Lazy Day Practice

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Life after a brain injury often feels like a constant battle between what you want to do and what your brain can handle.  The concept of "pacing" becomes your new best friend, but even with careful planning, it's easy to push too hard.  What if I told you there's a powerful healing practice that involves... doing nothing?

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This idea comes from the wisdom of Thich Nhat Hanh, a renowned Zen master.  He spoke of "Lazy Days," it's a profound practice that holds incredible healing and renewal benefits.

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What is a Lazy Day?

 

Imagine a day with absolutely no plans.  No schedule, no to-do list staring you down, no "shoulds."  That's a Lazy Day.  It's a day where you just let time roll along naturally, without any pressure to rush or force anything.  It's not about being unproductive; it's about simply being.

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On a Lazy Day, you might find yourself:

• Taking a slow, mindful walk in your garden or a quiet park, just noticing the little things around you.

• Sitting quietly, maybe meditating for a bit, or just enjoying the stillness.

• Reading something light, a book that doesn't demand intense focus, letting your mind wander with the words.

• And often, most importantly, simply resting.  Truly, deeply resting.  Because our bodies and brains really need that to heal.

 

Why "Doing Nothing" Is So Good for Recovery

 

The idea of "doing nothing" can feel counterintuitive.  We're so used to constantly striving, pushing, and accomplishing.  But this is exactly why the Lazy Day is so magical. 

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Our brains, especially after an injury, need immense amounts of rest to repair and rebuild.  When we're constantly stimulated, planning, or doing demanding things, we're taking precious energy away from the healing process.

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Think of it this way: Your brain is working overtime to repair itself.  If you keep asking it to run marathons (even small ones, like navigating a busy grocery store), it never gets the real downtime it needs to truly recover.

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Being With Stillness

 

One of the biggest hurdles with a Lazy Day is that built-in fear we all have of "doing nothing."  We often feel bored, anxious, or like we're "wasting time" if we're not actively engaged.  Thich Nhat Hanh suggested Lazy Days precisely to help us tackle this fear head-on.  It's a gentle training in being comfortable with stillness, with simply being present.

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​This is important for brain injury recovery because stress and too much stimulation are huge roadblocks to healing. By learning to be at peace with not doing, you're building a powerful tool to manage your stress and create the best possible environment for your brain to recover.

 

The Lazy Day Practice: Resisting the Urge to "Do"

 

A Lazy Day isn't a free-for-all where you do whatever you feel like.  Actually, it's the opposite!  It's a day where you actively hold back from doing things.  You resist the ingrained habit of always needing to be busy.  This can be surprisingly hard!

 

You've spent years training yourself to be productive, to check off lists, to fill every moment.  The Lazy Day is a radical step against that habit.  Your task is to try your best to do nothing, to simply be.

 

The Practice of Being

 

You might think that when you're not doing anything, you're wasting your time.  But that's not true.  Your time is, first and foremost, for you to be.  To be alive, to be at peace, to be joyful, to be loving.

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When you learn the art of being, of being solid and at peace, you're creating the strong foundation for every action.  The quality of your "being" directly shapes the quality of your "doing."

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We often hear the phrase, "Don't just sit there, do something!"  But for healing and true well-being, we need to reverse that.  We need to say, "Don't just do something, sit there."

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It's in this quiet space of non-action, of deep rest and simply existing, that healing can happen. 

 

Embrace the Lazy Day.  Your brain will thank you.

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"Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves — slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future."

- Thich Nhat Hanh