5 reasons to ‘mooch’ or ‘do nothing’
Remember when you could spend hours in your own fantasy world as a kid? Building huts with friends after school or playing with dolls, without noticing the time. As adults we are all “busy” and boredom has almost become a taboo. Five reasons why it’s good to get bored every now and then.
But first: what exactly is boredom? According to psychologist Wijnand van Tilburg, boredom occurs when your activity does not meet a natural need for stimuli. He thinks that’s a signal to get yourself out of a pointless routine. ‘So boredom can motivate you to develop a more meaningful activity’, explains Van Tilburg in the Volkskrant.
Today, boredom is seen as a negative thing, as if it’s a sign that you may not have organized your life the way you’d like it to be. Fortunately, being bored once in a while also has a lot of health benefits. It is not for nothing that Americans have taken over this Dutch ‘nothing’.
1. It makes you more creative
You are in the shower or working in the garden and suddenly you get all kinds of good ideas. Recognizable? This is because you take a break from the daily rat race and your brain can focus on something else, giving your mind room for creativity again. According to Alan Lightman, professor of human sciences, the greatest discoveries are made even when scientists are ‘laughing’ in between their busy work. That shows how important it is for your brain to do nothing at all every now and then.
2. You feel calmer and happier
Since the advent of the smartphone and social media, such as Facebook and Instagram, we are always online and connected to the world. Several international studies have shown that this leads to an increase in psychological complaints, such as feelings of anxiety, depression and burnout, especially among young people. Many sociologists and psychologists think this is because they are afraid of missing out and not keeping up, which makes them feel constantly restless and anxious.
As soon as you turn off or put your phone down and turn your attention to yourself, you quickly feel calmer. You will see that if you make time to recharge, you will feel more energetic afterwards. And that you want to do the things that make you happy again.
3. It’s good for your personal development
If you take a moment every now and then to literally and figuratively stand still, you can continue with more attention and focus afterwards. That sounds contradictory, but it isn’t. Because while you are doing nothing, you can reflect on yourself and your life. How do you feel? What do you find important in your life? And what do you want to achieve personally or professionally? Those are all questions you can ask yourself.
Lightman even considers this ‘silent reflection’ an essential element of good and healthy functioning. He predicts that if we do this too little or not, our sense of identity will diminish. We then know less well who we are and what we want, so that we become further removed from ourselves.
4. You can concentrate better
In an environment without many stimuli, you quickly notice that you can concentrate better. Research has already shown that it is good for your concentration to take a break from work in a low-stimulus environment, such as nature. According to professor of cognitive psychology Stefan van der Stigchel, it is good to shut off your brain from stimuli every now and then. He says about this in the Volkskrant: ‘In nature your brain can do little but nothing, there are few incentives to react to.’ In fact, your concentration works the same as a muscle, which also needs rest every now and then.
While a resting brain sounds like it’s doing nothing, it’s not completely inactive. Experiments with an MRI scanner showed that if a brain has nothing to do, activity can still be seen in certain parts of the brain. This will be it default brain network called: the default network. In this case, the brain switches to daydreaming and self-reflection, which ensures that the ability to concentrate can recover.
5. You gain more confidence
When you say ‘no’ to the other person, you say ‘yes’ to yourself. You have probably heard of this expression. Of course, sometimes you can’t get around agreements, for example when your supervisor asks you something important, or when you would like to help a good friend. It’s just good not to always say ‘yes’ to appointments and just choose for yourself. At that moment, rather do nothing at all or do something that allows you to completely relax, such as staring out in front of you, reading a book or taking a warm bath.
If you occasionally take such a moment for yourself, you will see that afterwards you can be better for someone else. If you have trouble standing up for yourself in this, practice with it more often. This way you take good care of yourself and your self-confidence grows.
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