Really? You’re bored?
My truth is, I am never bored – EVER! OK, my four children, a full time job and starting my blog pretty much eat into all my time, but bored, I haven’t felt that for a very long time. Even during this unprecedented lock down, I am able to see the positives of what having to ‘stand totally still’ can offer and I’m enjoying it.
Life holds an infinite number of things you can do, and I am sure deep inside most people, there is a long list of things they want to do. So could it be that boredom is a misguided label for a different problem and there could be other things at play?
What is Boredom?
Many people feel bored at one time or another, it is a very common feeling. I have lost count of how many times my children have uttered these words, especially during the Corona lock down and I do remember feeling rather bored in Mr Browns maths lessons in senior school. No doubt, its real.
If you feel unfulfilled by an activity, not really interested, or have difficulty focusing – boredom is very likely to creep in. Or if you have tonnes of energy and nowhere to put it, up pops boredom.
Embrace Being Bored
If you take a look at the neuroscience behind boredom, you will discover just how important boredom is. We try our very best to stay busy, push it aside and do anything other than feel bored. In today’s gadget friendly, social media, online driven world, that is quite easy to do.
But boredom can be helpful, if we let it in. Being bored allows us to dull down the noise and turn up the part of our brain that is more creative making the leap from thinking to doing. Its like your brain takes all the information its been given and starts to fathom out what it all means to use it cleverly in different ways such as, problem solving.
So sitting back and doing nothing is exactly what we need sometimes.
Sometimes. Of course, you can’t just sit back and do nothing all the time. Its all about balance, like everything in life. The pull of the opposites.
Tune Your Attention
Several ideas offered in psychology suggest that attention plays a significant part in boredom. Boredom is more prevalent when people have an increase in psychological energy or arousal, creating a need to find a place to vent that energy, and when you just can’t find the activity to pull you and engage you, frustration and boredom surface!
In the words of Tony Robbins (love that guy!), “energy flows where attention goes”. Help channel your energy by tuning your attention to combat boredom. Sounds easy, but how can you tune your attention?
What Can You Do About Boredom?
Obviously, there are times in your life when you have no other choice than to stay exactly where you are e.g. listening to a lecture. You cannot leave, so you need to dig deep to find your way through it.
But when you do have some control though, use your understanding of boredom to help you out.
Know that you are not alone in this. Google is searched hundreds of times a day for the search term “I am bored” and there are some great resources online to give you some brilliant ideas and tips to overcome boredom. Here I list a few more.
Practical Tips To Overcome Boredom
- Take some time. Taking time to tune in and connect with what you really want to do is a great start. Ask yourself, what’s really stopping you? Could it be something other than boredom? And be honest with yourself!
- Stop procrastinating. Make a to-do list and start crossing things off, the sense of accomplishment will spur you on. Oftentimes, the more you do, the more you get done.
- Learn something new. Engage your passion and generate new interest.
- Move. A shift in physical energy will help shift your cognitive energy also. Get your trainers on and go for a walk, better still, run!
- Quell the noise. Limit distractions around you. Put your phone down, turn the TV off and let your bored brain get to work.
- Meditate. Stop, quieten, return, do. Meditation can help lower your arousal level and find a peaceful balance.
- Set yourself a challenge. This will stimulate your interest and increase attention.
- Listen to music. Research shows that music elicits powerful emotional responses that can not only boost your mood, and shift negative energy, it also works to crowd out distractions around you.
What Do I Do To Not Get Bored?
I exercise, read, create, bake, explore, run, do yoga, write, crank up the tunes, drink coffee, work, clean, cook, mediate, socialise and sometimes I just be, and that, I realise is probably as close to boredom as I get, which is perfectly fine.
Albeit boredom is a healthy tool to kick start those brain neurons into action to stimulate engagement and creativity, it can also stop you in your tracks and slow you down. Simply by being aware of it, recognising and accepting of it, can help overcome it and allow you to live a less bored life. So the next time you feel bored, embrace it and watch what unfolds as you navigate your way towards finding that point in between boredom and action.
