When was the last time you felt truly bored? If I’m being honest, I can’t even remember.
But how often do I feel as if I’m wasting my time, spending it on frivolous activities with no long lasting benefit?
Almost always.
Boredom is defined as the aversive experience of wanting, but being unable, to engage in satisfying activity. The key difference between me being bored, and me engaging in unsatisfying activities is that experience of wanting, of having a conscious desire to be doing something else.
Where exactly did this awareness go? Why am I unable to be bored like I used to?
You won’t be surprised to hear that I think the emergence of technology has largely stripped us of the ability to be bored. Its use has become a habitual response to lulls in activity, and as such, boredom is distracted as we absent-mindedly flood our brain with dopamine. Through this act we are disconnected from the present and become a vessel with only one task: absorb.
But surely boredom is a bad thing, right? I mean, it definitely feels unpleasant. Shouldn’t we be glad that we can avoid it?
I think not, and research backs it up.
Quiet moments give us the opportunity to engage in introspection. To become more attuned with ourselves and cultivate a strong inner identity. This allows us to be more mindful and present. As someone with strong dissociative tendencies, time in the present is very valuable to me. It gives me a sense of connectedness to the world and an appreciation of my integral place in it. This I cherish.
Further, boredom enables us to reflect on the past and imagine our future. To weave together the narrative of our lives and make meaning out of it. Moreover, it propels us to think creatively and is the perfect state to come up with new ideas.
Without these opportunities, what becomes of the self? I say from experience, nothing good.
In our busy and bustling modern lives, it is paramount to fully appreciate the gaps and pauses. Try to escape them through distraction though, and you will find yourself quickly exhausted.
It is true that boredom is experienced as a negative. That much cannot be changed. What we can change is how we respond to it. Notice your boredom, revel in it, and allow your mind to wander. Embrace boredom with curiosity, and in doing this you might find that letting your mind play unrestricted propels you into a state of flow.
Flow is boredom’s polar opposite. It involves being fully engaged in an activity in which we are able to make progress, but which also tests our abilities. It must also be something we find joy in and are able to focus on deeply. In this state we are fully absorbed, energised, and lose sense of space and time entirely. Our reflective inner voice is for once silenced, and worry is absent.
We must understand that dopamine will not rid us of boredom. It will simply distract it momentarily. Without the opportunity to rest and reset your brain, you will tire, and you will burn out. You might even lose touch with your sense of self.
Distraction is the true enemy of progress, not boredom. So it must be asked…
Why are we so afraid to sit with our own thoughts?
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