How to stop boredom

Boredom: Causes and Treatment

Though boredom is a feeling that most people experience from time to time, there are many ways to address and prevent it.

What is boredom?

Boredom is a common feeling. Feeling unsatisfied by an activity, or uninterested in it, can lead to boredom.

Boredom may occur when you feel energetic but have nowhere to direct your energy. It may also occur when you have difficulty focusing on a task.

Boredom is a common complaint among children and adolescents. In some cases, they may also complain of boredom when they’re uncomfortable dealing with their thoughts or feelings.

Boredom is marked by an empty feeling, as well as a sense of frustration with that emptiness.

When you’re bored, you may have a limited attention span and lack of interest in what’s happening around you. You may also feel apathetic, fatigued, nervous, or jittery.

In some cases, boredom can make it more challenging to focus and cause you to feel stressed or distracted.

People identify and experience boredom differently. In some cases, boredom may occur due to:

inadequate rest or nutrition
low levels of mental stimulation
lack of choice or control over your daily activities
lack of diversified recreational interests
poor perception of time

You or child may become bored while engaged in an activity due to:

loss of interest
confusing instructions
fear of making a mistake
repetition of the activity for too much time
feeling unable to try new approaches to the activity

In some cases, chronic boredom can also be a sign of certain mental health conditions, including depression.

While there is no specific medical treatment for boredom, there are plenty of solutions if you’re experiencing boredom.

For example, you may want to consider trying some new hobbies or other new diversional activities.

Joining a club can be a good way to thwart your boredom. Reading clubs, hobby groups, or exercise groups are all great places to start. Participating in a community group that organizes activities or outings is another great options.

You can also help your child cope with feelings of boredom when they arise.

When they complain of boredom, encourage them to communicate and address their feelings without questioning the validity. Take time to help them identify the causes of their boredom and find creative solutions.

For best results:

Don’t question whether or not your child “should” be bored.
Avoid responding to your child’s complaints of boredom with impatience or anxiety.
Ask open-ended questions to stimulate their creativity in finding interesting solutions for alleviating boredom.
Recognize that your child’s complaint of boredom may be their way of trying to engage your attention or asking to participate in an activity.
Help your child identify any other emotional issues or feelings that they may be identifying as boredom.
Help your child find an engaging activity or one you can participate in together.

If boredom is part of larger issue, like depression, you should seek treatment from a mental health professional. Talking to a doctor about your feelings will help them understand your needs and identify the best course of treatment for you.

Here are some simple tips you can try to prevent boredom:

Keep a record of the circumstances in which you or your child becomes bored. Note the time of day, place, and activities preceding the boredom, so you can avoid those circumstances or prepare for possible boredom in the future.
Make routine tasks more interesting by adding a unique element. For example, start timing tasks to see how fast you can do them.
Combine multiple repetitive tasks so they can be done together.
Break larger tasks into smaller ones and plan breaks or rewards at key milestones.
Create a list of activities to try when boredom strikes. If your child is the one feeling bored, try creating this list together.
Establish a special area where you or your child can store activities reserved specifically for battling boredom.
Be prepared to take time out to work with your child to set up an activity when they’re bored.

Boredom is common in all ages and some boredom is unavoidable.

However, learning how to deal with boredom at a young age will develop problem-solving skills that can be beneficial in the future.

Why do I get bored easily?

Feeling bored easily can be caused by many different factors, including decreased mental stimulation or a lack of control over activities in your daily life.

Interestingly, research suggests that some people are prone to experiencing boredom more frequently, which may also be linked to decreased attention span, self-control, and self-esteem.

What emotional or mental health problems can be related to boredom?

For some people, boredom may be used as a way to disconnect from negative feelings or experiences that can be overwhelming and difficult to deal with.

Additionally, chronic boredom can be a sign of depression. If you experience other symptoms of depression like decreased energy levels, unintentional weight loss, or sleep disturbances, you should consider talking to a healthcare professional to determine the cause and best course of treatment for you.

What are the benefits of boredom?

In some cases, boredom may actually be beneficial.

In fact, feeling bored can help push you to try new activities or explore other hobbies and interests. It can also promote self-awareness and problem-solving by encouraging you to identify the cause of your boredom so that you can address it.

