Category Archives: Boredom

This moment is this moment. What will you do with it?

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This moment is this moment. What will you do with it? Consider using it to perform an act of service.

—Calm App Reflection

Image from Unsplash by Thabang Madnsela

How often do you catch yourself feeling bored with seemingly nothing to do?

What are your default activities at these times? Do you grab a snack, watch a show, or browse the web and social media feeds?

Although these activities can fill you stomach and your time, they are only temporary fixes that become empty rather quickly.

What if instead you looked to serve and support someone else at these times? Something more rewarding often shows up!

EXERCISE:

Who can you support and serve in this moment?

How would filling more of the gaps in your days by helping others fill some of the emptiness we often feel when we focus on ourselves?

“You are the laboratory and every day is an experiment. Go and find what is new and unexpected.”

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“You are the laboratory and every day is an experiment. Go and find what is new and unexpected.”

—Joel Elkes, 20th Century father of neuropsychopharmacology

Image from Unsplash by NASA

How often do you feel bored? How have your daily habits and rituals caused you to feel stalled or stopped? Where have you entered a form of hibernation, penned up in your den, waiting for some better day to emerge?

In winter, many of us simply hunker down to wait out the cold, dark days. We often seek out comfort foods and warm blankets until the coast is clear to come out into the newness offered by mother nature’s unfolding of spring.

Imagine you had the opportunity to spend the winter months on the international space station where every moment counts. Instead of sleeping in, you would enter the laboratory of your days to conduct various experiments to unearth new possibilities and discoveries.

EXERCISE:

Where and how can you add more experimentation to your days? How can and will you use your precious time to discover something new and unexpected today?

“When you pay attention to boredom, it gets unbelievably interesting.”

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“When you pay attention to boredom, it gets unbelievably interesting.”

—Jon Kabat-Zinn, PhD, scientist, writer, and meditation teacher

Image of a woman looking bored

Image from Unsplash by Callie Morgan

Did you know that there are three types of boredom, each involving problems of engagement and attention? They are times when:

  • We are prevented from engaging in desired activities
  • We are forced to participate in unwanted activities
  • We are simply unable – for whatever reason – to maintain our level of engagement in an activity

For some, boredom may be taken as the essential human condition to which God, Wisdom, or Morality are the ultimate answer. Many sources note that boredom can be a dangerous and disruptive state of mind that can negatively influence our health. Meanwhile, some research suggests that without boredom we could not realize many of our most creative achievements.

EXERCISE:

Where in your personal or professional life do you find yourself over-stimulated and even a bit addicted to the attention-grabbing objects and experiences around you?

Where would seeking more quiet and even boring moments in your life be a time for renewal and personal growth?