Boredom has generated more daydreams, doodles, Facebook posts, and Candy Crush games than any other state of mind. When you’re mind-meltingly bored, you’ll do whatever is at hand to occupy you.

If you’re stuck in a class or a meeting, escaping into your mind or putting pen to paper might be the only options. When you’re alone, screens and media can temporarily quell the swell of boredom.

If you suffer from boredom often, you should get to the root cause of those feelings, because boredom isn’t a random occurrence. It points to something deeper. So first, let’s look at what boredom is not.

Boredom Isn’t a Lack of Entertainment

Listening to your sprogs moaning that they’re bored on a long journey can make you believe that children need huge amounts of stimulation. Yet kids can play with a box for hours without getting bored. If little people can entertain themselves with a piece of cardboard, big people can’t claim that they don’t have enough distractions.

Heck, we have hundreds of TV channels, millions of books, and an entire World Wide Web to turn to if we want entertaining. Despite the variety, all of these get uninteresting after a while. Distracting yourself is only a short-term solution and doesn’t solve the problem of boredom.

This is as dull as dishwater.

Boredom Isn’t a Lack of Things to DoMost bored people don’t do things that need doing, like housework or homework. Important tasks never seem appealing when you are eye-wateringly bored. In fact, you may even put these things off because they seem very, well, “boring”.

Most bored people don’t do things that need doing, like housework or homework. Important tasks never seem appealing when you are eye-wateringly bored. In fact, you may even put these things off because they seem very, well, “boring”.

Boredom doesn’t occur randomly. If you sit with boredom long enough, it will tell you what you are lacking in your life. I’m guessing it’s one (or more) of the following:

Boredom Is a LACK of…

Connection

Loneliness is a leading cause of boredom. That’s why things that distract us from being lonely, such as social media, can seem tempting when we’re bored. But, if you’ve ever felt lonely in a room of other people, you’ll know that being in contact with others doesn’t always stop loneliness.

Connecting means more than posting on Instagram or chattering on Twitter. Connection is a deep relationship based on mutual understanding and empathy. If loneliness is fuelling your boredom, reach out to others online or offline who have similar goals, beliefs, or ideals.

Novelty

Maaan, this tiger is boring.

Human beings are hard-wired to be aroused by novelty. In the days when we were prey, it was important to be alert for new things on the horizon which might want to eat us. Now that we work in grey cubicles, eat microwave meals, and the newest thing in our life is the latest character in a soap opera, things can easily seem dull.

Seek out new things all the time. It doesn’t have to be anything as dangerous as a saber-toothed tiger. Simply switching up your routine or walking an unfamiliar route home can help you feel less bored with the “daily grind”. When you have free time, try new foods, meet new people, or take up a fresh challenge.

Creativity

Doodling and daydreaming are the perfect ways of working our creativity muscles while doing something dull. Humans are meant to express themselves creatively to help them be individuals. We go through different phases of this, from finger-paints as kids to fashion “choices” as teens.

Adults lacking a creative output can try any form of art that appeals; dance or drawing, writing or weaving, knitting or cooking. Yes, cookery can be art. You should see the Jackson Pollock I make of my kitchen.

Meaning

The lack of meaning in life is why short-term solutions don’t satisfy our boredom for long. If you’re hungry for meaningfulness, liking a Facebook post of someone’s lunch won’t help you.

All human beings have at least one purpose. These could include parenting, teaching, campaigning, befriending, or helping. Unsurprisingly, most people’s purpose has connection with others at its core. So if you haven’t solved your boredom, brainstorm your purpose. Once you engage with that, it’s actually rather difficult to be bored.

How To Stop Boredom

Essentially, boredom is a miscommunication between you and your mind. Ask yourself which of the things above you are missing most right now, and attempt to correct it. It may be more than one of these things.

If I feel bored, I write a blog post on one of my websites, which gives me a new creative thing to do that connects me to others deeply and means something to me. See how that ticks all the boxes?

Speaking of boxes, you now know how to calm kids on a long car journey. Let them be creative; engage them with something new; connect with them; do something that matters to them. You can thank me later for your scream-free travels.

https://www.wiseism.com/wp-content/uploads/Boredom-1.jpghttps://www.wiseism.com/wp-content/uploads/Boredom-1-150x150.jpgThe WiseistWise LivingWise Mindboredom,cure boredom,how to not be bored,living wisely,why we get bored,wisdom,wise decisions,wise living,wise mind,wise ways of living,wiseismBoredom has generated more daydreams, doodles, Facebook posts, and Candy Crush games than any other state of mind. When you’re mind-meltingly bored, you’ll do whatever is at hand to occupy you. If you’re stuck in a class or a meeting, escaping into your mind or putting pen to paper might...Using Wisdom To Improve Your Life