6 things you can do to cope with boredom at a time of social distancing

More and more of us are staying home in an attempt to slow down the spreading coronavirus. But being stuck at home can lead to boredom.

Boredom is a signal that we’re not meaningfully engaged with the world. It tells us to stop what we’re doing, and do it better – or to do something else.

But, as a social psychologist who studies boredom, I know that people don’t always make the best choices when bored. So if you’re stuck at home, dutifully practicing your social distancing, how do you keep boredom away?

About boredom

We can feel bored even with jobs and activities that appear to be meaningful. For example, researchers have found anesthesiologists and air traffic controllers find themselves bored on the job.

What this research reveals is that just because something is objectively meaningful doesn’t mean it feels that way to us all the time. And even meaningful work can be boring if the person performing it finds it too hard or too easy. Once that happens, individuals might struggle to stay focused.

Reducing boredom requires that individuals solve the problems that produced it – not having sufficient activities that are both meaningful and optimally challenging.

However, sometimes people turn to activities that make them feel better in the moment, but that don’t provide long-term meaning or challenge. For instance, studies have shown that people are willing to self-administer electric shocks when bored.

Other behaviors linked to greater susceptibility to boredom include increased alcohol intake and marijuana use. Boredom is also tied to unhealthy snacking and online pornography.

While these may feel good in the moment, they provide only temporary relief from boredom. To prevent boredom and keep it away, we need to find solutions at home that provide lasting meaning and challenge.

1. Remind yourself why you’re doing this

People generally prefer doing something to doing nothing. As staying home is the most effective way to prevent the further transmission of the coronavirus, it is meaningful to socially isolate. However, it may not always feel that way.

Like all emotions, boredom is about whatever you’re thinking at the moment. That means staying at home will only feel meaningful when we’re actively thinking about the greater good it does. For instance, in studies, when students were prompted to reflect on why their schoolwork mattered to them personally, researchers found that their interest in learning increased.

In other words, reframing our activity changes how we feel about it.

Doing meditation at home while self-isolating. Justin Paget/Digital Vision via Getty Images

Creating simple reminders, such as a note on the fridge, or a morning meditation, can help us keep the big picture in view: Staying home is a sacrifice we’re actively making for the good of others.

2. Find a rhythm

Routines structure our days, and provide a sense of coherence that bolsters our meaning in life. People’s lives feel more meaningful in moments when they’re engaged in daily routines.

We lose those routines when we give up going to the office, or when we are laid off. Even retirees or stay-at-home parents are disrupted by closures to cities, restaurants and schools. This loss of routine can foster feelings of boredom.

By creating new routines, people can restore a sense of meaning that buffers them from boredom.

3.

Go with the flow

Figuring out what to do when faced by long days unstructured by work or school can be hard. A recent study of people in quarantine in Italy found that boredom was the second most common issue, after loss of freedom.

One thing that makes such situations hard is that it can be tricky to find activities that are just challenging enough to keep one occupied, without being too demanding. This situation can leave people bored and frustrated.

It helps to keep in mind that what counts as too challenging, or not challenging enough, will shift throughout the day. Don’t force yourself to keep at it if you need a break.

4. Try something new

Boredom urges many of us towards the novel. Embrace that urge, judiciously. If you have the energy, try a new recipe, experiment with home repairs, learn a new dance on TikTok.

Doing new things not only relieves boredom, it helps acquire new skills and knowledge that may relieve boredom in the long run. For instance, we feel a surge of interest when we read an interesting novel or go through complex experiences, but only if we have the capacity to understand them.

Evidence shows that embracing new experiences, can help us lead not only a happy or meaningful life, but a psychologically richer one.

5. Make room for guilty pleasures

It’s okay to binge on television, if that’s all you can handle at the moment.

We sometimes paint ourselves into a box where our most meaningful hobbies are also mentally taxing or effortful. For instance, digging into a classic Russian novel may be meaningful, but it doesn’t necessarily come easily.

Similarly, well-intentioned suggestions for how to cope at home, such as hosting a virtual wine-and-design night, may be simply too exhausting to be pleasurable at a time when many of us are already struggling.

Give yourself permission to enjoy your guilty pleasures. If need be, reframe those moments as much-needed mental refreshment, nourishing and recharging you for a later date.

