I don't care what Shakespeare wrote under quarantine lol
I'm just trying not to spiral into anxiety
A few days ago, someone tweeted a reminder that “when Shakespeare was quarantined because of the plague, he wrote King Lear.” Appropriately, writers everywhere took issue with the sentiment (with humor, with rage, with overall apathy) and I, for one, rolled my eyes back so far I was transported to my teenage bedroom, just moments after a door’s slam.
Now I’m not sure who that original tweeter meant to inspire, but I take it there are a handful of people out there itching to make something great with the new time they’ve gained during this, uh, colossal pandemic.
To be honest, I am not remotely interested in drowning in productivity hacks and free online courses and side hustle opportunities at this very moment. I’m not thinking about the book I want to publish before my grandparents leave this Earth or about the never-ending list of to-dos already in place for the month. In fact, I’ve missed more deadlines in the span of two weeks than I have in my entire professional life.
We’re at what feels like a chaotic impasse, and we should be human enough to make room for the unprecedented without worrying about what else we can do with the new hours we’ve found. Some of us don’t know how to sit still with the leftover time. I hope, however, that if anyone has this need to fill every waking moment with something useful to do—that they take these extra hours to learn a skill that will serve them well for life: the art of doing nothing at all.
The Dutch call this do-nothing philosophy niksen. It’s not exactly mindfulness, which is about being present in the moment, but rather a chance to carve out time to just be. Without purpose.
The benefits of idleness range from anxiety reduction to fighting off a common cold. Niksen also inevitably leads to daydreaming, which psychologist Sandi Mann said “literally makes us more creative, better at problem-solving, better at coming up with creative ideas.”
“Let the mind search for its own stimulation,” she told The New York Times last April. “That’s when you get the daydreaming and mind wandering, and that’s when you’re more likely to get the creativity.”
I know that this period of anxiety without writing shall pass; I’m itching to make something with the words on the tip of my tongue, but my hands aren’t ready for the work. I’m just trying to be patient with myself without losing sight of the responsibilities already rotting on my plate.
So, in the meantime, instead of writing my own Shakespearan tragedy, here’s what I’ve been up to:
Nothing at all. Honestly, sometimes I just sit on the porch with no book, nothing.
Sleeping, a lot. A lot a lot. Too much. I’m trying to cut down.
Meditating, a lot.
Eating chocolate.
Watching foreign cinema.
Asking for help with work.
Video-chatting with friends.
Listening to Harry Styles.
Not reading the news 24/7.
Playing fetch with my dogs.
Walking around the neighborhood.
Avoiding my computer and phone.
Washing my hands.
Canceling all in-person social plans.
Virtually shaming people who aren’t canceling in-person social plans.
Doodling! (see below and here)
Sending love to you all. I have much more to say, but no energy to expend at this moment. Please forgive me.
—fiza