For many, retirement can be a struggle to find new ways to stay busy. If you’re approaching retirement, figuring out how to replace the sense of fulfillment you may have had with your work can be difficult. If you’re in retirement, you may already feel restless without your daily occupation. While it’s crucial for your health and happiness to stay active mentally and physically, it can also be equally important to recognize the value of doing nothing with the new time you have. In fact, research shows that there are mental benefits associated with doing “nothing.”[1]
What is “Nothing”?
Mental Benefits
It’s common for retirees to consider exercising their brains and maintaining brain health in their later years. Alongside finding ways to stay active and occupied, spending the time to do truly nothing can be part of maintaining your brain health.[2]
Turning off all distractions and letting your mind wander allows your subconscious activity to expand, ultimately boosting your creativity and overall brain health. When our minds are occupied, we tend to be satisfied with the most immediate answers to things. Doing nothing can allow time for your brain to dig deeper into whatever it wants to think about, uncovering the reasons for why you feel certain ways about something or coming up with a new way of doing something. For this reason, doing nothing can be a highly effective way to practice mindfulness.
Health benefits
[1] https://www.sclhealth.org/blog/2020/02/the-actual-health-benefits-of-doing-nothing/#:~:text=You%20might%20be%20surprised%20to,when%20trying%20to%20solve%20problems.
[2] https://www.shondaland.com/live/body/a30125041/why-doing-nothing-is-actually-one-of-the-best-things-you-can-do/
[3] https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/stress-management/in-depth/stress-symptoms/art-20050987
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