Does anyone have a pile like this sitting next to their bed? Mine varies from about 3-10 books at any one time with one main one on the go (usually a novel) and periodic ‘dips’ into the others.
This month my primary reading material has been How to Do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy by Jenny Odell and the ideas contained in this book are the focus of this blog. It was recommended to me by my daughter and it has since become one of my favourite pieces of non fiction this year (I know…it’s only March…)
In brief, the book is about regaining some control and autonomy over our time and the possibility of discovering more sustained and meaningful connections with others and the world.
What I love and admire about Jenny Odell’s book is how she argues the case for making time to daydream, to sit in nature, to observe the changing seasons, to breathe with intention, to listen to music, to engage with art, to sit in silence, or to make the time and space for a Bowen treatment. She says this is not a luxury or indulgence but is absolutely necessary. According to Odell, when we put aside the endless ‘to do’ list we are making a conscious decision to break away from the overriding pressure to produce and be productive, which is the modus operandi of our industrial and capitalist system. In doing so we gain some autonomy and resistance over a way of life that prioritises endless growth, competition and individual advancement over connection, equality and wellbeing.
“Nothing is harder than to do nothing. In a world where our value is
determined by our productivity, many of us find our very last minute
captured, optimised, or appropriated as a financial resource by the technologies
we use daily. We submit our free time to numerical evaluation, interact with
algorithmic versions of each other, and build and maintain personal brands.
For some, there may be a kind of engineer’s satisfaction in the streamlining
and networking of our entire lived experience. And yet a certain nervous
feeling, of being overstimulated and unable to sustain a train of thought, lingers.
Though it can be hard to grasp before it disappears behind the screen of
distraction, this feeling is in fact urgent. We still recognise that much of
what gives life meaning stems from accidents, interruptions, and serendipitous
encounters: the “off time” that a mechanistic view of experience seeks to eliminate.”
Jenny Odell, How to Do Nothing, Resisting the Attention Economy, Melville House, London, 2019, Introduction
This book got me thinking about my therapy clients, and in particular those who come to me for Bowen and Breath education. Whilst most of my new clients initially contact me and book in with something in particular …ie a bad back, migraines, respiratory restriction, sports injury etc. I have many clients who come monthly or six weekly with a preventative rather than curative mindset. Over time they have come to understand the importance of that hour away from all the other pressures and time constraints in their life. They recognise the benefit of making that space to have a hands on treatment that can effectively bring their nervous system back into a state of rest digest and repair which can, in turn, help bring down inflammation and encourage all the other physiological systems to re- align and reset. They come to me to feel ‘whole’ again and this, I believe, takes courage and is no mean feat.
Life is busy, full of pressures and responsibilities and the hours, days and months fly by…often in an auto pilot kind of way and we often only stop when some illness or catastrophe strikes and we are literally forced to take a break. So it’s big thing that my clients make this time and trust me , 8-12 times a year, to use my skills to help them settle and ‘come back into their body’. As many of you readers know, Bowen is subtle and quiet and spacious and between moves the client is left in the room on their own for at least 2 minutes. For a lot of people this opportunity to relax and connect with their bodies is REALLY difficult and it can take practise. I remember when I re-opened after lockdown and I chose to provide only Bowen treatments and not massage. Many of my massage clients, who had previously resisted this more gentle therapy, and were convinced by the no pain no gain approach to treatment, were so desperate for hands on attention that they booked in and ‘had it anyway”. After 2-3 treatments, when they got used to the quiet and being in their own company with no distractions and nothing else to do but soak in the Bowen move, they were completely converted. They came to realise that what they actually needed was less, not more stimulation and that they felt so much lighter, clearer and more centred for that hour of interoception.
There seems to be a lot of evidence to show that many of our physical, emotional and mental obstacles arise because we are over-stimulated and don’t give enough value to doing nothing. In fact, many of us just don’t know HOW to do nothing. We, and I include myself in this, are either constantly on the move, head pushed forward, shoulders high, on our tiptoes, busy getting through that list and proving our own worth and/or numbing ourselves on the sofa with a boxset, another glass of wine, computer games, social media scrolling etc. In short, we are busy filling up every space that is available with SOMETHING. According to the fitness instructor Jill Miller this is contrary to what our body can cope with and needs to stay healthy and balanced
“As life speeds up and technology exceeds our imagination, our bodies struggle to keep pace. After all, our biology moves at a much slower rate than the stimulations of traffic, media and social disharmony. The resulting tension between our biological imperative to survive and our inability to cope physically with everything assaulting our senses is negative stress and the compounded allostatic load. Simple put stress is the body’s way of adapting to a life that is overwhelming our internal ecosystems.”
Jill Miller; Body by Breath: The Science and Practice of Physical and Emotional Resilience, Victory Belt Publishing, Canada, 2023
So a massive thank you to my clients who place their trust in me and carve out that hour each month or so to honour their bodies, take care of their nervous systems and relieve themselves of tension. In doing so I’m sure your family, friends, work colleagues and community also benefit and you simultaneously create the conditions whereby others feel it's okay and beneficial to spend some time DOING NOTHING!!
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