6. Connect with others

Finding easy meaningful alternatives – bite-sized options that don’t take much effort, but that we find deeply rewarding – can be a challenge.

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Luckily one good option is open to us all: connecting with others, whether virtually or for those lucky enough not to be quarantined alone – in-person.

Talk with friends while working from home. Julie Jammot/AFP via Getty Images

Looking at old photos, or reminiscing with a friend, are simple meaningful actions most of us can take even when we’re not feeling our best. One does not need a reason to call up a friend – our best socializing is the kind that happens casually, in the unstructured time between scheduled activities.

Create room for that virtually as well: Next time you’re pouring a glass of wine or watering the plants, call up a friend while you do it. Make dinner together. We don’t have to be bored, when we’re all in this together.

Boredom itself is neither bad nor good, only our choices about how to counter it make it so.

How to cope with feelings of boredom

Boredom is one of the reasons that prevents us from enjoying life! This article will not talk about any cures for boredom, ways to entertain yourself and do something. I'm going to talk about how to make sure that you don't get bored at all.

I'll tell you why boredom is one of the most dangerous and harmful psychological conditions for a person and will lead to the need to get rid of it. And also you will understand why this condition negatively affects our ability to enjoy life.

What is the danger of boredom.

Boredom is not just some mood that occurs to you from time to time and does not affect your personality in any way. In fact, it is one of the root causes of many human problems. The famous psychologist Viktor Frankl said: “Today, boredom poses more problems for us – both patients and psychiatrists – than desires and even so-called sexual desires.”

Boredom constantly provokes you to be in search of external stimuli, any activity only in order not to experience a state of discomfort associated with the absence of any activity. The trouble is that this search for activities to get rid of boredom does not happen selectively. You are ready to engage in the most routine and meaningless work, just not to sit idle, you just have to do something, no matter what, or experience some kind of sensation.

This is somewhat reminiscent of drug addiction, only information and sensory stimuli appear instead of a narcotic substance. An uncontrollable desire also arises, the satisfaction of which does not bring much pleasure, but only relieves the feeling of discomfort for a certain time. And life begins to acquire colors only in those moments when this desire is satisfied.

I will not deny that a person needs fresh impressions, a change of place, new people and entertainment, and if he does not receive this in due measure, then he slowly develops. But it is good until it exceeds a certain limit. If you haven't taken the Boredom Are You test yet, I recommend taking it before reading on.

Problems and troubles associated with boredom.

Let's go further. So what are the troubles for the individual brings a chronic sense of boredom?

Frequent nervous tension
Alcohol / drug addiction (it is because of boredom that many people cannot stop drinking / smoking, and even if they succeed, it is only for a while, then they return to bad habits again)
Inability to endure long trips, meetings, even rest (desire to return to work as soon as possible)
Inability to concentrate
Inability to relax, chronic fatigue
Painful craving for shopping, shopping
Overload of the brain with many tasks, "information garbage"
Anxiety
Apathy and melancholy in the absence of activity
Satiation with life
As a result, wrong life choices, loss of opportunities, false goals and aspirations, unhappiness and inability to fully enjoy life

Impressive, isn't it? But I think you are not accustomed to seeing boredom as a source of evil, and it may surprise you to look at this state from this angle. It's okay, reading my blog, you will often come across similar provisions: first, I declare that some property of your personality, about the presence of which you are not accustomed to worry, is actually the cause of problems and an obstacle to self-development, and I explain it intelligibly why it is so and not otherwise.

But what will surprise you most of all is that I do not simply designate problem areas in order to once again point out the imperfection of human nature, but when I call something a problem, I say that it can be got rid of, no matter how sure you are of the opposite , and show a working way to do it.

Is it possible to stop feeling bored altogether?

Why should this be surprising? Let me explain. Surely many believe that boredom is a natural state of a person in the absence of any activity, and therefore it cannot be got rid of, just like hunger or thirst. Or are you sure that being bored is a property of your nature, you, a person who needs activity and will always strive for it. I declare that this is simply a flaw in the personality, and a very serious one, which can be eliminated, like all other flaws. This may be surprising.

