Do You Practice “Dolce Far Niente”?

Ahhh the “dolce far niente”, or the “sweetness of doing nothing”…

Recently, someone very small and just over 4 years old asked me and a few other adults “let’s all go and enjoy some time in bed.” As everyone knows, a 4-year-old boy can have more power than 4 adults together. So we got together to do nothing… just enjoy the moment.

Sometimes someone or something needs to give us a touch to make us understand that the rush we carry in life is useless.  It doesn’t make us happier, even if we have more stuff. Why? Is it priceless for a child to ask you to spend time with him, just in bed, doing nothing?

The “dolce far niente” that this child taught me is a more than effective therapy to eliminate the stress that we carry, often without realizing it, and that is ingrained in our daily actions. We run around, we almost miss the time or the bus, we get up in the morning jumping out of bed, we eat too fast because we have to go back to work…

So, let go of “the everything” to enjoy “out of the blue”. Take a few minutes every day to disconnect from your daily life, your worries, the comings and goings, the rush. The only reason behind all these activities is to erase your face, speed up your heart and make you end your day like a withered plant.

It is when we rest that the right hemisphere of our brain, which controls imagination, creativity and pleasure, comes into play. Do you want to lose this effect? Personally, I think our right brain is amazing.

Some ways to embrace “Dolce far niente”

• Get in bed and stay there!
• Go to a park, lie on the grass and enjoy the sun, the smell of wet grass and the sound of birds.
• Sit on a rock by the sea and feel the waves caressing your skin, the fresh air refreshing your mind and the smell of the sea opening your soul and your senses. You feel closer to the true meaning of life.

• Go to the countryside and hug a tree for a while. If you are with your child, with your mother or with a best friend, feel together that you are part of nature, just for a moment, enjoy and make this moment a unique experience.
• Lie on the couch and do absolutely nothing but listen to beautiful music like this:

• Learn to meditate. Meditating is simply letting our mind go blank and not thinking about anything while breathing deeply…. Several studies have shown that the regular practice of meditation is able to change our brain structure, making us more resistant to depression, anxiety and stress.
• Forget what you “should be doing”. Not now! Now what you have to do is what you are doing, the “Dolce far niente”.
• Truly enjoy your vacation. Turn off your cell phone, cook less, don’t get into arguments that lead to nothing. In short, heat and holidays are for enjoying the “dolce far niente” at every moment!

• Sleep longer than ever. Allow yourself, during the weekend, to sleep more than usual if your body asks for it. A good night’s sleep, as well as a nap during the day, is great for the body and mind.

Remember that you are the one to love and pamper yourself. Don’t let anything or anyone take away your health or sleep; start enjoying the “dolce far niente” more.