Niksen: the Dutch solution to reduce stress – 06/04/2023 – Balance

The city of The Hague, where I live, has 11 km of beautiful coastline with rolling dunes and sandy beaches. In summer, I often see locals on Scheveningen or Kijkduin (the most famous beaches) sunbathing, walking in nature or cycling and then sitting on one of the many benches available.

Sometimes they are reading or chatting with friends. At other times, they are practicing “niksen”.

Niksen is a Dutch wellness trend that means “doing nothing”. It has captured the world’s attention as a way to manage stress or recover from mental and physical burnout.

At a time when many complain of exhaustion and depression caused by overwork and look for solutions to this, concepts such as Japanese “ikigai” or Danish “hygge” are starting to enter the lexicon of other languages.

As a linguist, I loved the idea of ​​being able to express the whole concept of doing nothing in one short, easy-to-pronounce word.

In my book “Niksen: Embracing the Dutch Art of Doing Nothing” (“Niksen: Adhering to the Dutch Art of Doing Nothing”, in free translation), I define the act as “doing nothing, not having a purpose”.

So we’re not talking here about browsing Facebook or practicing meditation.

Whereas “mindfulness” is about being present in the moment, Niksen is more about making time to just be, letting the mind wander where it wants to go.

And as we are slowly recovering from the Covid-19 pandemic, it’s important to rethink how we work and spend our time.

The least possible

Linguistically, “niksen” (do nothing) is a verb created from “niks”, which means “nothing”.

It fits in with the Dutch language tendency to create verbs from nouns.

Other examples are from “voetbal” (football) to “voetballen” (playing football), from “internet” to “internetten”, from “Whatsapp” to “whatsappen”.

“I think this is something that happens mostly in Dutch,” says psycholinguist Monique Flecken of the University of Amsterdam in the Netherlands, who researches how the languages ​​we speak affect how we see the world.

Essentially, it’s a lot less work to say “niksen” than “do nothing”. “The Dutch are practical and straightforward people, and the language reflects that,” she explains.

In the Netherlands, the word can be used in many ways, both positive and negative. Flecken says, “Can a father say to his son, ‘Zit je weer te niksen?’ (Are you doing nothing new?) And I would also say ‘lekker niksen’, which translates to ‘a delicious do-nothing’, when talking about a happy night, free from any chores or work.”

For psychologist Thijs Launspach, TEDx speaker and author of “Crazy Busy: Staying Sane in a Stressful World”, “Niksen” means “doing nothing or caring of something trivial as a way to enjoy the time. Not exactly doing nothing, but doing as little as possible.”

Launspach adds that this particularly applies to older people, who have more unstructured free time.

Greater productivity

Younger generations, on the other hand, are more stressed than ever. And that’s true even in the Netherlands, a country traditionally applauded for its work-life balance.

There are many reasons for this. “Our lives and jobs have become more and more complex. We tend to spend a lot of time on the computer. There’s a lot of pressure to be the best version of yourself, whether it’s at work, parental expectations (or) on social media. There’s a lot of pressure “, notes Launspach.

A little stress can be good, as Leiden University psychology professor Bernet Elzinga points out.

“It’s not necessarily a bad thing to be in a state of stress for a moment where you’re really focused. The problem is when it gets out of hand,” he explains.

But niksen can help in this matter. “When you’re not doing anything, you connect to your default mode. And that mode is responsible for the wandering and reflection in the mind”, explains Elzinga.

Paradoxically, Niksen can also make us more productive, simply because the breaks allow the brain to rest and come back with better focus and attention.

This is probably why, although the Dutch don’t work long hours, they tend to be very efficient at work.

Working overtime is discouraged due to the adage that “just being normal is crazy enough” that prevails in the Netherlands, a nod to the country’s honest and egalitarian culture.

And it seems to work: Holland is a creative nation. Think of all the famous painters like Rembrandt, Vermeer or Escher, as well as the innovative solutions the Dutch found to combat the recurring threat of flooding, such as huge dams and houseboats.

Physical activity

The Dutch also like to enjoy life, for which they use the word “lekker”.

It means “delicious” or “tasty”, but can be used to refer to anything good and pleasant, such as “lekker warm” (deliciously hot), “lekker slapen” (delightfully sleeping) and of course “lekker niksen” , or “delightfully doing nothing”.

And this whole architecture of idleness makes it easier for people to do nothing.

Locals like to spend time in an active way, like cycling or walking, which gives them time to unwind.

And whenever the sun rises, the Dutch crowd the cafes and terraces, even in winter. For me these are perfect places to do nothing.

However, Launspach is not a supporter of the idea of ​​doing nothing as a measure to prevent stress.

“I’m a little skeptical of the idea that you have to create a buffer zone between yourself and stress. I don’t know if that’s possible in the way we live and work today,” he says.

Elzinga believes that it is much better to do some kind of physical activity to distract yourself from everyday worries, preferably in nature.

But luckily, in Holland there is a way to combine all these things: niksen, nature and movement.

many days off

Although the country is not known for its natural resources, the Dutch appreciate the few green spaces they have.

Many dune areas, my favorite places in the Netherlands, are part of a large network of hiking and cycling trails that criss-cross the entire country.

Even in big cities like Rotterdam, The Hague or Amsterdam, you’re never too far from a trail.

In cooperation with the Dutch railway system, Wandelnet, a foundation dedicated to the creation and maintenance of hiking trails, has created NS Wandelingen, a web of hiking trails easily accessible by train or other public transport.

These paths measure between 7 and 22 km in length, making them perfect for day trips.

And, due to the many benches installed along the way, it is even possible to take a short niksen break.

Such leisure time is possible for the Dutch because the country has an excellent welfare system, and although people tend to work a lot, they also take (and receive) a lot of days off.

“Having a good social support system and a lower stress level is related to feeling secure and balanced. So I wouldn’t overestimate the importance of that,” says Elzinga.

And with everything going on in the world — like the pandemic and the war in Ukraine — relieving stress has become more important than ever.

This text was originally published on BBC Travel, in English, and reproduced here.