Psychologists define boredom as a state of weariness or ennui resulting from a lack of engagement with stimuli in the environment. A bored individual fails to find meaning and this makes boredom an uncomfortable and undesirable feeling. Boredom is typically caused by repetitive activities which fail to captivate a person’s attention or satisfy him. Nowadays COVID-19 has rendered boredom a common complaint as protective measures have imprisoned people in their homes.
As said by James Baldwin, an American poet and writer “Recognizing a problem doesn’t always bring a solution, but until we recognize that problem, there can be no solution” and hence finding a solution to boredom starts with the simple step of just recognizing the moment of boredom. Boredom is easily recognized by a lack of enthusiasm or interest at a particular time. Some describe boredom as an empty feeling along with frustration stemming from that emptiness. Knowing how to cope with boredom is important for mental health. Being bored can be hazardous to health as boredom can lead to anxiety, depression and even failure in one’s professional field. We should acknowledge that recognizing boredom is the starting point from where one should take action to counter boredom.
Keeping the mind busy is essentially the ultimate escape from boredom. Any pleasurable and exciting activity will overcome boredom. Some common activities are drawing, watching movies, exercising, gardening, crafting and even sleeping. The list is endless, one can even consecrate his “bored” time in taking the initiative to do something new and learning new skills such as playing an instrument, starting a workout routine. We should be aware that the activity done to get rid of boredom should be of genuine interest and if we do it to impress others, we will not be able to sustain our interest for a long time and this will just render us miserable. A proper timetable can also drive away boredom by always keeping an individual busy. In addition, one can scroll endlessly on social media applications such as TikTok when boredom arises and messaging applications such as WhatsApp allow us to chat with our close ones when we are bored.
Boredom is linked with a low-level of serotonin which is known as the happiness hormone or the feel-good hormone. Therefore, increasing the level of serotonin is a direct way of chasing away boredom. Sunlight, affective touch, nutrient-rich food, exercise and positive thinking can all boost serotonin.
Meditation is also a powerful tool in fighting boredom as it can be done anywhere anytime. There are several types of meditation such as mindfulness meditation and spiritual meditation. Spiritual meditation enables an individual to find out his true self and connect to the divine energy and he reaches a state of solace. Mindfulness meditation allows a person to focus on the present moment, face his current troubles and let go of negativity and hence he becomes relaxed. The fruit of any type of meditation is peace and this overpowers boredom as meditation tames any agitated emotion.
Boredom obviously does not kill and can be good for oneself. A state of boredom allows the mind to wonder and this can lead to an increased creativity level and solutions to problem, all arising from spontaneous thoughts. Boredom gives time for an individual to reflect on his own life and he can invest this time for autobiographical planning. Moreover, when a person is lost in his thoughts, he may become more altruistic because he has time to think about others and how he can help to improve their lives.
“Being bored is an insult to oneself.”— Jules Renard, a French author
In this modern world where everything seems to be connected by means of the Internet and putting the virtual world aside, there are so much things one can do in the real world. So how can one be truly bored when there is so much to explore?
By Avnish Moneeram
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