Whereas mindfulness is about being present in the moment, niksen is more about carving out time to just be, letting your mind wander wherever it wants to go. In my book Niksen: Embracing the Dutch Art of Doing Nothing, I define it as "doing nothing without a purpose" – so not scrolling on Facebook or engaging in meditation. As a linguist myself, I loved the idea that you could express the whole concept of doing nothing in one short and easy-to-pronounce word. At the time, many people were complaining about exhaustion and depression caused by overwork and were looking for solutions – which is why concepts such as Japanese ikigai or Danish hyggealso entered the English lexicon. It first caught the attention of the world in 2019 as a way to manage stress or recover from burnout. Niksen is a Dutch wellness trend that means "doing nothing". Sometimes, they're reading or chatting with their friends, but just as often, they're engaging in niksen. In summer, I often see locals in Scheveningen or Kijkduin (the city's most famous beaches) sunbathing, strolling in nature or riding their bikes, then sitting down on one of the many benches available. The Hague, where I live, has 11km of gorgeous coastline with rolling dunes and sandy beaches.
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