Boredom: how to identify and avoid it
If there’s one thing that all of humanity – from the poor to the rich, from the young to the old, from the busy ones to the ones who’ve got nothing to do – has experienced, it would be boredom. In our society, Boredom is taken lightly. And remedies suggested by modern society to overcome for this malady are mostly instantaneous and short-lived. Unable to arrive at real long-lasting solutions, we are forced to live and deal with boredom in our own ways. Many times we are unable to identify boredom and instead mistake it for tiredness. Boredom is dangerous. When it goes unidentified, the damage it can cause increases multifold. From causing unhealthy eating habits, to numbing the senses to the point that a person neglects personal hygiene, and forfeiting personal and societal responsibilities, to crippling us with laziness, boredom can go to great lengths to destroy us. Identifying and getting rid of it is critical to success. So how does on identify boredom and get rid of it?
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Be aware of your feelings
We are hit by a Tsunami of emotions every single day. In the rush of the modern world, we do not get the time to pause and pay attention to every little thing we think, say, or do. Most thoughts of ours carry on and fade out from our conscious memory without a closure. But it moves out to the unconscious mind and becomes an unnamed, unidentifiable splinter in our heads. Once this happens, it immediately comes in the way of our productivity. It shatters our focus and drains us of all the enthusiasm and energy. This feeling, in laymen’s terms, is called boredom. Every bored feeling has a root cause. The minute we feel out of place or uncomfortable mentally, that is, whenever we feel bored, we need to retrace our mental steps to find out why we feel the way we are feeling. If we take the time out to introspect, we would be able to find the cause of our boredom, and we could take corrective measures to get rid of the feeling.
Develop a hobby
A hobby is your self defence against boredom. There are complex hobbies that demand a lot of time, requiring great many things, and there are hobbies that come to rescue you from boredom anywhere and anytime. For example, hobbies like doodling or initiating conversations are great ways to kill boredom.
Follow a routine
Following a routine is one of the most powerful ways to kick boredom out of our lives. But the trouble is, when put together thoughtlessly, a routine in itself can become boring. When putting together a routine, one must ensure enough room for physical activity (yoga or jogging), mental activity (reading a book, researching a favourite subject), meditative activity (cleaning the living or working space), walking, and creative activity (building something, drawing or painting, playing musical instruments). Following a thought-out routine helps keeping the mind refreshed and boredom at bay.
Boredom can be more harmful than we realise. The quicker we identify its presence in our lives, the quicker we take measures to free ourselves from its clutches.
