The history:
Niksen: The Dutch Art of Doing Nothing by Carolien Janssen is a book that has been around since early last year but has recently become super-popular. This is probably because we're simultaneously experiencing millennial burnout and climate change-induced nervous breakdowns.
Professor Rutt Veenhoven is a sociologist at Erasmus University Rotterdam in the Netherlands who studies happiness. In an interview with British Vogue, Veenhoven explains: "Mindfulness is about the object of thinking, while Niksen is about (not) doing.
"'Niksing' allows for the floating of free thoughts, rather than focusing one's thoughts," says Veenhoven.
While we seem incapable of just "sitting", Europeans have long-mastered the skill of doing nothing, guilt-free.
In Italy, they call it "la dolce far niente", which translates to the sweetness of doing nothing.
Easier said than done, right?
The science
Historically, we used to treat Sundays as a "day of rest" (or dedicate them to church, if you're that way inclined). But in 2019 we're more likely to spend the day catching up on "life admin".
At the same time, the World Health Organisation has recently officially recognised burnout as a chronic health illness caused by stress from modern life.
Enter, Niksen.
In a feature for Time magazine, the University of California's Greater Good Science Centre's Eve Ekman says Niksen can have a bunch of positive effects – and not just on your mental health. Ekman says regular Niksening can help reduce or eliminate stress entirely, help fight ageing and even ward off coughs and colds.
The reality
I am terrible at doing nothing.
While I've previously written about my penchant for never leaving my living room unless it catches fire – I'm not just slothing on the couch, bingeing on Queer Eye. Well, I am, but in an incredibly productive way.
I can't even watch Netflix without simultaneously doing at least five of the following things at the same time: Drinking a tea, eating chocolate, filing my nails, vaping, tweezing my eyebrows, wearing a sheet mask, swiping on Tinder, folding my washing or trawling through TradeMe.
So, while my boss thought I was a perfect fit for this Road Test because of my hermit-esque tendencies, I knew I was in for a challenge.
It turned out to be both a blessing and a curse. This trial perfectly coincided with A) My little work friend who I eat lunch with going on holiday, and B) I was going through a mild-to-moderately-sad breakup.
I decided what better way to give Niksen a whirl, than by spending my lunchtimes moping on a bench in Victoria Park by myself like a confident, independent, but quite sad loser?
Carolien Hamming from CSR Centrum - a coaching centre in the Netherlands that helps clients manage stress and recover from burnout - told Time magazine that practicing Niksen could be as simple as just hanging around, looking at your surroundings or listening to music, "as long as it's without purpose", and not in order to achieve something or be productive.
I reckon I definitely met the brief. I slumped on the bench for the better part of an hour every day for a week, staring at my surroundings (people far fitter than me playing soccer) and listening to mopey songs while pretending I was in a dramatic music video.
The verdict:
Look, I know it sounded super-emo, but I actually loved it. I'm a huge advocate for wallowing. I think it's great to lean into your feelings instead of crushing them down into your guts and repressing them.
I felt calmer, more zen and more capable of handling my ever-bubbling stress levels. The only downside was that I probably looked like a slightly depressed pervert, religiously watching a bunch of middle-aged office workers play lunchtime soccer. You win some, you lose some.
Also, Niksening in the middle of the working day is the way to do it, I reckon. Most of us are trapped inside from 9 to 5, so swanning down to your local park for a bit of daydreaming can feel like luxurious selfcare.
