Uitwaaien: The Dutch Secret for Improved Physical and Emotional Well-Being

Photo courtesy of  Darius Bashar on Unsplash  

Uitwaaien.  I blinked a few times.  There it was again-the Dutch word, that loosely translated, means “getting out in the fresh air and wind” was trending in the news!  (You can read more about "Uitwaaien" in this Washington Post here.)  I had to smile to myself.   Since I moved to The Netherlands over 20 years ago, “Uitwaaien” (OUT vye en) is one of my very favorite things to do.  Getting out in the fresh air clears my head, clarifies my thoughts, and leaves me feeling recharged and refreshed.    So simple, so Dutch.  The concept has been embraced even more during the pandemic.  Nature park trails and beaches are full of people walking and biking away their stress.  Choosing to restore themselves by experiencing fresh air, sunshine, and the sound and sight of water. 

Impact of Rest on Our Physical and Emotional Well-Being

Did you know that rest and recovery play an important role in both our physical and mental health?  We often feel pressure to perform every day like clockwork—log in a daily workout, take care of our families, or work straight through the day without a break.  Putting tasks and the needs of others before ourselves.  And somewhere along the way, many of us lose the capacity to “tune in” to what our body is telling us.  Signals like lack of energy, brain fog, or muscle fatigue.  Carving out time for self-care can provide us with much-needed rest.  Some of the benefits of rest are improved creativity, more time to connect with family and friends, time to acknowledge gratitude, and gaining time for ourselves by disconnecting from tech devices.

Physical Rest

Most of us have heard the expression “sometimes less is more”.  And in the case of physical workouts, rest and recovery research comes to the same conclusion. 

According to ACE (American Council for Exercise), recovery days are key to preventing injuries.  You don’t have to be a top athlete to benefit from recovery days.  Whether you spin, lift weights or run, consider adding in:

• Active recovery days in between intense workouts. Walking, yoga, foam rolling, and tai chi are active yet low-impact exercises.  They have the bonus of improving our mind-body connection. 
• A daily mental scan of how your body feels. Some days we feel and perform better than other days.  Don’t beat yourself up if, for example, you can’t do as many repetitions as the previous day.
• Time to stop and listen. Sometimes your body needs a day off. 

Emotional Rest

I often hear skeptical expressions when I bring up the topic of self-care as a form of mental rest.  “Oh, that’s just a wellness trend”, “it’s just an excuse to indulge in expensive beauty treatments” or it’s a “treat to reward ourselves with now and again”.  I disagree.  The art of self-care is to nurture your mind and body to prevent mental or physical illness, enabling you to take care of yourself and others.  Just as your muscles need to take a break, so does your emotional state.  This is when self-care plays an important role in supporting our emotional well-being.

Some of the benefits of giving yourself a break are:

•  Increases your creativity—for example, taking a walk often settles our thoughts and inspires solutions to challenges at work or home.
•  Creates opportunities to reconnect with friends and family. Social connections increase our “happy hormone”, oxytocin, which makes us feel good.
•  Disconnect from technology—putting the phone aside, keeping the laptop turned off, and engaging in other activities or simply daydreaming the afternoon away.
•  Allows more time to acknowledge gratitude, the benefits of which you can read here. 

Self-care means different things to different people.  One person might find mindfulness restorative, others may prefer reading a book or engaging in their favorite hobby.  Or “Uitwaaien”.  Regardless, self-care gives you that break you need from the everyday hamster wheel of life.  It gives you space for perspective.  To tune into what gives you energy and fills you with joy.  And to disconnect from habits or activities that are an energy drain. 

3 Steps You Can Take to Add-In Self-Care Time

1. Start small and with activities that you’re already familiar with and enjoy.
2. Self-care doesn’t have to cost money or even mean leaving the house. If you’re stumped for ideas, download my 30 Days of Self-Care Inspiration here.
3. Disconnect from Tech and Tune into Nature. That could mean trading out 30 minutes of scrolling for a restorative walk outside or activities like these.

Are you inspired?  Ready to set your intention for self-care time that works for you?

Take a break.  Take care of yourself.