The Power of Doing Nothing

The Power Of Doing Nothing

By David Hennessy, Clinical Psychologist

Often, the best way to move forward is to stop. Sometimes the most productive thing we can do is nothing. Not permanently. Just temporarily. To pause. To breathe. To allow space for recalibration.

The Power Of Doing Nothing | Cartoon illustration of David the Psychologist sitting peacefully on a park bench in a colourful paisley shirt while birds and a lizard rest nearby, symbolising the psychological benefits of pausing and doing nothing. Subtle text reads David the Psychologist at hennessyclinicalpsychology.

Rest, pause and reflection are not rewards we earn by completing a to-do list. They are part of balanced and sustainable human functioning. Research across cognitive psychology and neuroscience shows that intentional rest supports clearer thinking, steadier emotional regulation and improved nervous system recovery^{[1, 2, 3]}. Intentional rest creates a state that supports executive functioning, attention regulation and emotional steadiness by reducing cognitive load and supporting autonomic balance^{[4, 5]}.

Pausing has been shown to help lift mental fog, reduce feelings of overwhelm, and restore motivation by allowing the brain to shift into restorative modes of activity, including the default mode network, which supports insight and meaning-making ^{[6, 7]}. When we step back, even briefly, we often return with more clarity, perspective and capacity.

So if you are feeling fatigued, it may not be that you need to try harder. You may need to stop. Just for a while.

The Power Of Doing Nothing

Practice striking a balance between persistence and pause.
Intentionally doing nothing between the busyness is not laziness. It is deliberate recovery time that allows the organism that is us to relax and reset. Doing nothing is often restorative. It is space to feel, to reflect, to simply be.

In that space, healing happens.
Insight arises.
And energy returns.

References

de Vente, W., van Amsterdam, J. G. C., Olff, M., Kamphuis, J. H., & Emmelkamp, P. M. G. (2021). Burnout and recovery. Stress, 24(1), 1 to 16. https://doi.org/10.1080/10253890.2020.1805075

Kaplan, S. (1995). The restorative benefits of nature. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 15(3), 169 to 182. https://doi.org/10.1016/0272-4944(95)90001-2

Berman, M. G., Stier, A. J., & Akcelik, G. N. (2019). Rest improves cognitive control. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 28(5), 482 to 488. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721419850138

Arnsten, A. F. T. (2015). Stress weakens prefrontal networks. Nature Neuroscience, 18(10), 1376 to 1385. https://doi.org/10.1038/nn.4087

Thayer, J. F., Åhs, F., Fredrikson, M., Sollers, J. J., & Wager, T. D. (2012). HRV and neuroimaging meta-analysis. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 36(2), 747 to 756. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neubiorev.2011.11.009

Smallwood, J., & Schooler, J. W. (2015). The science of mind wandering. Annual Review of Psychology, 66, 487 to 518. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-psych-010814-015331

Immordino Yang, M. H., Christodoulou, J. A., & Singh, V. (2012). Rest is not idleness. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 7(4), 352 to 364. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691612447308

Illustration of David Hennessy, a clinical psychologist, seated thoughtfully in a therapy room at Hennessy Clinical Psychology in Varsity Lakes, reflecting on long-term values and moment-to-moment desire.

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The Power of Doing Nothing | Sometimes Stopping is the Best Next Step.