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Despite the endless stresses and opportunities of modern life, sometimes we still find ourselves getting bored. Even some of our favorite things can become routine. This guide will teach you how to fight boredom.
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Fighting Boredom Tips
- Take a good look at your life to figure out why you are bored.
- Try to look at things in a new way. "Find the fun" in everything you do.
- Try new things. Shake up your routine.
- Make a list of things you want to accomplish in life.
- Resist the urge to make rash decisions or develop unhealthy habits because you're bored.
- Try to appreciate your life. Remember that being bored is hardly the worst problem you could have.
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Despite the endless stresses and opportunities of modern life, sometimes we still find ourselves getting bored. Even some of our favorite things can become routine. This guide will teach you how to fight boredom.
-
Fighting Boredom Tips
- Take a good look at your life to figure out why you are bored.
- Try to look at things in a new way. "Find the fun" in everything you do.
- Try new things. Shake up your routine.
- Make a list of things you want to accomplish in life.
- Resist the urge to make rash decisions or develop unhealthy habits because you're bored.
- Try to appreciate your life. Remember that being bored is hardly the worst problem you could have.
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Disclaimer
The content in this page is not a substitute for professional medical advice. Please contact your doctor before using the information presented here. </note>- by Greg S
Introduction
- Modern life can keep you busy. Work and school can be very hectic, and when we have some time off, there is a dizzying variety of ways to entertain ourselves.
- But despite it all, we can still find ourselves getting bored sometimes. Maybe your job isn't challenging enough, or you're stuck taking a tedious class, or you're sick to death of keeping up with endless household chores. Maybe you're in a relationship that's gone stale. Maybe all of your favorite things have become too familiar, and they just aren't exciting you anymore.
- This guide will help you to break out of your rut and start enjoying life again.
Step 1: Figure Out Why You Are Bored
- There are a million possible reasons why a person can be bored, and those reasons are usually more complicated than, "I just can't think of anything to do." Knowing why you're bored will help you figure out what to do about it.
- If the cause of your boredom is obvious, if you hate your job or you're forced to take a class you don't care about, you at least know your boredom will improve as soon as you're out of that situation.
- If you find yourself just bored with life in general, you need to dig deeper to find out why this is happening.HealthyPlace.com: Overcoming Depression and Finding Happiness
- Sometimes what we think of as boredom is really depression.WebMD: Questions and Answers About Depression Take a good look at your life and consider if there are any issues you're not dealing with. If you think you may be suffering from depression, consult a medical professional.WebMD: Questions and Answers About Depression
- Are you getting enough sleep? Being chronically tired can affect how excited you are about life.American Insomnia Association: American Insomnia Association
- Get a check-up to make sure there's not an underlying health issue making you lethargic.
- If you're feeling chronically lethargic, it's wise to make sure there's not a physical cause.University of Maryland Medical Center: Fatigue
Step 2: Look at "Boring" Things in a New Way
- Sometimes we feel stuck doing boring things. But it's up to you whether you're bored or not.
- Use creative thinking to find the fun in everything.Stepcase Lifehack: How to Enjoy What You Are Doing No Matter What
- Truly happy people are happy almost every place they go. They're never "stuck in line," they strike up a conversation with the person next to them. When they go grocery shopping, they have fun observing their fellow shoppers.
- Instead of drifting aimlessly through your day, try making a specific list of things to do.43 Folders: Building a Smarter To-Do List, Part I (September 12, 2005)
- Set goals you can achieve. Accomplishing them will keep you busy and give you a sense of accomplishment.
- Nurture your artistic talents.Helium: Tips to alleviate boredom Being artistic allows you to look at life from a whole new angle.
- If you enjoy drawing, you can always take a sketchbook with you. Even if you're in a situation where you can't sketch, you can study objects around you, trying to understand their construction so you'll be able to draw them better.
- If you're a writer, you can use slow moments to think of stories, poems, etc. You're not wasting time in line at the bank, you're watching the people around you, listening to how the talk and imagining their lives.
- Sometimes we think we're bored, but we're really lonely. If you spend too much time by yourself, the world can seem pretty dull.
- Try to meet some new friends, perhaps through joining a club or taking a class.About.com: Adult Education: How Learning and Growing Can Help Relieve Stress (October 17, 2006)
- Contact old friends or family members you haven't spoken to for a while.
- If you follow the same route everyday, try mixing it up.
- Take the bus instead of driving. Walk instead of biking. Turn left instead of right.
- Seek out artistic genres you never explored before. Try listening to a new kind of music, watching foreign films or visiting galleries to experience a style of art you don't know much about.
- Volunteer for a cause that's important to you.About.com: Benefits of Altruism (November 24, 2007)
- You'll have some interesting experiences while doing your part to make the world a better place.
