Things to Do When

You Don’t Want to

Do Anything
A pinch of psycology
 1 Take a break

2 Get outside

3 Journal

L is t 4 Reach out to a friend

of
5 Try some easy chores

s
6

g
Evaluate the basics

th in 7 Read a book
Introduction
Introduction
When you don’t feel like doing anything, often you really
don’t want to do anything.
Nothing sounds good to you, and even well-intentioned
suggestions from loved ones might make you a little
cranky.
It’s absolutely natural to feel this from time to time,
especially during times of stress or when busier than
usual.
When this loss of interest (apathy) or reduced pleasure
in the things you usually enjoy (anhedonia) persists, it
may suggest something more serious. But usually, this
feeling is only temporary — and these 7 strategies can
help you shake it off.
 Take a break
Sometimes, not wanting to do
anything is your mind and body’s
way of asking for a break. If you tend
to push yourself to your limit more
often than not, respecting your
needs for a rest can help you avoid
burnout.
Self-compassion is key in this
situation. Acknowledge your hard
work, and then give yourself
permission to take some downtime.
Take a nap, scroll through your
favorite social media app, or curl up
with your favorite blanket and a pet
— whatever feels easy and relaxing.
Taking a break can help you:
recharge mentally and physically
think more clearly and perform
better
avoid mistakes at work, on the
road, and in other situations
prevent burnout
 Get outside
Getting some light physical activity outside
— even if it’s just a 10-minute walk around
the block — can help reset your mood.
Research has shown that exercise can
benefit you in various ways:
reducing the risk of various diseases,
including type 2 diabetes and some types
of cancer
managing anxiety and depression
boosting strength, coordination and
flexibility
strengthening the immune system
boosting mood and emotional well-being
Even if you just sit on a bench, simply
spending time in nature can have
benefits.
Changing your environment might also
help motivate you to do something else,
like head over to your favorite coffee
shop. Even if it doesn’t, spending some
time outside might help you feel better
about spending the rest of the day on
the couch.
 Word Translatiom Word Translatiom

из лучших
well-intentioned burnout выгорание
побуждений

Word Translatiom

cranky капризный self-compassion самосострадание

perform исполнять

persist сохраняться acknowledge признать

повысить
reset your mood
настроение
свободное
shake it off особенно downtime
время
managing
managing anxiety
свернуться anxiety
tend to склонны curl up
калачиком

well-being благополучие

Vocabulary
part 1
head over to направиться в
Journal
Journalling can help you sort through your
emotions, and exploring your emotional
Any of the above emotions can occupy your
state may shed some light on why you don’t
thoughts and make it hard to think about doing
want to do anything.
anything else.
This can be particularly helpful if you haven’t
Try some light journaling about how you’re feeling,
felt like doing much for more than a few
even if what comes out doesn’t make a ton of
days.
sense.
Ask yourself if you’re feeling:
If you feel up for it, try following up by connecting
anxious, worried, or nervous about
some of these emotions to specific causes. Are
something
changes at work making you feel anxious? Is
angry or frustrated
scrolling through your favorite news app making
sad or lonely
you feel hopeless about the future?
hopeless
Figuring out what’s behind these emotions can
detached or disconnected from yourself
help you either come up with potential solutions or
accept that certain things are beyond your
control.
Reach out to a friend
When you don’t want to do anything,
chatting to a friend, neighbor, or family
member can sometimes help. You might
look for a good empathic listener or just
someone to go for a walk or hang out with.

Some researchers have suggested that

older people who feel they have low levels
of social activity might have a higher risk of
developing depression. Others have found
evidence that having a social network can
help prevent depression and cognitive
decline, which involves problems with
thinking and memory.

When you don’t feel like doing anything, it

can be tempting to hide away, but don’t do
it for too long. Giving up social activities
may make things worse in the long term.
 Try some easy
chores
Doing just one task that you’ve been
putting off can give you a sense of
achievement, and you can tick it off
the list. If you’re feeling
overwhelmed, a tidy room or desk
Here are some easy chores that don’t can help you feel less cluttered and
take much concentration: more in control.
washing the dishes Try creating a list of everything you
making the bed need to take care of. Then, rank
You may not want to do anything if sorting out a cupboard them by priority — what needs to be
you have a lot of unpleasant or taking a bag of unwanted items to done ASAP? What can wait until
boring things (like chores, bills, or a charity shop next month? You can also organize
errands) to get done. If they’ve been making one phone call them based on how easy they are.
piling up, the thought of tackling cooking a simple meal Once you’re done, cross it off your
them might feel particularly putting away some washing list and give yourself permission to
daunting. tidying up a desk take it easy for the rest of the day.
 Word Translatiom Word Translatiom

sort through разобраться в comes out выходит

Word Translatiom

shed some light пролить свет feel up в настроении

errands поручения

beyond your beyond your

particularly особенно
control control
pile up накапливаться

снижение
frustrated разочарованный cognitive decline когнитивных
способностей tackle заняться, решить

detached отстраненный tempting заманчиво

put off откладывать

Vocabulary tick it off

поставить
галочку

part 2

Evaluate the
basics
Not meeting your physical or emotional
needs can make you feel a little off and
lethargic.
Ask yourself the following:
Am I hydrated?
Do I need to eat?
Should I get some more sleep?
Is anything upsetting me or stressing
me out?
Would I feel better around people?
Do I need some time alone?
Create a
schedule
If you notice you often don’t want to do
anything and consistently have a hard time
taking care of chores and other responsibilities,
making a schedule can help.
You don’t have to account for every minute of
your day (unless that helps), but try to create
some general time blocks for:
getting up
preparing for the day
making meals
school, work, or household responsibilities
seeing friends or other social activities
going to bed
Also, set aside time for activities you enjoy and
spending time with loved ones.
Remember, it’s really okay to do nothing sometimes. But
if you feel like you should be doing something or have
some feelings of guilt around “wasting time,” reading a
book can be a low-key way to feel productive, especially
if it’s a nonfiction book on a topic you want to learn more
about.
If you’re concerned about a low mood or having
difficulty coping in the longer term, books on self-help or
cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) might help. Research
suggests CBT self-help books can reduce depression
and boost overall well-being in people with mild to
moderate depression.

Audiobooks are great for people who don’t have

much time to read, since you can enjoy books
while doing almost anything else. They can also
offer a way to “read” if you’d rather lie still and let
sounds wash over you.

Read a book
 Word Translatiom Word Translatiom

overwhelmed подавленный account for учитывать

cluttered захламленный set aside time уделять время

как можно
ASAP low-key way потихоньку
скорее

когнитивно-
cognitive
lethargic вялый поведенческая
behavioral therapy терапия

проходит
consistently постоянно wash over you
сквозь тебя

Vocabulary
part 3
 You’re the best judge of your own needs.
Sometimes, doing nothing is exactly what you
need — and that’s okay. Just take care to pay
attention to other signs that may alert you to
something else going on.