The constant movement of pre-holiday activities left me feeling spent and wrung out. The day after Christmas, I sat down on my couch and practically lived there for the next week.  Practicing stillness, I put most duties on hold while I read, napped, wrote in my journal and stared off into space.  

Given my personality, doing nothing rarely happens.  After once again failing to monitor my level of extraversion (I’m an introvert), my exhaustion led me to the “non-doing” atmosphere of my couch.

Benefits of Doing Nothing

Gaining perspective

Many benefits await us when we quiet our inner noise.  One benefit of doing nothing lies in how we gain new perspectives.  Looking at life from a place of Stillness, we can deliberately step back for a panoramic view.  If we perceive our life as if we’re on the moon, we obtain some objectivity.     

For example, my from-the-moon viewpoint revealed a long-time inconsistency.  Even though I say I value self-care and time for quiet, I still allow others’ expectations to override my own needs. While I’ve made progress, I could see areas of my life where the pattern persisted.

Connecting inwardly

Another benefit of becoming still and doing nothing: we connect with ourselves. We form a sacred bridge to our deeper feelings and longings.  When we quiet our bodies and minds, an internal space opens – a space of intuitive knowing. As we pay attention to it, we hear our soul’s guidance for how to live and move in the world.      

In the spaciousness, we can see our attachments – to relationships, to outcomes, to addictions, and to beliefs and concepts.  If we remain open and look, we perceive ways to let go of these attachments.  Releasing them leads to inner peace.

Feeling inspired

Once we’re connected, we have a channel through which we can experience a third benefit in doing nothing – a renewed feeling of inspiration. The muse awakens and breathes creativity into our gift(s).  She goes to work for us, offering us guidance and illumination. She sparks flashes of creative and timely ideas.  We feel inspired to pour forth our gifts into the world.

In this New Year, I invite you to leave behind the compulsiveness (the “shoulds” and “oughts”) that often drives action. Sit and do nothing, even for just two hours a week.  Take the journey into new perspectives, into connection with your soul, and into renewed inspiration. 

When we act from Stillness, Love empowers doing.