But no matter how unrealistic it may sound, I myself got rid of this condition: I almost never get bored. Thanks to this, I am always relaxed and comfortable: on long trips, during hours of waiting, which may seem tedious to many. I know how to enjoy rest, inactivity and contemplation, which relaxes me very deeply. I don't need to smoke or drink to entertain myself.

I do what interests me, and do not burden myself with unnecessary, useless activities so as not to get bored. I can spend a long time alone with myself: I don’t dangle in a frantic hurry to clubs, restaurants, in order to somehow occupy my time. In general, I know how to enjoy every allotted minute and am not in a hurry to do everything to live this moment as soon as possible.

Why is it important to spend more time alone?

Boredom reduces the amount of time you can spend alone with yourself, because it constantly forces you to look for something to do or society. This can be a major life hurdle. Since in moments of calm contemplation and reflection, the most valuable thoughts come to you. You can make an important decision, rethink your past experience, realize the futility and futility of your current aspirations, set a goal that is more suitable for you and not follow false urges imposed on you from outside.

The more people are busy with their own affairs and the less often they have moments of reflection, the worse they are able to make independent decisions and follow a conscious course, since they think little and all their energy is “quenched” by various activities. Do you know why in the army a soldier has to be busy all the time? And to think less and obey more.

In totalitarian societies or various book dystopias (books Orwell - 1984, Huxley - Brave New World), an individual, in order to successfully enslave him by the ruling class, must be subjected to constant informational or sensory influence: to have an unreasonably long working day in terms of productivity, which must exhaust him completely so that there is no strength left. And in moments of rest, he either listens to the radio or watches TV with stupid patriotic programs. So no seditious thoughts about the imperfection of the state and the meaninglessness of his life as a social cell, a working ant, come into his head, since there is no time for these thoughts to come.

As a result, a person can no longer spend time alone: he is bored and sometimes even scared. He panicked looking for something to do or a way to fill the "information channel". Now you understand that boredom does not arise just like a natural need of consciousness? Rather, it is a consequence of constant employment, indiscriminate consumption of information and impressions by the brain, or it is a symptom of existential emptiness and lack of inner content (I will talk about this at the end of the article).

As a result, you stop perceiving life as a valuable gift, as a collection of opportunities and interesting events, as existence for your own sake! You seek to kill every priceless moment of existence, to drown it in unnecessary deeds, meaningless entertainment and alcohol. You are in constant flight from yourself, from your thoughts! It turns out that life loses its value for you and you can no longer enjoy it just like that.

Boredom is like a drug

Boredom makes you dependent on yourself and takes away your choice of what to do and when. You have to run somewhere: consume tons of any information, a bunch of "informational garbage", make unnecessary purchases, be in constant search for all kinds of entertainment, including forbidden ones, engage in self-stupefaction (drugs, including alcohol), watch stupid programs, engage in stupid work and it is senseless to burn and squander life.

This is reminiscent of the action movie Adrenaline, in which Jason Statham's character is injected with some fantastic drug substance, and the effect of it is that the person who is injected with it dies after some time, and the only way to stop the destructive the effect of the poison is to keep the production of adrenaline constant. Therefore, the hero has to run and shoot, throw himself under cars, jump from great heights without a parachute (while not forgetting about shooting). In the same way, many people are attached to sources of killing boredom.

Moreover, these sources are by no means endless. Gradually, the “dose” has to be increased: look for more exotic entertainment, make more expensive purchases, as the usual things are already boring and no longer satisfying. If this is not done, then dull satiety is formed, and as a result, apathy, again boredom, “breaking”. I use terms from the world of drug addiction for a reason, since a chronic feeling of boredom is the “breaking” of an organism accustomed to constant external stimulation and nourishment with impressions.

Therefore, trying to cope with the state of boredom by finding new ways to escape is just as pointless as removing nicotine cravings by smoking cigarettes. Yes, you will satisfy a local need, but only for a while, until it arises again, and the further it goes, the stronger it will be and demand more and more from you ... In order to avoid the desire to smoke, you need to quit this habit, get rid of cigarettes, eliminate the causes of your addiction and never smoke! This is the best way, obviously. Therefore, I will try to teach how not to feel bored at all .. Or almost not.

Boredom as a motivation?

I can be objected that boredom is an active motivating motive for any work, without it you would not have moved at all and would not have done anything .. It helped you achieve something.

