Eliminate Boredom

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As human beings, we are in a constant quest to reduce pain and increase pleasure in our lives.  Everything we do can really be traced back to that basic concept. 

Boredom is one of the most common forms of “pain” in our society today.  It is a relatively new phenomenon, and like many other issues related to “modern life” it is increasing at a rapid pace.

So, to eliminate boredom (and, therefore, decrease the pain associated with "being bored"), it's important to understand how it manifests in our lives and how we can deal with it.

As the box to the right shows, the definition of boredom relates to “discomfort” and “lack of interest”.  For most people this means a lack of interest in “anything”.  Being bored generally means there is a feeling of nothing “fun” or “exciting” to do.  There is nothing that motivates or invigorates us.

Boredom:  The state of being weary and restless through lack of interest; marked by an empty feeling; the discomfort of having nothing to do.

Boredom is marked by an empty feeling, as well as frustration with that emptiness. It is characterized by the perception of one's environment as dull, tedious, and lacking in stimulation.  People who are bored frequently have a limited attention span and a lack of interest in goings-on around them. People who are bored can sometimes seem apathetic and fatigued, and sometimes seem nervous and jittery.

The average person watches television 5 hours per day – an all time high.  That translates to over 3 months out of every year watching TV – or 15 years over a lifetime.  Fifteen years watching TV!!  Does that sound okay to you?  If so, I say, get a life!  If not, then read on to discover the alternatives to eliminate boredom.

Why Are We Bored?

Partly because of advances in technology and the obsession with always being connected, we are getting increasingly bored when we perceive we are not being “entertained” in some way and when we don’t feel the sense of constant stimulation.  That’s why we do many of the things we do that aren’t very productive – or even good for us (or society).   And, it’s really prevalent amongst children today.

Yes, boredom is endemic to our culture – and the yearning for distraction (because of the discomfort of feeling there is nothing to do) can be intolerable for many people.

It is a relatively new phenomenon, too.  In the past, there were not as many ways to distract ourselves, so being “alone with our thoughts” was much more common – and, therefore, more comfortable.

Now, however, our brains have become habituated to constant stimulation, producing within us a need to maintain it.

Withdrawal from constant stimulation can lead us to even resort to negative stimulation.    In fact, recent research shows that people would rather endure an electric shock than just being alone in quiet thought.   In kids, for example, if they are bored, they may resort to getting in trouble as a way to “excite” themselves and feel less bored.

As an alternative, we attempt to apply even more technology to relieve ourselves of the boredom that results from immersion in a world of technology.  Again, we look to entertainment – and our nearly constant craving for entertainment points fundamentally to our unhappiness with our reality. 

We are uncomfortable doing nothing partly due to the relentless anxiety that dominates modern life.

But current levels of artificial stimulation are essentially unnatural.   Distraction is available 100% of the time with smart phones – “Tweets”, texting, FaceBook, etc.

Yes, as a society, we are addicted to stimulation and are bored if we don’t get it.  And it’s getting worse.  Children are going to have a hard time with this since they are being brought up in this technological tsunami.  They won’t know anything different.  Wearable computing is now a reality, and while there are many great things about advancements in technology, is this the right direction we need to be going?

What to Do to Eliminate Boredom

Are you bored?  Well, let’s see.  Here are just a few of the common signs of boredom:

  • You want to do something but you feel too uninterested, lazy, and tired - so you ignore doing the task or activity, but then later you feel guilty for not doing it.
  • When you feel you don’t have anything interesting to do, you tend to do things over the limit such as over-eating, watching too much TV, or over-exercising just to pass the time.
  • You are irritable, sensitive and emotional about everything. You feel there is nothing to look forward to everyday and you expect you will stay in the rut forever.
  • You lose the enthusiasm to interact with people. You have that feeling that you should have company to feel better but you are simply not in the mood to socialize.

Importantly, while boredom itself is not a serious mental illness, long-term it can manifest as depression.  [NOTE: In children, the difference between boredom and depression may be difficult to recognize.  It is important to seek the help of a professional if you are concerned about it]. 

Once you have determined that you may be suffering from some degree of boredom, fundamentally, you need to do what everyone needs to do to really BE HAPPY and fulfilled, and that is to know what really would make you happiest in life.  I call it your personal Definition of Happiness. 

Many people are "bored" simply because they don't know what they really want in their lives to be happy.  So, I have made it easy to figure out.  Just click on the "Get Instant Access" button below to get your "Definition of Happiness Creator", and the two FREE ebooks as a gift, too...

Next, since we are so "addicted" to constant stimulation in our fast-paced, technological society today, we must each build an ability to just sit alone and think – or do nothing. 

Time alone is a crucial part of our mental health.

You can set aside an hour every day to just take a walk in a quiet, serene place - by yourself.  Or, even better ...

Learn to meditate.  Statistically, people who meditate are significantly less likely to suffer from boredom.  Click here to learn about meditation and how to get started or just check out some of the resources from Amazon.com to the left to get some simple, practical ways to eliminate boredom, learn to meditate, or just be happier in your life.

Bottom line, we all need to first know what we want and need to be happy and fulfilled by knowing our true Definition of Happiness.  Then, we need to be able to spend time alone - just thinking or meditating, so that we can break the habit of needing constant stimulation.

Give it a try.  Get my Definition of Happiness Creator by clicking here.  Then, check out some of the many resources on the right and left sides of this page to learn more about eliminating boredom, learning to have more fun, creating passion and being more fulfilled in life.

BeHappy! my friends



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