Psychic Blog

It’s hard to write a January publication, without a nod to New Year’s Resolutions… But what if this year, your resolution was to Day Dream more?

Niksen, is a word from the Netherlands, which translates as the art of doing nothing! If you cast your mind back, Denmark gave us Hygge a concept of cosiness. Lagom came from Sweden – all about approaching life in an everything in moderation kind of a way. And, so to Niksen – a Dutch way of reducing stress.

How do you practise Niksen?

Slow life down to a more manageable pace. Don’t feel the need to say yes to every request, or every invitation.

Carve out time just for yourself, to do nothing in particular.

Reduce distractions. You don’t always have to read a book when having a bath, or check your emails in bed.

Have technology breaks.

Take breaks at work, and don’t fill the time up with errands and chores.

Getting started

For many of us, doing nothing and carving time out to day dream won’t come easily and naturally. So, start off small, and work your way up.

Niksen is not a mindful activity, you don’t need to be present in the moment or to direct your thoughts.

Some activities might make the process easier, such as during a gentle stroll. Or even when doing a craft like knitting…

Great Niksen opportunities can be found in bed, before you go to sleep or as you wake up. Indulge in quiet moments, where you don’t need to do anything.

Boredom/Guilt

We live in a very busy world, with constant demands. So, it is not unusual to experience feelings of guilt if we are not filling our time constructively. Equally, we can grow bored quite easily, when we are used to filling our every moment with an activity.

However, it is worth persevering, as periods of ‘switching off’, day dreaming, or just doing nothing, do wonders for our mental health, stress levels and overall wellbeing.