Slow Down by Learning to Spend Alone Time with Your Thoughts

People in simpler times enjoyed sitting and doing nothing. This was back before technology refused to allow us much freedom from distractions. We are constantly assaulted with electronically powered messages, whether from companies trying to sell us something or the people in our lives sharing pictures of cuddly kittens and funny babies.

Oddly, people used to crave do-nothing time when they had a lot of it available. We should desire it more now since it's rarely found.

We can't seem to allow any time without being spoken for. What do we do when we realize we have nothing to do? We quickly snatch up our phones and get to work busying our minds. Seldom do we relax, shut off all distractions, and enjoy a little free time to rest and re-energize.

By the way, if you would rather fill your life with meaningless activities rather than spend some time just thinking, you're definitely not alone. The results of a study published in the July 4, 2014, Science magazine show this is very common.

Psychologist Timothy Wilson, a member of the Department of Psychology at the University of Virginia, led a team of researchers that studied how often people preferred to spend time doing nothing other than contemplating their thoughts. They discovered that most people prefer to stay busy doing anything rather than sit and think.

Here is one of the shocking bits of data taken from that research.

"In 11 studies, we found that participants typically did not enjoy spending 6 to 15 minutes in a room by themselves with nothing to do but think, that they enjoy doing mundane external activities much more, and that many prefer to administer electric shocks to themselves instead of being left alone with their thoughts. Most people seem to prefer to be doing something rather than nothing, even if that something is negative."

Give Yourself the Gift of Some Quiet Time and Contemplate Your Thoughts

Isn't it amazing that in multiple studies, some participants preferred sending a jolt of electricity through their bodies rather than enjoying some quiet time doing nothing? That tells us how much we have bought into the idea that we should constantly be on the move and on the go, striving to achieve more and always seeking the next experience.

That’s the perfect recipe for mental fatigue, the debilitating effects of constant stress, burnout, and mental breakdown.

Spend some time every day with nothing but your thoughts. You don't have to think anything at all if you like. Prove to yourself that you don't need to be plugged in and wired up every waking moment of the day. Your body and mind need time to rest and repair to be at your best.

So start scheduling downtime in your day. Do nothing at all. Treat yourself to some well-deserved rest and enjoy the present moment. You find yourself more capable and productive when you plug back into your constantly wired world. You may also discover that this quiet time is enjoyable, and you'll start scheduling more.