by AMELIA EDELMAN
What Americans can learn from them. Americans are all about ‘the power of the hustle.’ Other countries know how to pause.
Dolce far niente. Niksen. Wu-wei. Mooching. Plenty of cultures have names for the art of doing nothing, but it’s an activity that many Americans struggle with. Studies show that nearly half of U.S. workers don’t take the paid time off they’re entitled to, and 60% of American adults report they sometimes feel too busy to enjoy their lives. And according to Time, constant busyness is the new, must-have American status symbol.
“When was the last time you … just sat there?” asks Celeste Headlee, a journalist and author of Do Nothing: How to Break Away for Overworking, Overdoing and Underliving. “Didn’t check your phone. Didn’t use it as time to catch up with a friend or make a business call. But just sat there watching people go by?” For many of us, it’s beena while.
The problem is that Americans “are taught the power of the hustle,” Trevor Blake, a physicist who now coaches professionals on how to find work-life balance, tells Yahoo Life. “[They are] always doing. In other cultures, people are taught the power of pausing and breathing deeply.”
What can we learn from these countries that have embraced what the Italians call dolce far niente, or “the sweetness of doing nothing”? Here’s what experts from around the world have to say about their cultures’ embrace of taking it easy.
Australia
“In Australia, we have a phrase: ‘She’ll be right,’” says editor Oliver Gaywood. It means “there’s no use panicking, fussing or worrying; just let things be and they’ll work out.” He adds that Aussies notice that Americans “have a reputation of being workaholics who need to constantly be doing something.” But sometimes “doing nothing is vital,” insists Gaywood.
How can Americans take a page out of the Aussie lifestyle playbook? Resist the urge to react or ruminate on worst-case scenarios. “It’ll be hard to let go at first,” admits Gaywood, “but the more you try, the better you’ll get and soon you’ll see the benefits. After all, she’ll be right.”
Croatia
Marriage and family therapist Ciara Bogdanovic is Croatian. In her father’s small hometown, Komiža, the local saying is pomalo, which loosely translates to “take it easy.” “It reflects the slow pace of life and the tendency to do nothing,” Bogdanovic tells Yahoo Life. In the coastal town of Komiža, she’ll often just chill at a café for hours, watching the waves.
As a therapist, Bogdanovic often has conversations with her American clients about “how to be OK with not being constantly doing,” she says. “The combination of our capitalist mindset and social media leads to beliefs that we always need to be moving forward and being productive.” That can leave other important aspects of life — rest, family, hobbies — languishing by the wayside.
If we instead try to channel pomalo, “we can reflect, learn about ourselves and our environments, connect with simple joys and rest,” says Bogdanovic. “In doing nothing, we create balance, self-awareness and happiness.”
India
Hari Nair is a scholar of nishkriya, a Sanskrit word that refers to the art of doing nothing. “In a state of nishkriya, we are open to all possibilities but chasing none,” Nair tells Yahoo Life. “It is a state that allows for life’s journey to unfold without us having to puff and pant in pursuit of all kinds of goals.”
Nair has lived in both India and the U.S., and has seen how Americans “choose to prioritize work over leisure and family time,” he says. “Even when not actively working, there’s a lingering feeling that more could be done.” Encouraging nishkriya, on the other hand, means “embracing stillness as a vital part of overall well-being,” he says.
Japan
Japanese artist and healer Yuko Adachi, draws on teachings of the Chinese philosopher Laozi, including the concept of mui shizen, which is about doing nothing and surrendering to what is. “It encourages us not to interfere with how life unfolds,” Adachi tells Yahoo Life. “This does not mean laziness or giving up, but making a conscious choice to let go of control.”
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