Why Being Lazy Is Good For You

Why Being Lazy Is Good For You

Why Being Lazy Is Good For You | Add A Little Self-Love with Jarlin Sung

When I was a kid, I loved the summer.

I loved not having to go to school; I loved staying up late and sleeping in and watching cartoons; I loved hanging out with my friends; mostly I loved doing nothing.

One of my fondest memories of a perfect summer day was an afternoon spent at my best friend’s house, falling asleep to the rhythmic oscillations of the fan, the occasional cool breeze, and Nat King Cole singing “Those Lazy Hazy Crazy Days of Summer” softly in the background.

Yep, those were the days. 😉

As an adult, I still love the summer.

I love the prolonged daylight; I love the abundance of in-season fruits and vegetables; I love being able to go to the beach and actually stick my feet in the water (those of you living in Northern California will know what I mean); most of all, I love how everything appears to be more leisurely and relaxed under the summer sun.

Notice I said “appear”.

The truth of the matter is, my summer days are anything but leisurely and relaxed. In the name of “enjoying the summer to the fullest”, I’d pack my weekends full of BBQs, hikes, beach trips and other outdoor activities, so as to not waste the beautiful summer weather.

My weekends may be fun-packed, but they are usually not leisurely, and they are definitely far from being lazy and hazy.

You see, our society frowns upon laziness. We are a culture of go-getters, of doing and accomplishing and getting things done and crossing items off of our To-Do lists.

The summer is no exception. In fact, even our vacations are activity-packed. We rush from one attraction to another, rarely building in time to just sit and people-watch or take a leisurely stroll and explore.

How many times have you heard someone say, upon returning from a vacation, “We had fun but I’m exhausted! I need a vacation to recover from my vacation!”

I, for one, miss lazy and hazy. I miss having my schedule wide open with nothing planned. I miss doing nothing, guilt-free.

So this summer, I decided to try something different. Instead of planning out my weekends, I gave myself full permission to be lazy.

No plans. No activities. No guilt.

And I’ve been loving every single minute of it.

I’m still doing plenty of fun things when I’m in the mood, but more often than not, I spend my weekend afternoons lying underneath lush green trees in a park, or sitting at a cafe, or just napping.

Yes, quite a bit of napping. 🙂

If you’re naturally an energetic person, and a fun-packed summer full of activities makes you super excited, good for you!

If however, you find yourself longing for a little more leisure and relaxation in your schedule, here are three reasons why deliberately being lazy is good for you.

Reason #1 – Being Lazy Allows Your Body To Relax And Rest

Admit it, you’re tired. Not just you actually, as a society, we are chronically exhausted.

In our high-speed high-stress lives, we are constantly inundated with demands, obligations and commitments that we have forgotten what it means to relax and rest. Even when we are in bed ready to call it a night, our brains are still racing at a hundred miles an hour, thinking about our To-Do lists for the next day.

So be deliberate about building in some “time-to-be-lazy” into your schedule. Allow yourself to succumb to the summer heat and the fatigue. Relax your body. Don’t set a timer.

Just let yourself rest. Your body will thank you.

Reason #2 – Being Lazy Reminds You Of The Why Behind Your Activities

Have you noticed how after a period of constantly doing and getting and accomplishing you start to forget why you are doing these things in the first place?

Are you clear on why you are doing everything you are doing on a daily basis? How many things are you doing out of pure joy? How many things are you doing out of obligation or on auto-pilot?

Deliberately choosing to be lazy offers a much-needed break in the seemingly never-ending cycle of activities. It gives you a chance to stop, take a deep breath and re-examine the WHY behind your activities. It provides you with an opportunity to choose again how you want to allocate and spend your time.

Why not say “no” to accepting an invitation out of obligation? Instead, say “Yes!” to spending an afternoon with a hammock and a watermelon smoothie.

Reason #3 – Being Lazy Allows New Possibilities To Emerge

I often tell my coaching clients that if they don’t free up time and space in their lives, then the new opportunities they’ve asked for have no room to show up.

Emptiness is good, whether it’s in your physical environment or on your calendar. How else can you fit something new into your life if there isn’t open time and space to receive it?

By deliberately choosing to do nothing, you’re creating space in your life for new possibilities. via @jarlinsung http://bit.ly/2lEYZB7

Scheduling “be lazy” time into your calendar is great for this purpose. By deliberately choosing to do nothing, you’re creating space in your life for new possibilities.

Perhaps you’ll arrive at a solution to a problem you’ve been pondering about while lying under a tree. Perhaps you’ll meet someone interesting as you sit in a café and people-watch. Perhaps you’ll find out about a new summer concert series as you lounge in your patio next to the radio. The possibilities are there, but only if you have the room to receive them.

Have I convinced you to try to be a little lazier for the reminder of this summer?

Good!

If you have friends who can also benefit from a little less doing and a little more relaxing, spread the laziness! I think it’s about time we bring back “those lazy hazy crazy days of summer.” Don’t you agree?

I’m off to take another nap. I will see you in the comments when I’m done!

What is your favorite way of being lazy?

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