What is niksen?

We are now in our fourth month of the COVID-19 pandemic, and many people are getting frustrated with staying at home. I’ve had several friends complain about feeling bored and stuck.

But what if being bored is good for us?

Enter the Dutch concept of niksen – which translates to doing nothing, to being idle, or doing something of no use. According to articles in The New York Times and Time Magazine, all of us could benefit from niksen as an antidote to the stress of our current style of living and a challenge to the idea the being busy gives us value.

In the Netherlands, niksen has long been dismissed as lazy and counterproductive, but as stress levels rise, and along with them, negative effects on our physical and mental health, more experts are touting niksen as a beneficial and necessary practice not just in the Netherlands, but around the world. If we embrace niksen, we all might be more calm and less exhausted. We could also boost our creativity and become better problem solvers!

I don’t know about you, but could use a little more creativity and calm in my life.

Tips for practicing niksen

We have been told for years that being busy means being successful, so making the time to do nothing could be a hard habit to embrace. Plan time in your day for niksen breaks. Figure out when you are most productive and when your energy starts to wane. At the first sign of sleepiness or mental fatigue, take a niksen break: take a walk (without listening to an audio book or podcast!), stare out the window, or find a comfy chair and day dream. And leave your device someplace else.

Set up your environment to practice niksen. Have chairs that face windows instead of TVs. Create a device free space. Identify areas in and near your home that support idleness.

Resist the culture of business, and don’t feel guilty about saying no or taking breaks. Your brain and your body need time to relax. If you practice niksen, you aren’t being lazy, you are taking good care of yourself, something we don’t do enough.

Ironically, these two articles, The Case for Doing Nothing and Niksen Is the Dutch Lifestyle Concept of Doing Nothing—And You’re About to See It Everywhere were published in spring of 2019, well before any of us anticipated The Great Corona Virus Quarantine of 2020. I know you are tired of laying low, but hopefully learning about niksen will help you turn “stuck at home” into “practicing good health”, in more ways than one. 😉

Sidebar: my dad is Dutch, and I can’t wait to hear if he’s familiar with this concept!

If you’re interested in other trends from foreign countries, check out my post on the Danish concept of hygge. Next week, I’ll share more ideas for boosting creativity.

If you like to learn new words and the origins of their meanings, visit the Wondrous Words Wednesday meme at Bermuda Onion. Each Wednesday, bloggers share new words they’ve learned.

How are you managing your extended time “staying at home”?

Thanks for getting nerdy with me!

I’ve been pretty serious on the blog lately, with pandemic inspired vocabulary and book reviews about sobering topics. So I thought I’d tackle a light issue for Wondrous Words Wednesday: the trench coat.

My youngest child, and most frequent inspiration for blog posts on word etymology, asked upon leaving my daughter’s science fair (pre-quarantine), “Why is it called a trench coat?” The kids presenting their projects were dressed up in “professional attire”, and a few boys donned trench coats before heading outside.

Trench coats have also been on my brain because I’m rereading Eleanor and Park, a great contemporary YA set in the 80’s, and main character Park wears a trench coat. Like Eleanor and Park, I suffered through high school in the 1980’s, and I remember a certain population of kids who liked to trudge through the halls in black trench coats and bulky combat boots.

So trench coats. This was supposed to be a light topic, but sadly, if we look for the origin of trench coats, we find ourselves in World War I. 🙁

History of the trench coat

As you may have guessed, the trench coat was born out of the need for a lightweight, flexible, and weatherproof coat to wear in the trenches of WWI. But, this article from the Smithsonian Magazine shares a few more interesting details about the rise of the trench coat in the 20th century, and why it’s still so popular today.

Turns out the origins of the trench coat began in the early 1800’s, when fashion designers were striving to find weatherproof material that was still classy enough for gentlemen. There was the “mack”, created by Charles Mackintosh in 1823, a coat made of rubberized cotton that unfortunately smelled bad and melted in the sun.

Later, John Emary developed a water repellent fabric to use for wet weather gear, and he named his clothing company “Aquascutum”, from the Latin for water (aqua) and shield (scutum). Shortly after that, Thomas Burberry came out with gabardine, a breathable, waterproof twill material that didn’t smell so bad.

When WWI started, British officers wore heavy, uncomfortable great coats made out of wool. As they spent more time in the muddy, rat infested trenches, it became obvious they needed something more functional. At the time, officers were from the upper classes and bought their own uniforms. They appealed to fashion designers for a coat that provided adequate protection but still kept them looking sharp, since fashion reinforced social hierarchy, even in the trenches. Thus the trench coat was born. Both Burberry and Aquascutum take credit for the design.

The trench coat has remained a fashion staple until today. A trench coat typically is double breasted, with a wide cut below the waist that allows ease of movement yet still covers much of the body. The belt at the waist gives visual appeal; it also gave officers in the trenches a place to attach accessories. The cape inspired shape encourages water to roll off, and the deep pockets are perfect for carrying things like smart phones (British officers used them for maps).

Unfortunately, the trench coat made officers easy to identify, and many were shot by snipers. After suffering significant losses, the military had to pull officers from the lower classes, and these “temporary gentleman” (yes, they actually called them that), sought out more affordable versions of the trench coat to garner respect in their new status. The coat also gained popularity in broader social circles because people liked wearing military inspired clothing, perhaps as a sign of patriotism or to feel connected to those fighting on the front. Soon, the trench coat was everywhere.

After the war, the trench coat became a symbol of worldliness and ruggedness, which was underscored by popular Hollywood movies. Humphrey Bogart wore a trench coat in iconic movies like The Maltese Falcon and Casa Blanca.

Experts think the trench coat remains popular today, because, like blue jeans, it is a fashion item that rose of out necessity yet remains timelessly functional and stylish.

Do you have a trench coat? Mine is bright green and I love to wear it on rainy days in the spring! 🙂

If you like to learn new words and the origins of their meanings, visit the Wondrous Words Wednesday meme at Bermuda Onion. Each Wednesday, bloggers share new words they’ve learned.

Got another fashion term, or any word, that inspires your curiosity? Share it in the comments!

Thanks for getting nerdy with me!