The Importance of Doing Nothing

Firstly, I’m not advocating a lifestyle here. No one should aspire to spend their days in utter idleness, though I’ll grant you some have tried. I’m talking about permitting yourself to take some time every day to simply… stop. Don’t read, don’t write, don’t watch stuff on TV or on your phone, and don’t play games. Allow yourself some time to just let your mind wander. Yes, this flies in the face of all the advice we were given as we were growing up. “Go outside and play,” “Go out with your friends,” “Help me with the housework…” You get the drift.

Idleness has been given a bad rap. We’re always being told to ‘do something.’ But isn’t letting your thoughts run free something?

About a year ago I resumed my practice of meditation. I’d been having problems with insomnia, and I thought it might help to calm my mind before I lie down. And while the practice hasn’t cured the problem, it has helped to alleviate it.

If meditation isn’t your thing, you can take a different approach. Take a walk, preferably in the countryside, and let your mind wander. Sit at the window and gaze at the stars. Close the door and just sit. Stop laughing! It isn’t easy to simply sit and do nothing, particularly if you are a very active person. If it makes you uncomfortable, it may take some time to get used to it.

What are the benefits?

They are many and varied. Because I practice deep breathing when I meditate, my breathing has become deeper and more efficient. I recently had a pulmonary function test and did exceptionally well (I scored 50% above average for my height and weight). Not bad for a woman of my years with asthma.

I don’t want to toss about phrases like ‘inner peace’, but the truth is taking some time to just think your thoughts is very helpful in helping you to focus. It improves concentration, memory, and your sense of who you are. Also, studies have shown that meditation can help the human body overcome a number of anxiety-related conditions. Irritable bowel disease, high blood pressure, PTSD, and so forth.

Meditation is also known to boost creativity. Ah, you knew that would show up eventually, didn’t you?As a writer, I find the practice helps me come up with new ideas, solve some of my plotting problems, sparks my writing in ways I cannot begin to explain.

Find your best approach

Find a place and a time where you won’t be interrupted.

Get comfortable. I like the time-honoured sitting cross-legged pose, but you do you. One thing I will say for the so-called ‘Lotus’ position, is it tells my brain that it’s time to meditate. Within a few seconds of sitting in the pose, my thoughts calm down and I’m able to begin almost effortlessly.

Resist the urge to lie down, unless your goal is to fall asleep.

Start in short increments, say five minutes. You can build up slowly if you want to.

Set a timer. This will help you to avoid clock-watching, and so enable you to focus more effectively.

Decide if you need sounds to help you focus: the sound of rain or crashing waves are good and you can find videos with these on the internet. I prefer not to use music, because I’ll listen to it rather than just let my mind be still. In the beginning, you may try a variety of things to see which works best for you.

You will also find a number of ‘guided meditations’ on line. Most of these have some avowed purpose: unleash your creativity, overcome anxiety, get in touch with the Supreme Being. Being an utter cynic, I find many of these unintentionally funny. It has little to do with the guides who are, I’m sure, well-intentioned, but I find the serious intonations give me the giggles. Still, if it works for you, who am I to judge?

Some people like staring into a flame, so you could try lighting a candle and see if that helps. Obviously, if you do light a candle, make sure you put it into a safe place.

Some like incense. I’m asthmatic, so many scents make me wheeze and cough, but if it works for you, then go for it. My only caveat to this and the candle is it can make it more difficult to focus if you don’t have them. I prefer to do without either, but other people swear by them.

If you are hoping that meditation will help your overall creativity, I would urge you to be patient. These things take time. I would also suggest that you keep a notebook and a pen at hand so you can write down any ideas that come to you. However, don’t do this until your meditation is over. Don’t stop until your your allotted time is up — or the candle falls over.

How do you meditate?

Honestly, I don’t really know. I can only tell you what works for me, and keep in mind, I’m no expert.

I like to get comfortable, set a timer, and just concentrate on my breathing. You can also focus on some relaxing sounds, as I said before, maybe hang a windchime, and concentrate on those tinkling chimes.

If you’re just starting, that five minutes I suggested you start with can feel like hours. Don’t worry, you’ll get used to it.

Expect your mind to wander and don’t feel like a failure when it happen. Just recognise it and return to listening to the waves or stilling your thoughts.

Try to meditate for a brief period every day. You can extend the time if and when you’re ready.

And if you have another (better) technique than mine, let me know. I’m always open to new ideas.

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