- This is also a good way to meet new people who share some of your interests.
Coping with Boredom At School and Work
- If you are bored at work or school, make the effort to get more involved.
- Perhaps you're confused about what you need to do, and you're bogged down. You should be honest about the situation with your boss or teacher. Ask for help.Helium: How to ask a teacher for extra help
- If you're bored at work, consider asking for more work to do and greater responsibilities.ABC News: Working Wounded: Wake Up! Tips to Fight Boredom at Work (January 25, 2008) If you have the capacity to do more, this is your chance to excel.
- If you're bored at school, it's possible you've just lost focus and you're missing a lot even if you're still getting acceptable grades.
- Resist the urge to tune out.KidsHealth: Six Steps to Smarter Studying (May, 2006) You may be surprised by how much you still have to learn.
- Try to be a bit more friendly and social.
- Don't neglect the work you need to do, but socializing will make work or school much more enjoyable and interesting.
- Consider a change of scene while you work.
- See if you can do some of your work at the library, or in a coffeehouse. Dallas Voice: Sipping coffee, making connections and officing at Buli Cafe (January 25, 2008)
- If you have to work in your office or cubicle, try redecorating.AOL Find a Job: Do's and Don'ts of Cube Decor (January 4, 2008) Even small changes in your surroundings can improve your mood.
Step 3: Try New Things
- Sometimes it's not enough to try new ways of doing old things. Sometimes we have to break out of our routines and try new, exciting things.
- Make a "bucket list" of things you want to accomplish in life before you die.USA Today: Making a 'bucket list' before you kick (July 7, 2008)
- Perhaps there were things you once wanted to do, and you've forgotten about them. Your list will remind you, and it will help you focus on your goals.
- Consider getting a pet.About.com: How Owning a Dog or Cat Can Reduce Stress (Novemeber 1, 2006)
- A dog will be entertaining and taking him for walks will help you get exercise and socialize.
- Think about learning a new language.Omniglot: Why should I learn a language?
- Not only will learning a language keep you busy, but it may be very useful in your career and social life.
- If you are very bored in your career, seriously consider a change to a new job or a whole new profession.AskMen.com: Planning A Career Change
- Dig deep to figure out what you need from your career. What is it about your current job that's not working for you? Do you just have a problem with you current place of employment, or is it your entire profession?
- Allow yourself to dream about possibilities, but think realistically. Are there talents you have that would be useful in a new field? What would you really have to do to get your dream job?
- You can try an internship, regardless of your age.New York Times: Testing the Waters With Internships (April 21, 2008) This could be a way to get an inside look at a career you've always been interested in. And if it doesn't work out, you're free to quit without the potential negative consequences of quitting a full-time job.
- Maybe it's time for a vacation. Visit a place you've always been curious about and renew your zest for life.
- Maybe you need a little romance in your life.
- If you're in a long-term relationship that has lost some of its fizz, try going on old-fashioned dates (like having a picnic lunch in the park) to rekindle the excitement of first love.About.com: How to Rekindle Romance in a Long-Term Relationship
- If you're single, consider placing a personal ad or letting your friends set you up on a date.
Things to Avoid
- There are definitely some things you should not do just because you're bored.
- Avoid overeating out of boredom.
- Studies have shown that many people eat when they're bored.WebMD: Emotional Eating and Weight Loss Doing this will lead you to put on weight, and when you've put on weight you'll probably become lethargic, which will lead to gaining more weight.
- If you can't resist eating when you're bored, trying eating healthy snacks like carrots and celery.
- Don't experiment with hard drugs.National Education Association: Dealing with Boredom As an Excuse
- Try to think of sensible, beneficial things you can do to make life more interesting. Never hurt yourself or those around you just because you're desperate to shake things up.
- Don't make rash decisions out of boredom.
- If you're terribly bored with your life, this probably isn't the best time to get a tattoo, join the army, have a child or make other major choices you may regret later on.
- Shopping can be fun, but don't go on too many spending sprees.
- The buzz of "retail therapy" is short-lived, but the debt can be lasting.Families.com: Retail Therapy: Good or Bad? (April 3, 2007)
Conclusion
- Sometimes, no matter what we do, being bored is just inevitable. But try to look on the bright side: being bored means you're not in pain, you have enough to eat and you're warm and safe.About.com: Cultivating Gratitude - The Benefits of Gratitude for Stress Relief (December 20, 2007) If being bored is your worst problem, things could be a lot worse!
- Being bored also means we have time to relax and time to think. You can use that time to improve your life. If you do, it may turn out that being bored was the best thing that ever happened to you.
References for How to Fight Boredom
Questions and Answers About How to Fight Boredom
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