The Importance of Being Bored

Being bored keeps us human- prohibiting us from becoming robots.

Over the last few years, boredom has become more and more rare for me. With all the stimulation we receive through the digital world nowadays, the threat of boredom has decreased tremendously. It is much easier now to retreat into a virtual world when even the slightest touch of boredom pokes us. Phones ping us with a dopamine rush, providing instant impulse pleasure, helping us to flee from boredoms terrifying grasp! The momentary joy we all get from going online is not fulfilling. Real joy comes from real life. Being bored is a natural, normal part of life- no matter how mundane it sounds. One of my favorite quotes (as mentioned on my websites newly added quotes tab) is from The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho and it states "“The simple things are also the most extraordinary things, and only the wise can see them.” I read this quote recently and thought: Being bored is simple, and easy to do soo lets see if it can result in something 'extraordinary'

So I let myself be bored! I stared at the wall and then picked at the rug that I was laying on. I laid in the position that my childhood dog used to lay in on the stairs and then I did a headstand and then a handstand and then had a head rush. Then I thought:

Mr.Boredom must be super bored all the time since no one wants to hang out with him anymore due to these damn phones

And then I stared at the ceiling and then I thought about how I haven't practiced a monologue in a really long time and so I practiced one.

My playdate with boredom wasn't anything extraordinary by any means, but it was insightful. It helped me feel connected to myself, and to my inner child. It led to me doing something creative and it made my day feel longer than they usually do. If you are someone who constantly feels like you are running out of time, try being bored! If you want to be creative but have some sort of block- let boredom inspire you!

I think boredom is a good form of meditation and helps to strengthen our individuality. Sometime this week you should try being bored.

The moral of the story is clearly to let yourself be bored, yes, BUTTT also- what a shame it is that technology is now robbing us of these precious peaceful moments we have alone with ourselves! Time to think, to be bored, staring at grass, sitting on the stairs, laying on our bellies and sighing and rolling our eyes and huffing and puffing and groaning "im booooorrreddd" is a critical (!) vital (!) and useful (!) component to the human experience. Don't let the lustful fake pleasures of the digital world draw you away from reality, even the mundane aspects of it, such as spending time with boredom.