Okay, then back to the analogies from the life of drug addicts. Suppose someone lived - did not grieve, was lazy and did not work, and somehow existed on a penny. Then he got hooked on drugs. Now he needs more money to buy them for himself. If he does not work, he will suffer, so he had to find a better paying job, not skip it and try to stay on it.

So, should we now thank the drugs for helping him achieve something? I think this should not be done, because despite material success, a person degrades due to his addiction (just like he loses interest in life due to boredom). The whole problem was his laziness, which did not allow him to find a good job, or in general he did not particularly need this money: and so everything suited him.

A person should be motivated by a lively interest, a desire to develop, achieve goals and realize their potential, and not boredom, which turns you into a diligent worker and an obedient robot. It is better to strive for the most suitable job for yourself (or not work at all, if you do not like it, and there is a material opportunity not to do this), and not to look for any, the first one that comes across, just to keep yourself busy and kill boredom.

If you look at boredom as a motive, then you can fall into a vicious circle: you work, but work does not bring you pleasure, but you cannot NOT work either, because you are afraid to wallow in boredom.
In this case, your work covers the entire area of your interests, you have no idea what to do in her absence.

Perhaps this is due to the lack of other hobbies. You cannot come up with an occupation for yourself, you wait until someone organizes it for you, your company, for example .. This is how life goes: in an unloved job and in tiny breaks between periods of working time. And even while resting, you devote little time to yourself, but continue to run away from boredom, drowning in avalanches of information, fuss, business and alcohol. What is left for themselves after this?

Let's leave out the financial aspect in this example, saying that one has to work hard in order to have something to live on.

Yes, it certainly is. But, firstly, I know many people who have the opportunity not to engage in daily routine work in the office, since there is some other income, but nevertheless, despite this, they get hired work, because they do not imagine what they will do in their free time.

Secondly, if you are not afraid of the prospect of a lot of free time and are not afraid to suddenly find yourself alone with your thoughts, then you will probably start looking for ways to save yourself from annoying, everyday routine, and start creating such sources of income, managing which does not take so much time and effort. And instead of spinning like a squirrel in a wheel, burning nerves, energy, health, youth and potential, you will begin to plan opportunities that will allow you to devote more time to yourself and live for yourself.

How your personality will change when you get rid of boredom

Now we come to the most important thing. While it may seem to you that there is no big problem that you get bored and you don’t know what to do and entertain yourself with. You just don't realize how much fuller and richer life becomes when you manage to cope with the subjective causes of boredom!
I will make a reservation right away, if you embark on this path, then you will have to go through several significant personal metamorphoses.

Having got rid of the feeling of boredom, you will learn to enjoy rest, moments of peace and inactivity, time spent in dialogue with yourself, or doing what you love, your hobby. You will begin to feel comfortable being alone with yourself for a long time. Therefore, it will seem that free time will be sorely lacking.

A favorite job may cease to be loved, and an unloved one will become even more unpleasant because it alienates you from yourself, and instead of devoting time to yourself and your loved ones, to develop yourself, learn new things, improve, you spend it on some kind of corporate red tape and participation in office squabbles. And you will begin to understand this clearly.

Bonuses for me too, you say, lived-not-distressed, worked, drank on Fridays, went to Ikea on weekends, everything was fine, and now you come and say that I will teach you self-development, as a result of which we will have all these things disgusted and we will begin to grieve for some unattainable freedom! Your advice is good, Nicholas! You have to be content with what you have!

To this I will answer that, firstly, the consequence of self-development and, if I may use such a term, “expansion of consciousness”, is a certain reassessment of values, a change in the outlook on things, the entrance of which you begin to strive for something new and change the usual course of things . This is natural and inevitable. Remember how you grew up, turned from a child into an adult? Many things that seemed important in childhood have lost their value to you when you have reached a certain age. In fact, “growing up” can continue until old age, and the fact that you are now 30, 40 years old does not mean that you have reached the peak of maturity. The worst thing is when this process stops for good, and you don’t even know about it ...

Secondly, freedom is not at all unattainable, and the way of life that requires you to be constantly employed at work is not uncontested. There are many ways to get rid of the burden of useless work, but this is the topic of a separate article...

But new goals will appear in front of you: what you need to strive for in order to achieve happiness. You will slowly begin to implement your life project.

