Tolfioow: Our appointment calendars are overflowing, and every gap makes us ponder: What else could fit in there? Isn’t that how you feel?
Olaf Koob: No, not anymore, although I lived in the fast lane for years and felt constantly under pressure. When I got health problems, I realized that I shouldn’t keep rushing through the days to stay productive.
That’s easier said than done with all the stress we’re subjected to.
The French philosopher Blaise Pascal once wrote: The whole misfortune of human beings consists in their inability to remain in the room in peace. Only when the external stimuli and stimulations decrease and the distraction is missing, you come to yourself. That doesn’t always feel pleasant: If you’re not used to concentrating on yourself, you become restless, nervous and quickly try to distract yourself with action.
Why do we get restless when we don’t do anything?
It is very exhausting to deal with yourself. When it gets quiet around us, questions arise that we like to suppress – whether the permanently stressful job really suits us or the relationship in which we only argue is good for us. In phases of rest we feel that constant rushing is a diversionary tactic so that we don’t have to deal with our inner life. With their help, we flee from worries, mistakes and failures, but also from our claim to have to be perfect in this society. That is why boredom seems threatening to us and must be fought. This usually succeeds quickly, because there are enough impulses from outside that flow towards us.
How do you bridge the gap?
What distracts us?
The never-ending visual information about television or the Internet. One also speaks of image obesity when one stuffs everything into oneself unfiltered, without digesting it, just to be distracted and entertained.
Another example: We often talk too much and have difficulty listening or just being silent. Anyone who is always on the move and doesn’t allow themselves breaks, during which boredom can arise, should consciously take the time and listen to their inner echo in order to let everything that has been experienced sink in.
How do you bridge the gap between permanent time pressure and just doing nothing?
stresscan be mitigated by examining your own values and asking yourself: What do I really need to be happy? In addition to mental reflection, concentrating on your own body helps, for example conscious inhaling and exhaling. Coming to your senses, being mindful and enjoying yourself – none of this can be done on the side. Yoga and meditation can also teach mindfulness. Meditation rooms have already been opened at some airports and universities – a good idea to consciously pause in the hustle and bustle of everyday life. We should not expose ourselves to everyday pressure without thinking, but reduce it where possible and learn to do nothing at all. Because there is nothing better than not having anything better to do!
Enjoy a bit of boredom…
1. … to stare at the ceiling until new ideas arise from doing nothing from within.
2. …to ask questions you’ve brushed aside in your busyness.
3. … to learn to do nothing without purpose – for the sake of one’s own relaxation.
4. … to create time spaces in which you can draw strength and replenish your energy reserves.
