The good in being bored
We have forgotten the art of being bored.
From ipad kids to doom scrolling on the toilet, we have all experienced the lack of interest, motivation, and dullness for a period of time. Now whether this is a constant battle of yours or a seasonal motif - when it hits what structures do you have in place to remedy it, if any? And why are we so determined to fill our space with attention dysfunctional occupancy?
Mindset shifting. I was recently at the holy grail of “groceries for one” - Trader Joe’s and caught the tail end of my cashier’s conversation with her bagger. They were discussing the basketball game that would be on that night and how they would probably be scrolling their phones while watching tv and flipping through channels. Of course, in true Trader Joe’s employee fashion, they asked what my plans were for the rest of the day and what I had recently been watching.
Now for context to my response. For the last several years I have chosen to live without a tv - habitually I do consume shows and movies through my devices from time to time, however the historical significance of a centerfront tv in the home did not interest me. One reason being, I am overstimulated with my job in marketing. I live on the computer for long periods of time and when I come home, the hibernation effect kicks in and I love to exist in visual silence.
So my response to the two ladies, about my age, was along the lines of “I love to watch things intimately; however I limit myself to windows of time based on my day. I don’t enjoy having a big day saturated with attention grabbing tasks and information, then to go home and marinate in more things that are alien to my own person, and experience that on repeat.” Not to say I don’t doom scroll when I know I could be doing something more beneficial for my body.
“We have forgotten to be bored.” I shared it with them. Like a lightbulb moment, they realized the “norm” we’ve been trained to perceive as reality really wasn’t anything beneficial.
In all of this, I expose my thoughts to your perception because I want to encourage a mindset shift. Something that provokes a healthy spark of “why do I do this?” or “do I have good habits in place to protect myself”, you fill in the blank.
How did I start to believe I had power over my actions and could truly control what I consumed? What an astounding thought, don't you think? It is so strange our culture is conditioning itself in a movement that is trying to uncondition itself. That's a whole other TedTalk. Now, being bored is the start to reilluminating the parts of your brain and imagination that we have plastered with parasitic social media, etc. Start electing to remove your phone from your bedtime/restroom time, if your commute is short in the mornings do it in silence for low impact music, give yourself windows of time you will watch the news - or don’t on certain days. Start small and notice the impact you will have when you permit your brain to work without all the noise around you.
Of course, this looks different for each of us. But I promise, sifting through the discomfort for the first few weeks will really help you experience yourself in a new way. Benefiting the structure you are building around your own mindset and personal health.
These are just a few of the practices I try to implement in my daily life. I want a stronger presence with my family and friends, the outlets I find inspiration and learn from for my work are precious to me and I protect my influences heavily. I want my creativity to really be my own and not diluted by what I see others mimicking. I want to protect my body and health, so I choose to filter how I impact my life and what conditions my perceptions.
This is why being bored is so good.
