Doing nothing and walking in the wind

We all want to live like in fairy tales – happily and ever after. We are looking for comfort and a sense of security. We want to earn good money and have a joyful life. Unfortunately, when faced with reality, it sometimes turns out that it is not easy to feel happy. And that’s why we’re all looking for ways to make us feel better. Danish hygge has a lot to do with bringing a sense of coziness to life – it’s about interior design or a way to relax. However Dutch niksen is a very difficult art of… doing nothing. And uitwaaien is simply: taking walks in the wind. Can a walk on a windy day really make you feel happy in life? Apparently yes.

"Niksen"

Doing nothing seems like a super tempting idea, right? Then try to lie down and do nothing for 5 minutes. Really nothing! Hang up the phone, turn off the TV, don’t chase your agenda… just lie back and be. It’s hard, isn’t it? Fortunately, niksen does not mean forced inactivity. The point is not to do anything for a moment (short or long). You can stare out the window, you can lie down, you can look at the clouds… there are many possibilities. The point is to cut yourself off from the excess of stimuli and not to think about duties and obligations. The Dutch doing nothing is deliberately indulging in inaction with no particular goal in mind. It turns out that for many modern people it is very difficult art.

A space to practice "niksen"

In Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, it is quite easy to find places that encourage niksen. There are many parks and green spaces there. One of them is the Vondelpark, which attracts people with its greenery and wide bicycle paths. As soon as it gets a little warmer, the townspeople take their blankets and indulge in wonderful relaxation on the grass, watching the clouds passing over them and parrots flying (yes, there are parrots in Amsterdam!)

"Uitwaaien"

Looking at this name – "uitwaaien" – you can guess why it did not conquer the world like hygge. Who can remember this word quickly? And you still have to pronounce them! In any case, the idea behind the word is really interesting. Many people want to stay inside in autumn and winter and “survive somehow”. The Dutch, on the other hand, decided that wintering at home is not a good idea and offered the world to enjoy – wind walks. The trick is to go out for a walk regardless of the weather. Oxygenation is important to your mental and physical health. It improves the efficiency of the body. Walking or jogging outdoors has a positive effect on well-being. We need outdoor activity and should not be limited because of the weather.

Living by these rules

And in fact, the Dutch took this principle to heart. Despite wet and unpleasant winters, they are invariably cycling. Most of them make no excuse in the wind or rain, and cycling to work becomes a useful necessity.

Do you practice the Dutch ways of life? In our opinion, they sound really encouraging and we believe that it is worth enriching your own everyday life with them.