And now for a little me time
THE POWER OF ... SERIES
TICKET GIVEAWAY
The power of Niksen
by Lorna Gordon
Remember when Hygge was the buzz word for cosy relaxation a few years ago ? Now we have a new word to embrace , the Dutch word , niksen , which means to do nothing or do something without a purpose or goal .
It ’ s quite specific about the fact that you aren ’ t doing something for an outcome , so if you decide to go for a walk , you should do it to simply be outside and walk , you ’ ve not to consider walking to improve your health , get your 10,000 steps in or any other reason . While the idea of doing nothing is appealing , many of us in our busy lives find it hard to simply sit and be , to do nothing , yet this one thing could help us in so many ways .
At a time when we have information , TV shows , music and books in the palm of our hands with smart phones and tablets , it ’ s hard not to constantly fill our time with something . The push for turning hobbies into a side hustle or signing our kids up to multiple after school activities is also looked on as a good thing , switching off can be frowned upon and , quite honestly , difficult .
But filling your time with too much stuff can be detrimental , it can lead to you experiencing stress , anxiety and the inability to wind down . This is why niksen is important . By doing nothing ,
PODCASTS
by Lorna Gordon
I ’ m really excited about this month ’ s podcast , not only is the host from the Hills , but it is recorded in Bella Vista , can ’ t get more local than that ! Hussain is an immigrant from Pakistan and has started this podcast to provide a platform for other people who have moved to Australia to talk about their stories .
He has spoken to a lot of different people , from community leaders , entrepreneurs , young people and award winners . They all have one thing in common , moving to Australia and beginning a new life for themselves or their families in our beautiful country .
Being an immigrant myself , I was keen to listen to Hussain speak to his guests to hear their stories , and I found that the more I listened the more I could see the similarities between us , even with the differences in our original backgrounds . Some of his guests have escaped severe hardship and war in their home lands , others have chosen to move to Australia , but they all have stories to tell .
Monzir Hamdin , winner of My Kitchen Rules speaks about escaping
In The Gap
Take relaxing to another level with the art of Niksen . other than a simple activity that you can almost switch off from , like people watching in a café , switching off while you knit or read , or allowing your mind to drift while you make a cup of tea or coffee , these simple joys allow your body to relax and your mind to wander . This free thought and movement allow you to subconsciously come up with new ideas or figure out problems which have been niggling at the back of your mind .
If you want to try this out for yourself the next time you take a break at work , get a drink , sit down and allow yourself to be quiet , don ’ t pull out your phone , don ’ t do any chores if you work at home , take ten minutes to do nothing . It might be strange or difficult to do this , but when you go back to work , you ’ ll probably find you are in a better space to approach your next task with a fresh outlook , instead of feeling like you have done more , but different , work .
Sudan and Mohamad Chaaban talks about his life in Lebanon , Dubai and Saudi Arabia before finally moving to Australia . Marshall-Weishuai Yuan discusses becoming an award winning actor amongst his other experiences .
You can find the In the Gap Podcast on your normal streaming service , I can highly recommend you take some time to get behind this local endeavour and listen to Hussain and his guests .
Listen to Hussain and his guests discuss what it ’ s like to be an immigrant in Australia .
A MONKEY BAA THEATRE COMPANY PRODUCTION
POSSUM MAGIC BASED ON THE BOOK BY MEM FOX & JULIE VIVAS LIVE ON STAGE SYDNEY COLISEUM THEATRE 12 and 13 JULY 2024
Monkey Baa Theatre Company and the Sydney Coliseum Theatre are delighted to bring the magical stage adaptation of Mem Fox & Julie Vivas ’ POSSUM MAGIC to the Coliseum Theatre , Rooty Hill on 12 and 13 July .
POSSUM MAGIC has captivated young readers for generations and this magical production has already enchanted over 170,000 audience members across Australia . Featuring spellbinding magic , puppetry and original music , Monkey Baa ’ s award-winning team has turned the whimsical world of the book into an exciting live experience for audiences aged three to eight , and their families .
Adapted by Monkey Baa ’ s Artistic Director Eva Di Cesare and Co-Founder Sandra Eldridge , POSSUM MAGIC is directed by Eldridge and features Sarah Greenwood , Teale Howie , Josh Virgona and Sarah Woods .
Audiences will meet Grandma Poss , who loves making magic . She makes wombats blue and kookaburras pink . She makes dingoes smile and emus shrink . But one day , when danger arrives in the form of a snake , Grandma uses her most magical spell to make Hush invisible . Hush has many wonderful adventures .
But being invisible isn ’ t all it ’ s cracked up to be , and Hush longs to see herself again . One problem . Grandma Poss can ’ t find the spell to make Hush visible again . Then she remembers ... this magic requires something more , something special , something to do with food ... people food .
WE ARE GIVING AWAY 3 FAMILY PASSES TO POSSUM MAGIC
TO ENTER SEND AN EMAIL TO info @ hdinews . com . au Put POSSUM MAGIC GIVEAWEAY in the subject line and tell us what you like about our magazine to go into the draw to win .
14 ISSUE 169 // JUNE 2024 theindependentmagazine . com . au THE HAWKESBURY INDEPENDENT