What do you do when you’re bored?
That’s not a rhetorical question… what-do-you-do-when-you’re-bored?
Boredom is a perfectly natural state of mind. You might even say it’s simply an emotion.
I’m guessing you haven’t given a lot of thought to the subject. Am I right? Stick with me for a moment.
When you’re bored, you still have to be doing something. Even if it only involves sitting and breathing.
So why not be intentional about your boredom?
Why not decide ahead of time what you’ll do the next time you’re bored?
I’ve found when boredom sneaks into my day, it’s not usually expected. You certainly don’t plan it. Boredom just shows up uninvited.
I love this quote…
The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.”
— Bertrand Russell, British author and philosopher
Let’s make that time worthwhile.
Does boredom still happen that often with so much only a click away?
I’m not sure about that… what do you think?
Remember when you were a kid. BAM! It could happen at any time. But you had a fresh and curious imagination, untethered and unrestrained by grown-up thinking to help snap you out of it.
Curiosity and imagination are two endangered skills worth cultivation no matter how much you may believe otherwise.
Back to this boredom thing. If you’re going to make it worthwhile, you need to plan for it. Think about it for a moment. Think about a time you were bored. You had no idea what to do, let alone what you should do. Those brain circuits are turned off. And that might be the problem.
Now don’t get me wrong. Remember, I started by saying boredom is perfectly natural. But I am also saying there just might be good boredom and bad boredom. If you come out of it feeling like time has been wasted… well, that’s bad boredom.
So, what would constitute good boredom?
That’s mostly up to you. If you know me, you know that I’ve never been accused of being obsessed with planning. However, I find it valuable to think through many eventualities ahead of time. That’s all I’m talking about here.
Why does this state of mind we all experience naturally immediately feel stressful? Why do we need to immediately “fix” it? Because living in this hyperactive world means we crave constant stimulation and we’ve forgotten how to act in that rare moment when it’s missing.
Maybe your brain is saying “I’ve had enough for now.”
Good boredom could be simply allowing yourself some peace and quiet until you’re ready to re-engage with the world.
- Resist the urge for mindless stimulation… channel surfing, reality TV, any game that happens to be on.
- Avoid consuming garbage. This means eating, watching, reading and clicking.
- Go for a walk. Fifteen minutes. No devices. Only you and some fresh air.
- Listen to some music. Just listen. Think relaxing. Remember, the goal is to savor being in neutral. We can have the thrill of running through the gears later.
- Do that hobby thing you’ve been wanting to do. Go dig in the dirt. Plant something.
- Or simply do nothing… it’s entirely up to you.
I’m writing this post New Year’s Day afternoon. And I’m bored.
We celebrated The Eve with a small group of friends at a neighbor’s house doing what we consider a perfect way to welcome in the new year. Good cheer. Good friends. Good food. Good spirits (the beverage kind). Good wine. And of course, the requisite champagne.
Usually a gathering of seasoned celebrators will break up soon after the midnight toasting. Not this time. It was well after three a.m. when we finally ran out of classic rock requests for our host and deejay Paul and his virtual library of music.
How did this boredom thing enter the picture?
You see, I’m openly admitting to having enjoyed and participated in the celebration. Today I’m paying for it which has, let’s say, left the gray matter a bit extra gray. Flat, to use another term.
We tried watching the parade. Meh.
Checked out the bowl games. Don’t care… no reverence to any of the teams.
Flipped through all the movie listings. Zippo.
Took a nap.
Then we listened to the new Bonnie Raitt CD, Dig in Deep, that Santa left for Lanette in her Christmas basket. That was nice. It was a good pick, Sir Kris.
Now I’m about to indulge in second nap (similar to second breakfast for a Hobbit where you substitute nutrition for some shuteye). Yes, I made that up… it’s not a thing.
What will you do the next time it happens? And it will happen. Take two naps? I think you can do better.
A second nap was required only because I wasn’t prepared to become bored
Be ready next time.
Oh, and be untucked.
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Copyright © 2019 Jeff Meister
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