Boredom...

...and why it can be good for you.

I’ve been reading quite a few articles recently about how we rarely find ourselves being ‘bored’ anymore.

Now, by being bored I don’t mean that you’re sitting in a chair like a stuffed toy with half your stuffing removed, wondering why you even exist. Someone else can help you out with days like that!

When I say Bored, I mean times when our brains are just still. There’s no information coming in. There’s no sound, no screens, no talking.

Just you and your brain.

A floor - you’re meant to be bored looking at it. Is it working?

When was the last time you allowed yourself to experience that?

Notice I said allowed yourself.

Because these days, you really have to choose to be bored.

From the moment we wake up until our eyes close again at the end of the day, there are so many stupid things demanding our attention and distracting us from boredom.

Emails. Text messages. Missed calls. The algorithm. Social media. News headlines. Your fitness app. Your heart-health app. Your puzzle-a-day app. A new podcast to listen to. Funny videos to watch. A new movie trailer drops. Reminder pings. Appointment notifications. All before you even leave the house.

So many people are overwhelmed with the firehose gush of information they’re trying to absorb every day. The human brain wasn’t designed to be overloaded with this much crap information. It was designed to think of one thing, have a break, then think about this other thing. Not try and handle twenty channels of mostly unnecessary noise that the world deems that you have to listen AND WATCH RIGHT NOW!!

Yep, it’s just a door. Bored yet?

I realise the irony here. I’m writing this blog to you on an app, and tomorrow morning (or whenever it lands in your inbox) you’ll be prompted to read it. And I think that’s okay. It’s when we’re subscribed to multiple blogs, multiple social media apps, getting hourly news updates, being reminded from FB that today it’s the birthday of someone we no longer even speak to, and then to top it off - just a few spam emails/texts/calls from your best friend in Nigeria who needs $6k real quick.

It’s no wonder we’re buckling under it all.

It’s no wonder we’re not coping with life.

It’s no wonder we’re raising a generation who are almost shunning other humans. It’s all too much.

But what to do?

We can’t just throw our phones in the river - as much as we sometimes feel like that would be the PERFECT answer, and can almost hear that delectable splash as the stupid thing sinks beneath the water.

Technology has improved our lives immeasurably. Wherever we are, we can call for help, we can stay in touch with the people we love, and we can be entertained.

But it’s a double-edged sword.

With that ability to be able to be in touch with others, we get all the other nonsense bursting through the gates like a heard of demented goats, ready to eat up our precious time.

The dopamine hits we get from watching reels, the brain-numbing soothing of a mindless scroll, the feeling of importance we get when Special Deal emails arrive like little bent sunbeams in our inbox - it’s all fake.

As fake as trying to get warmth from a photo of the sun.

Can I ask you to try something this week? Or even tomorrow? Or even this afternoon, if you’ve got time.

Try putting your phone down and walking outside.

It’s okay. Your phone won’t vaporise.

Hey look, there’s a tree - are there any birds in the branches? Is it sunny outside? Rainy? Can you sit down somewhere? On a chair? A rock? The grass?

Sit there for ten minutes. No, don’t run back inside to get your phone and set the timer. If you have a Smart Watch, take it off and leave it inside, too.

Just be alone, outside, with no interruptions.

Outside

You might feel a bit of panic that you don’t have your phone with you, and that’s okay. It’s inside, safe. You’re outside, learning to be a human again.

Because this is the environment we were created to live in. Trees, grass, animals, birds, clouds, rain, and yes - spiders and crickets (so many of those little guys at the moment!!)

We are not digital beings, we are human beings, and human beings need to be humans, just as our name suggests. Is it human to sit in a dark room and watch hours of brain-sapping nonsense? Of course not!

It saddens me whenever I catch public transport, and almost every single person is staring at their phones. People stare at them when they’re walking around. They even put them in their prams and get their toddlers addicted to them for goodness sake.

And we wonder why we feel alone in a room full of people. Because a lot of us have forgotten how to start a conversation, or we’ve actually got nothing to say because we just watched some stupid viral video of someone trying to ride their bike on the ceiling. (I don’t know if that’s a thing - I thankfully am not interested in reels)

People! Put the blessed things down and look up! Check out the wonders of Creation! Let your mind empty of all the clutter and the noise, and Be Still.

Be still long enough that your mind is blank. You’re not thinking about messaging someone. You’re not wondering what Trumpty Dumpty’s latest incoherent rant is about. You actually don’t care.

You can feel the grass beneath your fingers. You can hear the pigeons cooing in the rafters. You might even be able to hear a dog barking in the distance. A breeze caresses your cheek. The sun sneaks out from behind a cloud, feel its warmth. See the flowers nod in the gentle breeze.

Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if you drew those flowers? It doesn’t matter if you’ve never drawn anything other than a Stickman before, have a go. Get lost in looking at the delicate petals, the way bees come along and collect the pollen on their legs like thick, yellow socks.

Maybe you might write a line or two of something vaguely resembling poetry? Or the flowers remind you of that time you went somewhere with that special person, and you spend some time thinking about them.

This, my friend, is Inspiration.

Inspiration comes to us when we let it in. It’s a bit like a really interesting friend who’s waiting to share something with us, if only we’d stop and listen.

This week, will you try and get bored? Stop all the running around, trying to do fifty things at once, whilst simultaneously listening to podcasts on How To Get More Out Of Your Day.

Get bored.

Allow yourself the freedom of being answerable to no one - even if it’s just for ten minutes. I guarantee you’ll want to make it last a little longer. Let your brain re-set. Let your shoulders relax. Take a deep breath. Maybe even close your eyes. Stop the nonsense.

Get Bored.

Be Human.

Get amongst real things.

That is all.

Off you go!

Maggie x