Learn to do nothing- and do it well

A physician I know gave this advice to one of his patients who were suffering from a lot of stress. “I want you to do nothing and do it slowly,” he said.

His advice is appropriate for many of us and is certainly worthy of closer examination.

In our society, doing nothing, even for a little while, is equated with laziness, wastefulness, lack of ambition or initiative and perhaps even a lack of character.

Doing something slowly is equated with diminished motivation, inefficiency, even lack of ability.

Many individuals who pride themselves on being busy all the time simply don’t know how to relax and slow down. When they do slow down, they chastise themselves and feel anxious or guilty.

Many people tend to rush headlong into a situation rather than approach it slowly and methodically. Often, they must re-do their efforts, and this produces frustration and detracts from a feeling of achievement or enjoyment of success.

Doing nothing some of the time does not mean doing nothing all of the time. An overachiever, whose definition of productivity is narrow and limited only to his career, may equate this with not being productive.

Taking time to watch a sunset, enjoying good music or simply talking with a spouse about a good book may be difficult and seem a waste of time.

Unfortunately, a heart attack or other significant trauma may be the factor that will turn this individual around.

Learning to do nothing for some individuals may means learning to relax and relieve tension. A good technique for doing this is as follows:


Lie down or sit down in a comfortable chair. Close your eyes and take three deep breaths.

Clinch your fists tightly through the count of five and then let go. Notice the difference between these two states of muscle tension.

Tense the muscles in your feet and legs for a count of five. Release the tension.

Move to your abdomen and stomach using the same procedure.

Move next to your arms and shoulders, tensing and relaxing them.

Tense the muscles in your neck. Hold and let go.

Clinch your teeth tightly together, tensing the muscles in your jaws and face. Hold, and then relax.

Finally, squeeze your eyes tightly shut. Furrow your brow. Relax and feel the difference.

These tensing-relaxing exercises can help you learn to appreciate and distinguish the difference between the two. You may need to practice several times each day.

Certain events during the daily schedule you can serve as signals or reminders to switch to a relaxed state.

For instance, small, brightly colored adhesive disks, which can be purchased at office supply stores, can be affixed to the telephone, steering wheel of you car, your bathroom mirror, refrigerator, desk, etc.

During the day, when you spy them, they can be your signal to relax.

Learn how to do nothing and do it slowly. Life can be much more rewarding and less stressful.

Harold H. LeCrone, Jr., Ph.D. Copyright © 1993