In honor of a not-so-silly micro holiday, #NationalRelaxationDay, it’s timely to introduce a word you’re about to hear a lot more about!
But first…
Did you know, relaxation is one of the foundational pillars in functional medicine? It’s critical to understand my client’s routines and daily habits including how they relax to identify how they cope with life’s stresses + how they allow their body to heal. If there isn’t a relaxation practice in play for a client, we work together to build in personalized relaxation techniques that fit their lifestyle.
Here’s the lowdown from Time on the word you need to know…
First there was hygge, the Danish concept that made staying in and getting cozy cool. Then there was lagom, the Swedish mindset of approaching life with an “everything in moderation” mindset. Now there’s another Northern European trend that’s being embraced as a way to combat our increasingly busy and often stressful lives: niksen. The Dutch concept is as simple as, well, doing nothing.
In the Netherlands, niksen has historically been dismissed as laziness or as the opposite of being productive, Hamming says. But as stress levels climb in the U.S. and globally and their crushing health impacts, like burnout, are getting more recognition from the medical community, doing nothing is increasingly being framed as a positive, stress-fighting tactic.
Have you experienced burnout, recently? You’re not alone.
Take a moment today to take a few deep breaths (right now… go for it). A long inhale. A longer exhale. Again.
Good job. When you take a deep in and out breath it signals to your nervous system that everything is OK and it helps you combat anxiety, stress and depression. It’s critical to our wellbeing to stop and take a mindful breath as often as we can remember.
If you already have a daily meditation practice, bravo! But no need to stress if you don’t. Little steps towards your mental wellbeing go a long way. If you think you’re just not great at meditating, relax. :) You’re not supposed to quiet all of your thoughts. If you have zero, absolutely no thoughts at all, well, you’d be dead. The goal is simple. Acknowledge the thoughts. (Maybe even jot them down on a pad of paper next to you and refocus to your breath until the next thought.)
How can you slow down today to relax? Share any of your relaxation tips here.
National Relaxation Day is today, August 15, so go enjoy your favorite way to relax before the day is over. :)
Eve Ekman, the director of training at the Greater Good Science Center, studies stress and burnout, says the research is strong when it comes to the benefits of slowing down, from emotional perks — like reducing anxiety — to physical advantages — like curtailing the aging process and strengthening the body’s ability to fight off a common cold. These potential health effects might be enough to encourage even the most hectic and overburdened among us to consider carving out time to practice niksen.
Another benefit of niksen is that it can help people come up with new ideas, according to Veenhoven, who is also the director of the World Database of Happiness, an archive of research related to life enjoyment.
“Even when we ‘niks,’” or do nothing, “our brain is still processing information and can use the available processing power to solve pending problems”
So niksen in turn can boost one’s creativity. This could manifest in having a breakthrough solution to a problem on a walk or a great business idea reveal itself while daydreaming.
Share with the wellthier community how you relax. We can all benefit from your ideas. :)
Cheers to more ‘niks in your life,
Laura