How do you deal with boredom?

How do you deal with boredom?

Sophia is her parents’ first child. She gets up in the morning to help her younger siblings get to school on time; clean the dishes, make breakfast for everyone, and help everyone with anything else. Sophia is seventeen years old. When she finally finishes everything in the morning and sits down to relax, she is exhausted. Her school is closed for the summer, so she has nothing to do but surf the web. Linda, her best friend, calls her later in the day. “Hey, girlfriend, what’s going on?” she inquired. Sophia complains afterwards to a friend about how bored she was.

What is boredom?

They are so many interpretations and meanings to the word in question. Teenagers like Sophia feel bored when they have more time on their hands than their responsibilities and obligations require, and not quite enough inspiration or imagination to make great use of that time. According to Merriam Webster’s dictionary, boredom is the state of being weary and restless through lack of interest. It is a common feeling unsatisfied by an activity or not interested in it. Boredom can set in when you have excess energy but having nowhere to direct it to.  

Symptoms of boredom.

Common symptoms of boredom include:
• When you lack interest in anything that is happening around you, you’re probably feeling bored.
• If you have this feeling of emptiness accompanied with frustration, that’s boredom.
•Feeling tired, distressed, apathetic or jittery sometimes signifythatored.
• No sense of excitement is an indication of boredom.
• Having trouble staying motivated.

Why do people feel bored?

The reason why people feel bored may be one or a combination of the following reasons:

1. Inadequate rest or nutrition.
2. Lack of choice or control over daily happenings/activities.
3. Low levels of mental stimulation.
4. Lack of diversified recreational/outdoor activities.
5. When you have unsettled thoughts or something bordering you that you haven’t you attended to. This will lead to lack of interest in almost everything thereby bring boredom.
6. You can actually feel bored because a particular activity you engage in is monotonous.

Is boredom diagnosable?

How can you deal with boredom if it’s not diagnosable? Boredom is a usual response to some situations. It isn’t harmful. In children, occasionally making events stimulates their brain in a way by helping them to be creative and to find solution to their daily problems easily. In reality, there is no test or examination that can diagnose boredom. However, you need to know that if boredom persists for a long period of time it can lead to depression. For children who can’t adequately describe themselves, a mental health professional may ask them questions and get clues to why they’re feeling the way they are feeling. The adults too are encouraged to talk to their doctor about boredom mainly because different remedies exist for different situations.

How do you deal with boredom?

Maintaining a daily routine is one way to combat boredom. It isn’t a must that you must do the same activities every day. Try to set aside time for work, church, exercise, hobbies, chores, and socialising or any other activity. Even with all of this in place, it is possible to still become bored. If you are bored due to a lack of mental stimulation or companionship, try the following activities whenever boredom strikes:
a. Engage yourself in your favourite workout routine like taking selfies or dancing.
b. Try reading a book or magazine.
c. Try out a new cooking recipe.
d. Connect with loved ones or favourite persons like Sophia did.
e. Get adequate sleep in between work.
f. Try out new gatherings and clubs you think are interesting and fun.
g. Get involved in learning interesting things like one of these:

• Photoshop
• Adobe Illustrator
• Sketchbook, etc

h. Make yourself your own cheerleader. You can fall into the hands of boredom if your confidence is shaky. Who wants to work hard toward a goal when your confidence in your ability to succeed has been shaken? Take some time to reflect on your victories and high points so that you can regain confidence and keep moving forward. i. Meditate.

Conclusion:

The best way to deal with boredom is to face it head on. Consider your to-do list. Before you find something fun to do, commit to doing just one tiny task on that list. Often, putting off your boredom for a few minutes by doing something productive can help you get rid of it. Staying socially active also helps, along with engaging in hobbies and games that make you feel active amongst other activities. Adjust your compass. One known cause of boredom is lack of direction. Try to get direction in everything you do. Moreover, spending few minutes thinking about your goals, desires, and passions simply brings up your motivation again. If boredom is making you vulnerable to activities like substance abuse, depression or suicidal thought, seek a mental professional right away.