Most of us will go to great lengths to avoid boredom for even a moment. But is there a benefit to being bored?
Let’s face it, it is no fun to be bored. In our culture that is so focused on being productive, having down time when you are not doing anything can seem like a colossal waste of time.
Technology to the rescue! With our smartphones, while waiting in line, for example, you can check your email, or scroll through your social media feed. Of course, you don’t have to be technologically savvy to avoid boredom. You can just as easily carry a book with you wherever you go.
While smartphones don’t have a monopoly on avoiding boredom, they make it very easy. The entire internet is available with the touch of a button. That’s never been true in human history before, and it shouldn’t be ignored. If we don’t want to be alone with our own thoughts, we don’t have to be.
However, is there actually an upside to boredom? Even though it feels unproductive and almost painful at times, could there be a benefit in being alone with your own thoughts?
It certainly seems possible. Many people find value in meditation, to improve mental health among other benefits. For some, meditation is actively doing nothing. No phone, no speaking. No activity, other than breathing. The goal is to be comfortable with doing nothing.
In addition, creativity is enhanced through boredom. Mothers everywhere know that children, when bored, find creative ways to entertain themselves.
What other positives might there be to being bored? Should we actively seek out boredom, at least once and awhile?
Related questions: When is it useful to fail? What is the value of inefficiency? Are we too busy? What do you think about when out for a walk?
Boredom, often seen as a negative state, can actually be a catalyst for personal growth and self-improvement. It challenges our brains in unique ways, leading to unexpected benefits.
First, boredom forces the brain to de-stress. Without the constant bombardment of different external stimuli, our minds get a chance to rest. For example, sometimes, when I am bored, I’ll go out in the garden and weed. Thinking about nothing, my brain rests and resets itself in a calmer place.
Second, boredom may tell us that our current hobbies and goals lack the ability to keep us productively engaged with our world. Again, looking inward may lead to us assessing what’s important in life. For example, I look at what currently occupies my time and ask, “Does this serve me?” This use of boredom allows me to refocus on what’s essential, winnow out what activities are not useful, and, perhaps, leaving space for new opportunities of purposeful fulfillment.
Lastly, boredom may force our minds to wander, sparking creativity. With nothing else to do, our minds might drift, creating new connections between old ideas, actions, and observations and, ultimately, finding a new way to accomplish our goals.
While we may not like boredom, we should at least appreciate its benefits and not succumb to the desire to constantly entertain ourselves via television, smartphone, or other distractions.
Sometimes when I’m bored I retreat into my imagination and let stories fly around, and I try to catch them in a jar where they might glow for a while.