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What to Do When Bored: A Summary

Boredom is one strange phenomenon. Really.

Isn’t it incredible that the world is filled with endless options, with countless opportunities and with infinite activities yet all of us, at one time or another, find ourselves afflicted with this dull state of mind called boredom?

Everything seems lacklustre. Nothing seems interesting enough, exciting enough, captivating enough.

Have you Googled Things to do when bored yet and looked at the numerous ways it provides to tackle boredom? You should try :) It’s quite entertaining and may stave off your boredom for a while.

I found myself so bored today that I Googled knock knock jokes. Here’s a good one:

Knock knock!
Who’s there?
Alex.
Alex who?
Alexplain when you open the door!

Funny, right? :) Here’s another that made me laugh out loud:

Knock knock!
Who’s there?
Abby.
Abby who?
Abby birthday to you!

But that was just a few minutes and then, I was back to being bored again. In fact, I found myself ruminating on boredom itself. I convinced myself it was a fantastic topic to contemplate upon but the mind was too smart for my shenanigans. It figured out what I was trying to do instantly.

Aha! It seemed to say. You’re trying to distract me into not being bored. Nice try. Find something else. Come on! You must know what to do when bored. Haven’t we been bored for years now?

In other words, I was a boredom expert.

It’s rather unfortunate, really. Because one thing that I have figured out in all these years of being bored is that no activity is stimulating 100% of the time. Even the most exciting activities (like bungee jumping or parasailing) have boredom built into them. Do it enough times and you’ll find yourself getting bored.

Why?

Because it’s not the activity itself that’s boring. It’s the mind’s averseness to routine and sameness. Its sense of belonging comes from restlessness. Get rid of the restlessness and the mind will disappear which, of course, it doesn’t want.

The only way to keep these activities fresh forevermore is to do them mindfully each time. When we do something with awareness, it doesn’t seem boring anymore.

The solution is that simple, that obvious. It’s just challenging to do.

If you don’t believe me, try it. Powerpuff yourself into being mindful. It’s worth it.

At least, I think it is. I’m still trying myself :)
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