Wellness is a word that has recently become a part of the everyday vernacular. It’s used in reference to everything from jade face rollers to practising mindfulness. However, this particular wellness trend is different from all the rest, because it’s all about doing absolutely nothing.
What is it?
Niksen is a Dutch concept that literally translates to ‘nothing’. While the concept was initially regarded as being negative, in a world where people are struggling to disconnect from work and are constantly hustling to achieve that ‘dream’ job, the concept of doing nothing has now picked up traction and gained popularity.
Niksen is now a wellness trend that encourages people to allocate time to do nothing. The concept advocates being idle, achieving nothing or doing something that has no use – except for your enjoyment of doing it. That might be lying in bed, listening to music or even just bingeing the latest Netflix original.
At its core, niksen is all about doing something without an end goal. It’s about actively choosing to do something that has no purpose. It’s about doing something purely for the joy of it.
What’s the point of Niksen?
Wellness trends all have one thing in common: doing something to achieve an end goal. The Danish trend ‘Hygge’ was all about creating a cosy retreat at home, and the Swedish trend ‘Lagom’ was all about decluttering to live with just what you need, and the Finnish concept Pantsdrunk was all about being comfortable and drinking wine in your underwear to relieve stress. Niksen is the antithesis to these active concepts and gives you permission to do nothing.
What are the benefits of Niksen?
The biggest benefit of niksen is that by allowing ourselves to take the time to disconnect from the world, release ourselves from expectation and goals, we allow ourselves to truly relax and recharge. It also allows us to reconnect with activities that bring you joy, and process difficult thoughts or emotions positively.
This article originally appeared on BHG.
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