Benefits of Doing Nothing And How To Get More Comfortable With It

While the natural inclination for many of us this time of year is to buy more, do more and be more, experts say to preserve your mental health, try a new approach: doing nothing at all. Mastering the art of doing nothing not only reduces stress, especially during the holidays, but it can also lead to some surprising health benefits.

Doing nothing: What counts?

The definition of “doing nothing” can vary from person to person, but its focus is turning away from distractions or demands and instead giving yourself space to be silent and mindful of your thoughts and feelings. This could mean meditation or simply sitting alone in a room without any distractions present.

“Doing nothing means giving your mind a rest by not expending your precious and limited cognitive resources and attentional capacity,” says Gloria Mark, Ph.D., author of “Attention Span: A Groundbreaking Way to Restore Balance, Happiness and Productivity.” 

Truly doing nothing, she tells TODAY.com, means turning off the TV and other media and unplugging from other people.

For some people, doing nothing means choosing less stimulation instead of none at all. There are also benefits to moving away from demanding tasks and self-imposed pressures and instead allowing the brain to switch to inconsequential thinking. Andrew Brodsky, Ph.D., assistant professor of management at The University of Texas at Austin’s McCombs School of Business, tells TODAY.com. 

“This may include mindless activities like scrolling on your phone or looking at the stars,” he explains. It could also mean silent walking or sitting alone in a park without talking to anyone or listening to anything. “These mental breaks have been shown in a variety of studies to be important for improving work productivity, creativity and personal wellbeing,” Brodsky says.

How can you tell if you’re successfully “doing nothing”? Psychiatrist Dr. David Spiegel, director of the Center on Stress and Health at Stanford University, says doing…