Getting rid of boredom will also manifest itself in love for contemplative pastime: reading, thinking, enjoying nature, leisurely walks. You will experience joy from these things and as a result you will enjoy life more! This can significantly relieve your brain and lead to calmness and a sense of inner comfort, order and joy, and also, thanks to reflection, you will rethink and understand many things. During the rest, you will really “rest”, and not destroy your health with alcoholic libations: I assure you, the body does not rest during drinking!

Yes, and you will stop enjoying alcohol, because, firstly, you will be more relaxed and there will be no need to relieve tension, and secondly, self-sufficiency will appear, you will be so good alone with yourself or your loved ones and you don’t need to will use something. After all, do you remember that boredom is one of the reasons for the emergence of bad habits? You probably know how many people drink too much in the village, guess what.

You will become calm, you will not be tired of long trips and hours of waiting, each moment of your life will acquire fullness and identity: it will not be perceived simply as a transition from something to something, as a period of time connecting two points, this the moment will be filled with value in itself! This will give the joy of life and a sense of greatness in every moment of existence!

You will understand how little is needed for happiness! This does not mean that you can be happy in rags and living in a garbage dump. Don't get me wrong, I'm not at all advocating renunciation of earthly goods. What I mean is that you may have spent a lot of money and health chasing entertainment and things, thinking that owning things will bring you happiness. This is a consequence of the gaping inner emptiness that you sought to fill with the purchase of things and all sorts of unusual sensations.

When you cope with this emptiness, you will find inner harmony and self-sufficiency. You will not need to pour a lot of money down the drain just to feel alive and defeat the boredom that eats away at you from the inside.

In general, getting rid of boredom promises happiness, harmony, self-sufficiency and peace. These are the things that you may not get enough while you are subject to such a state as boredom.

Now let's finally move on to the final part of the article, namely, how to get rid of the feeling of boredom .

How to get rid of the feeling of boredom

If you read what I wrote above and “absorbed” it a little, then you have already done part of the job. My main task was to put you on a certain course of thought, to instill in you an understanding of boredom as a kind of vice that destroys the personality. If there is such an understanding and there is a certain moral attitude to cope with it and achieve the joy of life, then all the practical advice and recommendations below will not be revelational for you. They very obviously and logically follow already from what I said.

Let's transgress.

How to find the joy of life by eliminating boredom

Here are some tips to keep you from getting bored.

Spend more time alone with yourself: in the course of this time, try to calm down, relax. Think about something, preferably something abstract, not tied to the current moment. Do not think about work about current affairs, but make plans, think about yourself and your future, about how to achieve your happiness and what you need to do for this. Critically evaluate your current family, financial, state of health and mind, think if there are any problems?

Can they be solved and how? If you can’t force yourself to think, focus and you are distracted by thoughts about current affairs, then you need to learn how to relax, clear your mind and put your thoughts in order, you will be taught this:

Meditation: yes, in each of my articles I advise (even insist) to her to learn how to do it, read the link. It is a mistake to believe that there is no universal exercise that helps get rid of many problems. There is such an exercise - it is meditation. Practicing which, you will learn to relax and clear your brain of thoughts, to exist in the present moment, discarding worries about the future and past memories.

The effect of this practice is directly aimed at eliminating the main source of boredom: internal restlessness and fear of being alone with yourself. During meditation, you listen to what is happening inside, establishing a connection with your body. It helps to look at many things soberly and impartially and thereby get rid of many prejudices. This is perhaps what you need to start with, get rid of boredom.

Filled with inner content: one of the reasons why you get bored when you stay in silence, away from everyone, may be existential emptiness. Despite the tricky word, this term hides a completely understandable thing. This emptiness is formed when a person lacks interests, hobbies, small joys, reflections, dreams, conscious desires and will.

This is when a person flounders on the surface of existence like a dull plankton and is carried away by the currents of fate in an arbitrary direction. In general, I will not dwell in detail, this is an extensive topic that requires a separate article. In short, because of this emptiness, you feel sad alone with yourself, since you do not act as an interesting interlocutor for internal dialogue. Therefore, read more good books, blogs, and articles, communicate with smart people, watch high-quality films and think, think, think.

