How To Overcome Boredom
Dull moments that lead to boredom can be a natural part of life and may feel unavoidable. Those with active, curious minds may have difficulty dealing with boredom. However, anyone can struggle with feeling bored.
You may feel bored when you're doing something meaningful or something that is "supposed" to bring excitement. Prolonged boredom may lead to decreased productivity, apathy, and depression.
Knowing how to combat boredom may help you stay productive and committed to your goals and increase joy in your life.
Overcoming boredom
To overcome boredom, you might consider recognizing it and then discovering the root cause. Signs of boredom may include:
Apathy
Lack of interest
Restlessness
Trouble staying motivated
In some cases, there may be other causes for these feelings. To understand whether you're feeling boredom, analyze the circumstances in which these feelings appear. Overcoming boredom can involve self-awareness, making life changes, and finding support when needed.
Defining boredom
The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines boredom as "the state of being weary and restless through lack of interest." The emotions resulting from boredom may include rage, fear, sadness, and despair.
At times, boredom may signal a deeper issue, such as a mental health condition. Boredom can be short-lived or chronic. Confronting it head-on may be vital to shifting your mindset to be more productive and content.
Causes of boredom
Boredom may not pop up out of nowhere. There are often mental and physical precursors that can cause it. Some individuals are proficient at avoiding these precursors, meaning they rarely, if ever, feel bored. Below are some common causes of boredom.
Displaced psychological arousal
Boredom may occur when you’re psychologically energetic and want to engage in something but don't have anything to do. While your mind may be running wild, you might not have anywhere to put that energy, causing you to feel bored.
Lack of motivation
Feeling unmotivated could be due to several factors, including a mental health condition, stress, or feeling like your actions aren't creating positive change.
A lack of motivation may incite a feeling of laziness and keep you stuck. To break this cycle, you may choose to jump into action, despite lacking the energy or motivation to do so. If you're unsure how to do so, reward motivation (providing yourself with rewards for completing complex tasks) may be a good place to start.
Busy environment
An overabundance of environmental stimuli may feel overwhelming, leading you to withdraw, disengage, and feel bored.
Mind-wandering
Trying to overcome boredom while your mind wanders may feel impossible. A wandering mind may increase boredom, which may be overcome through focus.
A lack of control
The less control you have over a situation, the more likely you might experience boredom. On the other hand, if you feel that you can impact your environment, you might find yourself becoming more absorbed in the task at hand.
The object of past boredom
A common mistake that people might make is channeling feelings of boredom onto an object or experience from a time in their past.
For instance, if you were always bored in your high school history class, you may associate the history books you read during your college class with boredom. Past causes of boredom may cause similar feelings after the initial under-stimulating encounter.
How to overcome feeling bored
Instead of letting your boredom control you, you might choose to take steps to push past it. You might start this process by igniting your creativity and taking action to overcome how you feel.
Lean into your creativity
Your boredom may result from overusing your logical left-brain hemisphere and underusing your creative, emotional right-brain hemisphere. When you do not balance the use of both hemispheres, you might feel restless and dissatisfied with life.
According to philosopher Soren Kierkegaard, "because it is possible to create … one has anxiety. One would have no anxiety if there were no possibility whatever." The same may hold for boredom.
Boredom can be the mind's resignation after not being allowed to fulfill its natural creative desire, which is why people often feel anxious and bored simultaneously. You might choose to incorporate creativity into daily activities:
Color in a coloring book
Consider an adult coloring book. Not only will this distract you from your boredom, but adult coloring books are an effective way to reduce feelings of stress and anxiety. Studies have shown that coloring mandalas can decrease anxiety.
Make art
If you're feeling ambitious, you might try drawing, coloring, or painting your own masterpiece from scratch. If you want to try art in a therapeutic environment, art therapy can be healing for various mental health conditions and symptoms.
Write something
Whether you write romantic poetry, flash fiction, or even lyrics to a song, you can channel your creativity into vocabulary and written communication.
Invent something
Many people have an idea of an object they would like to change, yet they may not choose to do anything about it. Fulfill your creative desire by inventing something or writing down a list of ideas for something you can build or perfect.
Write down your feelings
Expressive journalingnot only helps overcome boredom but can also improve your mental and physical health. Research indicates that writing about emotions decreases symptoms of anxiety and depression, reduces bodily inflammation, improves job-hunting success, increases productivity, and wards off some cases of chronic disease.
Express your emotions in conversation
People with a strong support system tend to live happier, healthier, and more entertaining lives. Consider talking to someone you trust, like a close friend, family member, or a professional to relieve feelings of boredom through conversation.
