When life feels like a non-stop flurry of whirling activity. Take some guilt free time out for yourself. Switch off and recharge . . . you deserve it!
Does doing nothing sound like bliss to you? Are you allowing yourself to switch off without feeling guilty?
Setting goals is great.
But constantly striving to achieve can lead to feeling ‘guilty’ about taking time to recharge.
Did you know that having idle time changes the chemistry in the brain. Increasing serotonin, the feel good hormone. Leaving you feeling calmer and more in control.
8 ways to enjoy doing nothing
Put yourself in the zone –
create a routine that clearly marks the start of your ‘switch off’ time. Try a visualisation exercise to help you clear your mind. Imagine your thoughts leaving your head and floating away into the sky.
Loose yourself in the music
Play some gentle music and imagine a beautiful scene. Take your mind back to a holiday destination in the past. Or create a fantasy for something you will do in the future
Try 5-2-5 breathing if you’re struggling to switch off
Breathe out for a count of five. Pause at the bottom fro two counts, then breathe in for five. This will give your brain chance to remove the stress if the day and slow your heart rate.
Empty your head
Why is it when we stop our minds seem to fill with endless chatter? Reminders of things you simply have to do, that problem you don’t know how to solve. Don’t stress, simply write them down. Once we slow down, we become more creative. Meaning things that seemed impossible may now have a solution.
Be spontaneous
Although it’s great to have a mental list of things to do in your ‘do nothing’ time. Try tuning in to what you feel like doing in the moment. This really is the key to switching off.
Turn off the Tech
Scrolling Facebook or a little online shopping may seem like fun. But it won’t refresh you in the way that other past times can. In fact it can end up causing you more stress. There’s also that constant ping of the notifications. The texts, emails, voice notes pulling you in. Have a technology detox. Ban yourself from going online and switch off your phone for a while.
Find the doing nothing that suits you
Rather than actually doing nothing, many of us switch off by doing something. It may be reading a book, taking a walk or attending a fitness class. Spend some time finding the right ‘doing nothing’ for you.
So when life feels like a non-stop flurry of whirling activity. Take a moment and ‘do nothing’ and . . . .
