Feeling bored is a common emotion that arises when we are not interested or engaged in an activity. It’s seen as a negative experience and most of us have felt it. An example is when you are in a work meeting or in class and are not interested in listening and are getting frustrated and restless with the content or delivery.
Although boredom is normal, for some, this feeling can have negative consequences. For instance, it can make it hard to concentrate when we need to pay attention, stop us learning and make us feel angry. This, in turn, can affect our interactions with others and our behaviour such as expressing our boredom in a way that gets us into trouble. Think for example, where a child may get told off for not paying attention or where we might express anger and irritability verbally.
Another problem with boredom is that people feel unmotivated and become unproductive. We can then engage in meaningless and mindless activities. Boredom can, for some people, increase their likelihood of being disruptive. When we feel bored, we crave stimulation, and some people may seek it in ways that lead to trouble, such as engaging in risky behaviours like substance use or making impulsive decisions in an attempt to find something novel and exciting.
It’s not possible to always be entertained and never be bored but it’s important that we have ways to cope with it when it happens and also minimise its occurrence. Here are some strategies:
Do mentally stimulating activities at work and play. Finding what we are interested in and passionate about is important to make our lives meaningful and interesting. It might be a hobby, a type of work, a research interest or a sport.
Do activities that you enjoy and are mentally stimulating regularly. Find things you find please in and can access for different amounts of time. For example, what can you do if you only have a few minutes if you don’t have hours to do something?
Know what your strengths and weaknesses are. If you’re not good at sitting still for long periods, have regular breaks and move your body regularly. Try not to expect others to do this either, such as children.
Set time limits for activities with rewards for completion. This helps motivate us to continue with tasks we don’t enjoy such as household chores.
Do regular, mentally stimulating things but also allow downtime. We have to teach our brains to cope with relaxation and lack of stimulation so our brains can revitalise and replenish. Resting is actually productive.
Moving our body regularly can also help with boredom as it releases endorphins that lift our mood and release the frustration we can feel when we are bored.
Socially engage with people whose company you enjoy. Have fun with your friends or engage in an interesting debate.
As adults, we often have to help children explore and find new ways to express themselves, so they don’t get bored also.