Brainstorm new and innovative ideas for your workplace
You may decide to try being creative at work. Whether you work as a bank teller or a shoe salesman, you might choose to brainstorm innovative ideas to improve your workplace or read a book about your industry for inspiration.
Use Google as your guide
If you feel bored with life and don't know what to do, hop on Google. The world is at your fingertips, ready to explore. You can browse neighborhoods in Southeast Asia with Google Earth, learn about Tibetan culture, learn a new skill, find and play a game online, or even discover new forms of wildlife.
The learning opportunities may feel endless online. When you feel psychologically aroused but have no outlet, the internet might be the answer to what you're looking for. You may also use Google Maps to find new tourist attractions or things to do in your area.
Plan a local or faraway adventure
If you’re feeling bored at home, planning a solo or group adventure may give your mind a respite from your routine. You can customize your itinerary to make the experience uniquely yours.
In turn, you may be able to come back to your daily routine with a fresh perspective, entertaining stories, and a mental diversion. At times, a break from normalcy is all you need.
Learn to be mindful
When you feel bored, you can either choose to find an entertaining activity or reduce your psychological arousal. At times, finding something fun to do isn't practical. Did you know you can control your own psychological arousal in these cases?
You can do this with several techniques, such as mindfulness, meditation, and relaxation. Each of these strategies has been proven to reduce psychological arousal and feelings of boredom. They may even boost your physical health.
Mindfulness encourages you to use all your senses to observe the present moment without judgment. Meditation teaches you to focus on your breath and bodily sensations. Relaxation may reduce muscle tension and anxiety.
Make new friends
Developing new connections might seem complex and intimidating, but this challenge may help you overcome boredom.
There are other options if you don't want to drive to the coffee shop to connect with others or leave home. You can also go online and use one of the many social networks and communication apps for meeting new people.
Explore another culture or language
If you are bored with life, consider exploring other ways of living. The lifestyles of different cultures can be fascinating from an outsider's perspective. You may even adopt new attitudes or cultural traditions along the way. Learning a language may be an effective way to keep your mind focused and engaged.
Set goals and pursue challenges
Setting goals may help you develop a sense of purpose. According to Walter Annenberg, a former American diplomat and philanthropist, "When we hold back out of laziness, that is when we tie ourselves into knots of boredom." You may defeat laziness and boredom by setting goals and jumping into action.
Try invigorating exercise
The same exercise routine may not cut it if you are feeling bored. However, a new, invigorating exercise routine (Insanity, P90X, CrossFit, wind sprints, or boot camp) may break the monotony and channel your psychological arousal into a healthy activity.
Call an old friend
There may be people from your past who would love to reconnect with you. If you're wondering what to do when you feel bored, pick up the phone and call an old friend. You might spend hours catching up and listening to each other's entertaining stories.
Learn how to cook or bake
Nutritious eating has been proven to be an essential part of your overall mental and physical well-being. Boredom may provide an opportunity to try a new recipe.
Cooking or baking can be a unique and fulfilling skill to learn. It may also reduce your spending because you won't need to eat out as much. When boredom hits, use it as an opportunity to hone a new life skill.
Counseling for boredom
At times, boredom may feel like a hurdle you can't overcome. If you've tried several solutions to no avail, consider confiding in a therapist.
People experiencing mental health conditions like depression may be prone to higher levels of boredom. Depression can make it hard to get out of bed and even more challenging to make it to a therapist's office. If you struggle to leave home during this time, online therapy is an option that allows you to attend therapy from the comfort of your home. As you experience boredom throughout the day, you might message your therapist for support and advice.
In recent years, the popularity of online counseling has grown, as has research surrounding its effectiveness. This analysis of 17 studies found that internet-based CBT was more effective than face-to-face CBT at reducing depression symptom severity.
Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) is a form of psychotherapy that alters someone's perceptions of their behaviors, thoughts, and moods. Through online platforms like BetterHelp, there are hundreds of therapists available who have experience practicing CBT for a variety of client needs.
Takeaway
We may all experience boredom from time to time. What we choose to do with our time and resources may improve these feelings.
Boredom can often be managed with the right tools and resources, including speaking with a mental health professional. If you're interested in taking the first step to removing boredom from your life, you might choose to reach out to a counselor and get professional support.
How can I stop feeling bored?
