The Gift of Being Bored

At the end of the day when you do absolutely nothing all day you probably feel a ping of guilt because you were incredibly unproductive. People don’t actually participate in boredom because of it’s negative press that’s been unfairly given to it. Those days for me however are the BEST! I recommend them highly. Intentionally working through your day can have its time, but having it turned on 24-7 can take it’s toll. Boredom can give you the recharge you need on several different fronts.

Boredom itself doesn’t sound very glamorous as you read the definition below:

“…the state of being weary and restless through lack of interest.” – Merriam Webster

That also can be the best thing for your health. It can be a very satisfying state of ignorance and bliss. Sometimes we just need to give our brains pockets of time where it can just stop racing. Engaging boredom releases us from our technology addiction, helps us cultivate mindfulness, can make us more creative, and relieves stress.

Take creativity first. Boredom gets us jammed out of the monotonous ruts we aren’t aware of enough in the moment because we can’t stop racing. Day in and out we have conditioned ourselves that pausing is something people will vilify us for. Break the routine and you can find your creative juices again. Daydreaming during our boredom can spike our creativeness. Lack of stimulation in our respective routines we do on autopilot everyday can only be found by putting yourself in a bored posture.

With mindfulness the very act of boredom forces a state of unplugging from constant engagement. Boredom in moderation should be embraced in our ever connected world so we can be more aware of what we’re missing out on. It can help us bring a sort of mindfulness to the environments around us when we engage boredom. There can come a certain type of ingenuity and increased awareness when you disconnect. This type of mindfulness you enter from boredom can be just the catalyst for making that leap to a better situation.

Boredom is not being lazy, it’s the opposite. It’s smart and allows you once you reengage to optimize better. Its also inevitable and will happen to you at some point. Being aware of it when it happens and using it for targeted reasons is a incredibly healthy thing to allow. Boredom can help you recast the world around you in a better way and see what your constant connectivity has not allowed you the space to see.

Thanks for reading!

✌ Shawn