Australian Yoga Journal - May June 2017

PHOTO: JENNIFER OLSON; PROP STYLIST: ERICA MCNEISH

There’s something about the change of seasons that can inspire us to seek new adventures, reignite our

social lives or redecorate our living spaces. But if the urge to take a break and hibernate strikes, give in,

says Stephanie Brown, PhD, author of Speed: Facing Our Addiction to Fast and Faster—and Overcoming

Our Fear of Slowing Down. “In our society today, doing nothing is often associated with being lazy or

wasting time,” says Brown, yet there are big benefits to spending chunks of time being unproductive.

Need convincing? Do nothing and you’ll :

Get over the ‘tough stuff’ faster. “We stay busy because we don’t want to think about certain things,”

says Brown. However, slowing down enough to face uncomfortable emotions rather than pushing them

aside gives them less power, which in turn can help you disrupt your always-busy MO.

Inspire more empathy. Experts suggest that taking time to reflect helps you stay in touch with your inner

experiences, which translates to greater compassion for others and what they are experiencing.

Boost your creativity. When you’re not continuously scheduled, you give your thoughts a chance to

wander, and a study from the journal Psychological Science shows we tend to develop more innovative

ideas when we allow our thoughts to drift rather than focusing on one task. MEGHAN RABBITT

the upside of doing

NOTHING

24

may/june 2017

yogajournal.com.au

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