“Niksen” is a Dutch word that has no direct English translation, which makes it all the more interesting. It means doing nothing, intentionally and without guilt.
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Not scrolling through your phone, not half-watching television while mentally composing your grocery list. Simply nothing – just pure, unhurried, peaceful nothing.
It sounds simple, and for some people it comes naturally. For others, the idea of sitting still with no particular purpose could feel oddly foreign, even a little unsettling.
Either way, “niksen” is worth practicing because it turns out that doing nothing is actually doing something very good for you.
A recent CNN article citing current research found that taking brain breaks by briefly stepping away from focused activity can measurably restore mental clarity and improve cognitive function. When you return to what you were doing, you’ll feel sharper, calmer and more capable.
Science, it seems, is firmly on the side of doing nothing.
Summer could be the perfect season to give it a try. The days stretch longer, the pace softens, and something in the warm air seems to extend a quiet invitation to slow down.“Niksen” does not require a special destination or a cleared calendar. It just requires a willingness to stop for a little while and let your thoughts drift without chasing them. It also means no problem-solving or thinking about what you’ll do after taking a break.
What does the practice of “niksen” look and feel like? It might be settling into a favorite chair and taking a 10-minute rest. It could be sitting outside and listening to whatever sounds find their way to you, like birds, a distant lawn mower, the rustle of leaves.
It might even look like letting a cup of tea go slowly cool while you gaze out the window at nothing in particular.
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“Niksen” can also revive a childhood practice of lying in the grass and finding shapes in the clouds. It could be sitting on a bench in the shade, no phone, no agenda, nowhere to be.
None of these moments are wasted; in fact, they’re some of the most restorative ones available to us.
This July, consider giving yourself that gift. Not as a reward for finishing everything, because everything has a way of never quite being finished.
Instead, think of it as something you just deserve to do as often as you wish. It’s a peaceful pause, a quiet exhale – you can call it “niksen” if you like.
Without question, it’s one of the nicest things you can do for yourself all summer long.
Writer, editor and speaker Cheryl Russell is a Laguna Woods Village resident. Contact her at [email protected].
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