wellness
20 CalmMoment.com
W
e’ve all experienced it, that time we
got stuck at a social event with someone
who talked endlessly about themselves;
or when we waited for ages in passport control
after a tedious eight-hour flight; or sat through a
lecture, wishing it were over... What is it about
boredom that reduces us to tired, irritable heaps?
Of all the states of mind that exist, boredom is
perhaps the most intriguing. What it is, why does it
happen and, perhaps most curiously of all, does it
have any purpose?
In today’s rather relentless world, the possibility
of ever being bored can seem remote. These days,
it’s often the things I have to do – the supermarket
shop, again? – rather than me not having enough to
do, like when I was a child, that bore me.
The idea that boredom has its benefits isn’t lost
on me, but it takes a bit of unpacking. Said to fall
into two categories, boredom can be situational
or repetitive. Situational boredom describes those
occasions when hanging about with nothing to do
is foisted upon us: waiting for a bus, for example
(which is why I always carry a good book in my
bag). Repetitive boredom occurs from doing the
same task over and over again. This can even
include activity we once enjoyed, but which now,
months or years on, palls.
Boredom can arise out of a lack of engagement,
which can also occur when we are exhausted,
depressed or anxious. When this happens, it’s
important to see it for what it is and take steps
to address any underlying problem that might be
contributing to our low mood and ennui. And
sometimes we experience boredom because we
have developed a need for instant gratification, part
of our do-it-now/have-it-now mentality. How much
time is spent scrolling Instagram in a futile bid to
avoid boredom through distraction? Maybe we
would be better off accepting we’re bored, then
finding something worth engaging with.
Although boredom is often seen negatively – you
know the proverb, ‘the devil finds work for idle
hands’ – seeing it as some useful time out, allowingThe benefits of boredom
By welcoming boredom as the downtime we all need,
it could become your next great motivator
Words: Harriet Griffey / Illustration: Ellice Weaverus the opportunity to clear the mind, can be helpful.
It can be used as time to mull over, consider, reject
and reconsider ideas and possibilities. So don’t fight
it. When boredom comes knocking, welcome the
downtime, succumb to it and see what it yields.
Akin to daydreaming, which research has shown to
be an active state of brain function, boredom could
be your next great motivator.
It would seem, too, as if boredom is something to
be feared. It’s certainly true that if our children tell
us they’re bored, it can feel like a parenting failure
or a red alert that they might find some thrill-
seeking, and potentially dangerous, activity
to compensate. But being kept relentlessly busy to
avoid mischief can actually be counter-productive.
Without the experience of boredom, children can’t
develop the imagination or learn the self-motivation
to address it. Being bored is actually an important
and necessary stage of intellectual development.
Albert Einstein deliberately sought out a boring
occupation – a desk job in a patent office – to allow
his brain the time and space to come up with big
ideas. Einstein called this creative boredom, when
he let his brain idle in a quiet zone and then was
able to give full rein to his relentless curiosity.
It may be that engendering curiosity can save us
from boredom – curiosity in the how, what, why
and when of life. Maybe we should see being bored
as the transitional state it is: a welcome pause; an
opportunity for reflection; a moment to collect and
re-focus our thoughts; no more nor less than that,
and certainly not something that has to always
be fought against.Harriet Griffey is a writer,
journalist and author of more than
20 books on health and wellbeing.
Harriet’s new book on burnout will
be published by Hardie Grant in
spring 2020.