Contemplation: learn to enjoy peace and quiet. You can just lie on the grass for a long time, look at the sky and try not to think about anything, or lie in bed with your eyes closed, listening to calm, slow music. Try to spend more time in nature, in silence. Walk, walk at a slow pace, just looking around.

Change the pace of your holiday: to a more calm and measured one. Do not rush anywhere, do not strive to do everything, try to enjoy every free minute. (Read the article How to relax while on vacation

Think of a hobby, an activity: choose an area in which you would like to develop and acquire some skills, for example, photography and photo processing, cycling, music (this can be either mastering a musical instrument or gaining computer skills). applications (sequencers) for creating music and mastering, depending on what is closer to you), programming, writing blog articles, chess, poker, spiritual practices, etc. and so on. Do not think that you have no soul for anything, because in order to really get carried away with some business, you need to master it at least a little.

Any activity, even the most disliked at the beginning, can start to bring joy, as soon as you do it better than others, and some kind of skill develops. It's worth just getting started. Try yourself here and there, experiment. Instead of wasting your free time at home and at work on all sorts of nonsense, do something that will develop you, that will make your leisure time productive. And who knows, maybe a new hobby, when you master it to perfection, will become your favorite thing in the future, thanks to which you will gain financial independence, get rid of office shackles and change your life for the better. You just need to start, not be lazy and not be afraid to learn new things and try yourself in different things.

Tolerate loneliness and monotony: try to relax during long trips, time spent on public transport or waiting hours. If you are used to occupying your hands with an iPhone or beer, then it's time to get rid of it.

Get rid of excessive activity and scattered attention: boredom is often associated with a constant feeling of inner restlessness, inability to keep attention on one thing for a long time, the need to constantly receive information, aimless motor activity. In academic circles, this is called Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. This is a whole separate issue. And how to get rid of this syndrome, read the link.

That's it for chronic boredom. Getting rid of this involves a lot of inner work and a lot of personal metamorphosis. At first it will not be easy, you will have to make great efforts and step over yourself. But then you will be amazed by the results of the work done, I assure you.

what is it and 7 ways to get rid of it.

Can boredom cause a stroke? Or is this feeling just a temporary bad mood that does not have serious consequences? To find out, you will need knowledge about the relationship between boredom and physiological processes in the body. If these correlations really exist, then what comes first - a bored mood or changes in physiology? And finally, is it worth doing something about it? If yes, then what? The answers will be unexpected.

What is boredom?

Boredom is a negative emotion, a mentally passive state, which is accompanied by a lack of interest in people, activities, and the environment in general. A person with such a mood has a reduced reaction, both on a physical and mental level. Associated sensations - anxiety, irritability, absent-mindedness, dissatisfaction.

Physiology does not affect boredom. But a negative emotion can cause physiological discomfort. The reason for this is an increase in the level of cortisol, or stress hormone, in the blood. In high doses with chronic manifestation, it can provoke diseases of the cardiovascular system, stroke or diabetes. Given the risk, it is still worth fighting the systematically occurring boredom.

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How to get rid of boredom?

1. Analyze sensations.

To begin with, it is enough to listen to your body and feelings. Then you can try to change the physical position and observe the reaction of the body. Sometimes a simple comfortable position solves the problem, as it relaxes well. Boredom turns into relaxation. This method helps if you have to wait a long time, but there is nothing interesting around. Long queues, flight delays are prime examples of this.

Any opportunity to do something? Great. You can use this and follow the changes. Occupation means not only work or study, but also hobbies or useful things. Then the situation will develop according to one of two scenarios:

Thanks to being busy, boredom will gradually recede, since only idleness served as the cause of the depressed state.
Bad mood will remain unchanged or worsen.

The reasons for the second option are completely different problems. One of them is the complete absence of classes. But energy can be in excess. Not being able to calm the excited state of any business, a person begins to get bored. So the next step is the best solution.

2. Calm down and try to relax.

Effective relaxation helps reduce emotional arousal. Thanks to this, boredom develops into relaxation. Perhaps this is what the body lacks. Exhaustion causes a breakdown, which is falsely taken for laziness and boredom. A few simple ways to relax:

meditation, preferably with quiet, calm music, subdued light and aroma sticks or candles;
sleep, ensuring peace and quiet;
dream about future successes, figure out how to achieve them;
relax in nature;
watch aquarium fish - they perfectly calm the nervous system;
go to yoga, massage or any relaxation procedure.

