Is Doing Nothing a Waste of Time?

Mental Health, My day, writing 35 comments

The question proposed, Is Doing Nothing a Waste of Time? primarily comes from the matter of feelings. .. .  Allow me to illustrate.

If we DO something, it is usually for the excitement or pleasure that we get out of it, right?  So for example, if you are going for a bike ride, to feel the wind tickle your face and to grasp that childish sensation of freedom … then why would it be any less praiseworthy if, while you were sitting on the porch with your feet up, you were able to bring forth just as much joy into sitting and staring off into space?

I feel that when I sit for a long period of time just thinking and scribbling, I start to introduce a feeling of guilt or shame (usually if it tends to last for days).  Not sure why I feel this way.  I catch myself comparing my actions and hobbies to others around me, or with the things that I used to do to keep myself occupied.  My battle with mental health being that I change so much, so rapidly.  It’s difficult and often downright impossible to keep up.

Maybe I just don’t want to go for a walk.

Maybe I don’t want to go out to dinner.

Maybe I don’t want to clean the basement.

Maybe I don’t want to…… “DO” anything.

I’m more than content hanging out with me in my head for now.  I do not need a distraction to get away from myself… and that is the first time in a long time that I have been able to say that.  There is a possibility that this feeling may only last another five minutes BUT,  It feels great.  I truly love me today…. or at least for right now.  For in this moment, I am okay with Doing Nothing.  So for in this moment the answer is No, it is not a waste of time.

At first this was just a typing rant, not meant to be posted but, hey who cares?  I’m gonna hit the PUBLISH tab anyways… 

 

 

© 2017 Joseph Emerson WhatsInsideAMadmansHat.com

35 comments

  1. Hi Joseph, we must be two great minds thinking alike here on WP 🙂 I received your kind like for my latest post and find that you have addressed the same topic! Good that you hit the publish button so that I could enjoy your post through serendipity. Keep up the great work while wasting time 🙂

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  2. Good for you! I think we all have days, or moments, when thinking or creating ideas keeps us occupied. Perhaps that’s why we write. Some people can’t stand being alone with themselves. I personally believe that intelligent souls are content when deep in thought. And if you have the luxury of chillin’ and not having to be somewhere or do anything specific, then that’s pretty special. But, I know what you mean. I feel guilty when I realize it’s noon and I haven’t accomplished anything amazing yet. I am working on retraining myself not to think like that. I worked my entire life. And now sometimes I’m guilty when I have days that I relax and do nothing during my retirement. We all need to enjoy our guilty pleasures. Just enjoy it! A friend told me once that I think too much. I took it as a compliment. Because thinking is definitely not a waste of time!

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      1. I have a hard time just sitting around the house to be honest. Not in the sense where I always need to be busy, because I have no conception of the word, but in the sense that I always want to be doing something. I have a hard time with down time and it ends up causing me problems.

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  12. Good for you Joseph! Doing nothing can be good for the soul! I have a poetry blog here on WordPress and today’s poem is about doing nothing in case you have time to look? Have a relaxing day, Sam 🙂

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  14. We live in a culture that wants us to be productive for THEM. We are taught to always be doing SOMETHING. I believe that what people think of as doing nothing, scares the guys at the top. When we do “nothing,” we free our mind so that we can actually THINK. Do as much of nothing as you possibly can because that’s how we find ourselves and the truth. Yay for doing nothing…which is actually doing everything. That’s why we aren’t supposed to do it.

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  16. Thats how they want us to feel. The status quo wants the masses to feel depressed, guilty, down. It’s so easy to control people who feel that way. That’s the entire point. So don’t give into that. The way to fight back is to do the things that make you happy, the things that we AREN’T SUPPOSED TO DO…like have free time and be creative. Art, creativity is dangerous to the state, that’s why, when wars begin or there’s trouble, the artists are jailed first. Creativity is threatening, it shows that a person can think for him/herself and they definitely don’t want that from the herd, the slaves, the workers who toil away to support them.

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