By Keri Nola, MA, LMHC

Most of us spend the majority of our time “doing.” We are a culture obsessed with action. If we aren’t doing five things at once, we aren’t productive enough, successful enough or “good” enough.  Like one of my favorite teachers, Brene Brown says, we’re “hustling for our worth.”  While we’re busy doing this, our relationships are suffering, and we are getting further and further from our soul’s purpose, which we are here to explore and experience.

Sometimes all is takes is a slight shift in our perspective to give ourselves permission to try something new on for size.  What if I told you doing “nothing” is productive?  Would you be more willing to put down your to-do list and relax for an hour or two, or heck even a day?

Check out these four reasons doing nothing IS productive:

1.  Your batteries recharge. Just like batteries run out of juice, so do humans.  If we never leave a battery on the charger long enough to fully re-charge, it struggles to operate at its full potential, and that’s true for us too. Allowing ourselves time to “do nothing” is an important way we allow ourselves to refresh so we can show up more fully, completely, and efficiently to all the tasks meaningful to us. Don’t just take my word for it though … try it and see what you notice.

2.  You discover you are enough, simply because you exist. Allowing ourselves to “do nothing” is productive because it’s a powerful exercise in helping us discover all of the stories about our worth connected to “doing.”  When we are still, we can hear our fears, our doubts, and the ways we plot to perform in an effort to be “enough.”  As we meet these thoughts and beliefs with curiosity and compassion, we eventually discover we are enough simply because we exist. BUT we have to be willing to pause long enough to welcome the discovery of the truth.

3.  You can reconnect with your higher self in preparation for moving forward. Down time allows us to tune into our inner wisdom — the voice we often can’t hear amidst all the noise of our daily lives. This is the voice that helps keep us honest about our passions and our purpose and points us in the direction of choices, people, places and circumstances that resonate with our divine path. If you are feeling confused, overwhelmed, or anxious, these can be symptoms of a life that is not resonating with your highest purpose.

4.  You are becoming grounded in YOU to show up more fully and completely in relationships. When we pause and do nothing, we are actually becoming more connected with ourselves, and in doing so, it allows us to be more present and connected in relationships that mean the most to us. When we continually give and do, rather than relax and be, we can become disconnected from our true selves and our relationships suffer as a result. Contrary to popular belief, when we truly care about ourselves, we can care more deeply about others.

So are you convinced or at least curious about giving yourself some down time yet?  If you need some help, my guided meditation may support you. Download it FREE!

Author of “A Year on Your Path to Growth: Daily Inspiration to Reconnect With Your Soul,” and “44 Holistic Tips for Peaceful Sleep,” Keri Nola is a highly regarded psychotherapist, and Founder of Path To Growth LLC, an integrative healing center based in Central Florida. She combines traditional and holistic techniques to create products and experiences that help people access their inner wisdom and create a healthy mind, body and spirit to live their most inspired lives. Her real life experience paired with her extensive education and work background makes her a compassionate, balanced, and sought-after professional in the areas of personal and spiritual growth and development. For more information, visit www.pathtogrowth.com; follow Keri on Twitter @PathtoGrowth; or on Facebook.