If the problem is not overwork, then relaxation will not drive away melancholy and bored mood. In this case, it's time to move on to the third step.

3. Focus on something.

Especially on a specific object or person. In the first step, it was already suggested to find something to do. However, in situations where you just have to wait, it is difficult to find an interesting case. Walking around the airport during a flight delay quickly gets boring, and getting out of the queue without risking your seat is almost impossible. So, you can try to keep your attention on some object.

Sneak peeking into a neighbor's book or looking through the lines of newspapers near the kiosk while the owner has turned away is not very fun. Although connoisseurs of detectives will do. The rest is better to pay attention to others. You can unobtrusively examine a person and ask yourself the following questions:

What is his name?
How old is he?
What is he doing in this place, where will he go next?
What is his profession?
Does he have a couple and children?
Is this a sincere person or is he hiding something behind smiling masks?
What does his clothes, accessories, bags, gait, behavior say about him?

Previously bored players who are deeply immersed in such an activity are surprised how close to reality their guesses turn out to be. In addition, this game can push you to new acquaintances. And if the object of observation suddenly notices that he is being followed, then psychologists recommend not to look away immediately, but simply smile.

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4. Conduct an analysis of the last months.

These methods do not help? Then, perhaps, the reason for boredom is hidden not in the current situation, but somewhere in the past? If so, it is advisable to try to remember your life over the past six months. Negative emotion could be caused by:

severe mental shock, severe psychological trauma;
routine, continuous monotony in actions;
lack of a clear understanding of their goals and desires;
ignoring one's own feelings, caring for anyone but oneself;
a terribly unloved job or other systematic activity that you absolutely don’t want to do.

It is impossible to be a fully happy person by following other people's rules. These two stories are proof of that.

Parents want their son to become a lawyer, not a violinist, as he wishes. In order not to upset his loved ones and meet their expectations, the guy goes to study at the law academy. Receives a diploma, finds a job in his specialty. A few years later, he has prestige, money, respect from his parents. As well as boredom, irritation, self-hatred, uncontrollable outbursts of anger. And another bottle of alcohol next to a broken violin.

A young man marries for love. The wife is an angel in the flesh. Her only negative is that she demands that her husband give up weekly football games with friends for her sake. The man loves to chase the ball with his friends, this is his true hobby, but ... Inspired by the sharpness of feelings, he agrees to his wife's ultimatum.

Six months later, a bored guy tries to talk to his wife and still go to the football game. Gets a tantrum that ends only after he abandons the intention. A few months later, the missus begins to accuse her husband of his passivity towards her, household chores. A year later, she finds him in bed with another. Divorce.

5. Change life in accordance with the results of the analysis.

If the two situations described in the previous step, to put it mildly, do not meet expectations, then it's time to act. What you can do:

learn more about your desires, ambitions, dreams;
stop ignoring personal needs, emotions;
add something new to life or, conversely, get rid of something;
change the way you perform everyday tasks;
learn new things;
love yourself, develop self-respect.

In other cases, the next step will help.

6. Visit a psychotherapist's office.

Sometimes this is the only correct and effective solution. Talking with a specialist is about discovering and accepting yourself. Some people face stereotypes that stop them on their way to professional help.

The doctor will climb into the head.

No, he will not require anything to be said against the client's own will. Will not press. Push? Of course, because, by overcoming indecision, a person is able to get rid of a dozen problems. But this is help, not pressure.

Going to the doctor means that the person is sick.

The patient really needs help. But, firstly, why is no one afraid to talk about a visit to a therapist, a cardiologist, an ophthalmologist? Although they are exactly the same doctors as a psychotherapist, the field of treatment is only different. Secondly, the psychotherapist is not a psychiatrist. In fact, the first one solves the problems with which they turn to a psychologist, only he also has a medical education.

An entry in a medical record from a psychotherapist is bad for a career.

Many specialists do not work with medical books at all. At most, they take notes in their own notebooks to keep everything in their heads. The law on medical secrecy does not allow them to tell someone about the problems of their clients. Sometimes even conscience.

A rare short-term boredom in itself is not dangerous and even useful.

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