The Sweetness of Doing Nothing: Live Life the Italian Way with Dolce Far Niente

Product Information

Think of mental work as doing push-ups, says Josh Davis, author of Two Awesome Hours. Say you want to do 10,000. The most ‘efficient’ way would be to do them all at once without a break. We know instinctively, though, that that is impossible. Instead, if we did just a few at a time, between other activities and stretched out over weeks, hitting 10,000 would become far more feasible. One day, I hope will come, when to answer the question we often ask each other — “ so what do you do?”, we can take a long blissful breath, and say…. “nothing”. Your mind deserves serenity just as much as your body deserves to rest. So give yourself permission every single day to take a few minutes and simply be. Sit idle for a little while, just enough for your soul to bathe in that sweet oasis of love. Because you know what? There’s more to life than just doing, there’s also the joy of being— the essence of what it means to be a human being. You begin to feel overwhelmed and exhausted by everything you have to do, and yet, you still somehow feel guilty and worried that you’re not doing enough. Dolce far niente is this sensation when you sit at a bar in an Italian village while you drink coffee and watch the passersby. Time slows and for half a second you admire life in its simplicity, and you only want to smile.

As the days are warming up and the sun is shining, I am reminded of holidays in the Mediterranean. I love everything about being on holiday: spending time relaxing, having no demands on my time and the sweetness of doing nothing at all! One meta-analysis found that long working hours increased the risk of coronary heart disease by 40% – almost as much as smoking (50%). Another found that people who worked long hours had a significantly higher risk of stroke, while people who worked more than 11 hours a day were almost 2.5 times more likely to have a major depressive episode than those who worked seven to eight. As for Italy, that home of il dolce far niente? With an average 35.5-hour work week, it produces almost 40% more per hour than Turkey, where people work an average of 47.9 hours per week. It even edges the United Kingdom, where people work 36.5 hours. My mother is an American, completely in awe of everything Italian. In contrast, my father, a man from the deep Italian south, takes all of the country’s beauty and traditions for granted. As for me, growing up in Rome, I took after my father: all the beauty, ancient history and good food that surrounded me were nothing special. As a six-year-old, I didn’t think twice about the fact that my classroom in kindergarten overlooked the Colosseum. When the lady in the cafeteria served a different kind of mouthwatering pasta every day for lunch, it was no big deal. And spending endless afternoons running around cobblestoned piazzas, playing hide and seek around the sixteenth-century fountain with my friends after school? Totally normal. It is all about balance and sometimes we need to do nothing. We need to experience the joy of doing nothing and the benefits it brings.

G: Green Beans

I am pretty sure that the Italians don’t use this phrase themselves as it is just normal life to them! Y2K France Baby Tees - Embroidered Aesthetic Tee - Women Clothing - Retro Blokette Aesthetic - Soccer T-Shirt Y2K, Shirt for her - French In any case, it is clear to see that they are experts in the art of doing nothing and experts at enjoying simple pleasures. From the Nonnas sat making pasta on their doorsteps to the couples having a carefree chat in the cafes. It is just the Italian way to live life! Take a pause sometimes on some home chores. For instance, you don’t have to clean the dishes immediately after a meal! Skip the dishes and even go out and stare at the stars. Unwinding comes with health benefits, like reducing the levels of stress. It is not a crime to skip a chore even for a few hours just to have a Niente moment! Find your inner artist

And truth is, there’s always going to be something else you can do. Another problem to solve, another chore to cross off that list. But what’s the point? What’s the point of conquering mountains and crossing oceans when you will show up on the side of success totally worn out and exhausted?Mother Teresa Do It Anyway Poem on Canvas Wall Art - Motivational Canvas Wall Art - Forgive Them Anyway Word Art on Canvas A glance exchanged between two people who share a desire but are each hoping the other will make the first move is so full of nuance and complexity that we unsurprisingly haven’t come up with an English word to describe it. The Yagán people of Tierra del Fuego in Argentina and Chile did not have a similar issue—they named it mamihlapinatapai. 9. Etterpåklokskap (Norwegian)

The brain is very much like a muscle in this respect,” Davis writes. “Set up the wrong conditions through constant work and we can accomplish little. Set up the right conditions and there is probably little we can’t do.” Italian Saying Pillow The Sweetness of Doing Nothing Gift for Italians or Italian Culture Spun Polyester Lumbar PillowSir cannot talk to you right now, “he is busy”. Oh I cannot come for the reunion, “I am busy”. I have no time to breathe, you see “I am busy”!