nothing for two to three minutes at various times throughout the day. Simply stop whatever you’re doing, sit quietly with your eyes open, your mind aware but not active, and just be. Doing some deep breathing (#96) will help.
Gradually increase the time. As you begin to spend more time doing nothing, be prepared for your body or your mind to balk. You’ll get hungry or sleepy. You’ll think of a dozen things you should be doing or that you think you’d rather be doing. Resist the temptation to give in to those feelings. Think of it as necessary and valuable time, which it is.
When you do this consistently, when you lean into it, when you start to delight in it, you’ll find doing nothing one of the most productive inactivities you engage in.