“Niksen” is a Dutch word for “doing nothing” — more precisely, “simply being, without a purpose.” It is not focusing on the breath like meditation, nor trying to do something “well.” Just gazing blankly out the window, sitting on the sofa with no thought in particular, having music on and doing nothing at all — the attitude of allowing that “not-doing” itself, without guilt, is niksen.
Why give a name to doing nothing at all? The moment even a little empty time appears, we reflexively pick up the phone or look for a task. The pressure that “even resting must be productive” has, before we knew it, settled into the body. Niksen sets that momentum down for a while and practices allowing yourself, “it is all right to do nothing.” It is not laziness but an open space intentionally offered to a tired heart.
Interestingly, when you leave the mind loose like this, unexpected things tend to happen. Thoughts left to drift with no purpose sort themselves out on their own, a thread to a problem you had wrestled with suddenly rises, and a forgotten feeling quietly surfaces. The brain, it is said, actually takes time to sort and recover “when doing nothing.” Empty space is the very place where the strength to fill what comes next gathers.
The wise way to enjoy niksen is humble. Do not turn even this into a new task of “doing nothing perfectly” — five minutes a day gazing out the window is enough of a start. But if a lethargy so deep you cannot do anything lasts long, or the heart sinks deeply, that may be a different signal from niksen, so look into it with those near you and, if needed, a professional. As FortuneLeaf always does, what this empty time offers is not a grand achievement but a soft reflection that lets go, for a while, of the you that must always be doing something — for sometimes doing nothing is the very best care of yourself.