Boredom is an emotion that can signal that you’re unsatisfied with what you’re doing or that you’re not engaged in it. These strategies can help you engage your brain and overcome boredom:
- Pick up a new hobby
- Join a social club
- Volunteer for a cause you care about
- Ask to take on a more challenging project at work
- Cook a new recipe
- Attend an outdoor exercise class
While boredom can be an uncomfortable emotion, there are benefits to feeling boredom from time to time. For example, boredom can boost creativity, curiosity, and problem-solving skills. It may help to look at boredom as an opportunity to motivate yourself to reach new places and find new solutions.
Why do I get bored so easily?
People seem to get bored more easily than others are said to have “boredom proneness.” The reasons for getting bored easily include not being challenged enough, a mental disorder (such as major depressive disorder), too many things going on, low attention span, low self-esteem, or a lack of motivation.
While some level of boredom can be healthy—and even beneficial—chronic boredom may exacerbate or trigger behavioral or mental issues, such as high risk-taking behaviors, substance use disorders, eating disorders, irritability, reduced social skills, or challenges at work.
What do I do when I'm bored?
There are many things you can do when you’re bored, such as:
- Plant flowers in your yard or on your balcony
- Read a short story
- Volunteer or donate to a local organization you care about
- Listen to your favorite songs from your childhood, or listen to a music genre you’ve never listened to before
- Find a list of the top 100 movies or books and work your way through it
- Create a scavenger hunt for a loved one
- Practice mindfulness or meditation
- Find an online workout instructor you like and take a class
- Cook or bake something new
- Meal plan for your week
- Ask for new challenges at work
- Paint a picture of your favorite animal
- Learn a new language
- Join a local hiking or jogging group
- Clean the house (make it more interesting by listening to music or a podcast while you do it)
Oftentimes, getting started with an activity is the hardest part. If you’re bored and having difficulty getting the motivation to start an activity, it can help to set a timer for 10 minutes. If you’re not enjoying the activity after 10 minutes, you’re free to stop, but often this is enough time to get engaged in it.
How to not get bored at home?
If you’re bored at home, doing something engaging can help. For example, you could work on a house project—like fixing the leaky faucet or building new garden beds—or you could listen to your favorite podcast or book on tape while you deep-clean.
Alternatively, you could also engage your brain by working on a puzzle, learning a new language, flipping through your old cookbooks to spark inspiration for next week’s meals, or offering to help people or organizations in your local community.
Why am I so incredibly bored?
For the most part, boredom occurs when you have energy but don’t feel engaged or interested in what you’re doing. In these cases, boredom can usually be solved by changing tasks, increasing or decreasing the difficulty of them, or trying something new.
For some people, chronic boredom may be linked to challenges like ADHD, depression, lack of self-awareness, or low self-esteem. If you’re finding it difficult to alleviate boredom despite your efforts, it may be a good idea to explore why you’re bored and how to address it with a therapist.
How to be less boring?
If you want to sound more interesting and exciting, it can help to adopt these practices:
- Say “yes” to the things that interest you, even if they’re a little outside your comfort zone
- Spend time trying new things and finding your passion
- Break out of your routine occasionally
- Pick fun activities when you’re out with friends
- Ask people about themselves and find out what they’re interested in
- Learn how to read social cues
- Try a hobby that’s completely unexpected for you
- Talk about deeper topics
While it’s common for people to fear that they’re boring, there are many actionable steps you can take to become more adventurous and engaging in conversations.
How can I beat boredom?
Boredom is a normal human emotion that serves the function of driving creativity, problem-solving, and motivation to keep exploring novel opportunities. While you cannot necessarily prevent boredom entirely, there are ways to address and resolve it promptly.
For example, you could keep a list of activities and chores on your phone, so when you’re feeling bored you can look at the list and pick one. Or you can try mixing up your schedule, asking for a more challenging project at work, inviting friends out for an excursion, or going for a walk to engage your brain.
What to do on a boring day?
There are many things you could do on a boring day, such as deep cleaning your house, checking out a local farmers market, going on a bike ride, exercising, calling a friend, cooking an elaborate meal, painting a portrait of your pet, or planning a future vacation.
Do smart people get bored easily?
For people who need a high level of intellectual stimulation, tasks may become boring more quickly because they are not sufficiently challenging.
How can I be OK being bored?
Boredom is often an uncomfortable emotion. Unlike the experience of idle relaxation, boredom occurs when you desire engagement but are nonetheless unengaged. Instead of trying to force yourself to accept being bored, consider what engaging things might bring you more contentment. For example, you might benefit from walking in the park, practicing yoga, going for a bike ride with a friend, fishing, or taking a class on a topic that interests you.
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