Boredom

What are your thoughts about feeling bored? Do you seek out an activity, entertainment, or people, to ease or quell your boredom? Do you think you might be a loser since you have time on your hands with nothing and no one to fill it? I hear this one from young people especially. Or, maybe you just fill that time with scrolling, something we’re all guilty of.

I’ve learned a few interesting things regarding boredom that I’d like to share with you. I’ve been embracing some boredom in my life lately and the result of it has been quite eye opening, as well as productive.

Here’s some fun facts:

1. Boredom is good for you. It’s healthy for your brain. When you are bored, your brain gets a break. It’s getting a reset from activity. It gets to rest. 

2. Being bored helps you listen to your own thoughts. Have you listened to what’s been swirling in the background of your mind lately? It could prove very enlightening. Maybe a concern, a fear, a dream, a desire may just float to the surface for you to look at.

3. After sitting with a little boredom, you get reenergized to move, to do something, to become curious, to tackle some long waiting tasks or try a new hobby. Allowing yourself this space, without trying to fill it up, can give way to your creative juices. After all, your mind has had some time to rest, reset, and be ready to go back online again.

4. Being bored is different than resting, although it can and will lead to physical rest if that’s what our body and mind need.

   
   

I used to hate being bored. I had to have my day filled in to feel productive. Then I would complain I didn’t have a minute to myself. When I learned that boredom had a purpose, I leaned into it whenever I felt it and this is what I found: after a little while, I thought of something I’ve been wanting to do but never had time for. One time I reorganized my closet, and it didn’t feel like a chore. It just felt good to finally get it done. Another time I took out my watercolor paints I bought a while ago and decided to try my hand at painting. Now, I’m not a painter, but it was fun to try. Another time I had some great ideas come to mind to implement into my coaching practicing. 

Just to be clear, I’m not talking about sitting around all day with nothing to do. That can lead to “purpose depression.” I’m referring to having a healthy lifestyle scheduled with some time of boredom allowed.

Being bored can be quite productive. Experts now advise parents not to fill up their child’s schedule with all kinds of activities. Instead, they recommend leaving sometime for them to be bored as an opportunity to learn to be curious and creative, It can relieve some stress and they can learn something new in a more unstructured, organic way.

I decided to write this blog on boredom when I was at the gym the other day. I was riding the bike, but my mind was unoccupied and bored since I generally don’t listen to music or watch the screens on the machines while I’m working out. As I looked around, I noticed that most people would go their phones in between sets on the machines.  Then I noticed a teenage boy to my left and to my right riding the bikes as well, were playing games on their phones the whole time, they were riding their bikes. I began to think about how their brains never get a break from stimulation. One even stopped riding to concentrate on his game more than his exercise. That’s when I started writing this blog in my head. 

We have got to give our minds, our brains a rest. We are always looking for the next Dopamine hit, the stimulation. Everything works better when it’s turned off occasionally, so do we.

As I continue learning, I love sharing how we can all do, be, work, feel, and live better. Let’s never stop learning and growing. So, my challenge to you this month is to allow some boredom into your life and see what it yields. Let me know what comes out of it for you. I’d love to hear about it.