Museums, cinemas, shopping, restaurants...
The list of activities to do on the weekend is sometimes so long that it seems like a marathon!
What if for once, we simply said:STOP?
What if we stayed quietly at home doing nothing at all?
This is called "nesting" and it is the new trend of the moment.
And that's good, because according to the doctors , nesting is synonymous with well-being and serenity.
Yet in an ultra-connected world where we live at 200 an hour permanently, wanting to do nothing at home seems to be an aberration.
But if it's healthy, why should we deny ourselves this simple pleasure?
Nesting is not that far from hygge , this Danish way of life according to which cocooning makes you happy.
Nesting is creating a cozy little nest at home and loving to enjoy it. It's the simple pleasure of being at home and relaxing quietly there.
Lying on the sofa watching a good movie while drinking tea, or on a lounge chair, with a good book and a fresh lemonade at hand... that's happiness according to the concept of nesting.
But nesting does not necessarily mean doing absolutely nothing all day.
Obviously, we can do nothing, if we want to. But nesting is a broader concept. Because it includes a whole bunch of activities that you can do at home.
For example, DIY, decorating, gardening, cooking, knitting, sewing, sorting photos...
These activities are not as trivial as they seem. Indeed, according to scientific studies, knitting makes you happy and puts you in a good mood.
And according to a study published by the British Journal of Occupational Therapy, Baking helps to build self-confidence and fight depression.
And if you share these activities with your loved ones, your feeling of well-being can only improve!
Of course, we often hear that you have to get out and be active to be healthy.
But staying home is just as beneficial to let go and recharge the batteries.
The specialists are formal:taking breaks is a necessity. While our life is constantly speedy, having time is a rare and precious commodity.
This is what doctor Vicente Saavedra explains to us, speaking in the Spanish newspaper El Pais :"our cells and our organs need rest to regenerate . Certainly, having fun once in a while is necessary, but if having fun becomes a way of life, it is absolutely harmful, physically and mentally. "
Slowing down time for a weekend is a necessity. Knowing how to take time for yourself, do nothing, appreciate the simple things like taking a bath or admiring a fire, enjoying the family... it's essential.
Staying home without having an overloaded schedule allows you to rest and catch up on the lack of sleep due to the hectic pace of the week.
This is what will reduce the level of cortisol, this hormone of physical or psychological stress.
Even if it is useful, even essential, this hormone, produced in too large quantities, is harmful to health.
The consequences of too high a cortisol level are potentially numerous:anxiety, depression, acidity of the stomach, weight gain or loss, hypertension...
While rest and cocooning, on the contrary, can fight against depression and stress by lowering cortisol levels.
"Stopping ourselves in the middle of this crazy world, connecting to ourselves, our feelings and our thoughts, in order to observe in which direction we are going and redirect our life correctly, is an absolute human necessity in order to have good relationships, enjoy the simple and free things that life offers us ", says Dr. Saavedra.
And by the way, what are you doing this weekend?
You could also take the opportunity to spend a weekend without spending 1 euro, right?
If the subject interests you as much as I do, I highly recommend this little book:The Right to Laziness by Paul Lafargue.
