It is the weekend and let’s say you are in a position to not work on a Saturday or Sunday. What do you do? How do you spend your weekend?
A stereotypical weekend I imagine goes like this:
You wake up early to enjoy the weekday morning or sleep some more. You clean the house, get things organized or transform into a happy couch potato. You do the laundry, cook for the family or for yourself if you live alone and enjoy that meal. You meet with friends, walk your pet, go nature tripping and/ or possibly just stay at home and do nothing.
Speaking of nothing, if you are doing nothing, are you really doing NOTHING?
If you become free from work, school or familial responsibilities even for just a day, you still won’t do NOTHING.
A lot of us fear this nothingness. We will still be on our phone, computer or someplace in our heads. This is why some people have this myth towards meditation that sitting straight, in silence, is still a lot of work. Apparently, quieting the mind is a chore.
We always find ways to entertain ourselves because we do not know how to be comfortable with stillness. We constantly believe that productivity is something that can or should be measured. Taking a break is viewed as another delay or pause for that success.
A client once shared with me that after he got retrenched and stopped doing the 9-5 job because he’s now a freelancer, his system feels awkward with unoccupied time. From that routine, corporate schedule to more flexible work hours, he feels weird about having so much time for himself that he can’t seem to enjoy it for the first few months. Overtimes and productivity used to be his basis for value. His self-worth was all about those times spent on doing something he did not necessarily enjoy but needed to.
However, it does not have to be this way if we simply learn how to be. Don’t fear stillness. There are times when we need to do less to acquire more.
Many beautiful things are born in stillness. There are ideas that can turn into a passion, creativity, and opportunity. The ability to recharge and prepare for the next activities is a gift.
Don’t fear stillness. Fear the lack or misuse of it.