How to deal with boredom: where does this condition come from and what to do about it - answers a psychologist


We can communicate with friends, solve work issues, pay bills or play at any time. But modern scientists do not believe that the widespread use of high-tech devices is capable of relieve boredom. They argue that smartphones have become a new form of addiction. We are completely immersed in the virtual world, preferring it to the real world. Despite the fact that in the real world a person uses all 5 senses, but in the virtual world - only 2.

Even though modern people have more opportunities, more entertainment, a few centuries ago people had a more fulfilling and interesting life. The boredom of modern man is not realized. He tries to find entertainment, but it cannot satisfy his needs. Most often, modern people live according to the scenario - work-Internet-sleep.

The computer or TV screen distracts attention. Therefore, it can have the most negative effect on children. Children are accustomed to passively consuming entertainment. Then they are no longer able to initiate the game. Consequently, they will also not be able to be the initiator of their life. If adults take away the toy, the child will begin to experience boredom, resentment and irritation. This is the result of addiction.

Many people think that big cities are a concentration of interesting events and a fulfilling life. So many people live here, so something is constantly happening. However, this feeling, this absence of loneliness, is an illusion. Most often, all people are completely immersed in themselves, they do not notice others. And smartphone and computer screens are replacing face-to-face communication.

Neural stimulation of the brain is significantly limited by exposure to screens. We constantly see them, so we think that the world around us is devoid of bright colors, that it is boring and colorless. We begin to feel this after watching TV for 15 minutes. And if screens become an integral part of life, then reality ceases to satisfy a person. In fact, it is not life that becomes boring and colorless, but the person himself who has become dependent on screens. He loses his personality, individuality.

Start your day with something pleasant

If time permits in the morning, then a contrast shower and a glass of freshly squeezed juice may well give you the necessary boost of good mood at the beginning of the working day. But if you have a long and tiring journey on the subway or many hours of standing in a traffic jam, you need to prepare thoroughly. First, find something to do. On the subway you can read books, study foreign languages, and repeat the text of a proposed conversation with a client. Secondly, you can listen to audiobooks or your favorite radio.

All such activities can be done in the car with varying success. No one will stop you from singing along to your favorite artist or singer in full voice. You can repeat exercises out loud to learn a foreign language, and no one will laugh at the incorrect pronunciation or accent. But after practicing this way alone, you will be able to impress everyone with fluent pronunciation or pronunciation of difficult-to-pronounce Chinese characters. So a long journey is the best way to educate yourself.

Finally, take travel companions. If you live next to one of your colleagues, agree to take turns driving together: you will get variety (today you are a passenger, and he is a driver, tomorrow it will be the other way around), and you will save on gasoline. Double benefit!

Give yourself a spa treatment

Make a list of procedures that you can do at home and try one of them every day. For example, today you can arrange a honey wrap session, tomorrow you can try a coffee scrub, the day after tomorrow you can make soap or make a massage candle and immediately use the items.

Change your workplace

As you know, it is not the place that makes the person, but the person who makes the place. This expression can also be taken literally. Of course, if you are a conductor or driver on a bus, it is unlikely that you will be able to change anything radically. But even a photo of family or just a positive picture can lift your spirits.

When your working day is spent in the office, there are many ways you can cheer yourself up. Gray walls can be decorated with bright paintings of unusual design, dim lighting can be corrected with fashionable lamps with neon light or fluorescent lamps.

And if you get green plants, you can create a whole oasis around you: the air will be fresher and the view will change. And when the plants bloom, especially in the middle of winter, you can feel the approach of spring, and then any boredom will pass.

Take the initiative more often

If the range of your responsibilities is very limited, and you feel hidden potential, try expanding your powers. Invite your boss to entrust you with developing a project or at least drawing up a schedule or diagram. It is very interesting to do monitoring and surveys of colleagues. When communicating with people, time will fly by.

If you realize that you can become a mentor for young staff or interns, offer yourself in this capacity. By explaining to someone the intricacies of your work, you will feel a completely different interest in it, and previously boring duties will seem irreplaceable to you.

Expand your powers

The next, completely logical step that anyone who wants to overcome boredom can take. If you have already demonstrated your new capabilities, talk to your boss about expanding your scope of authority. If you are a shift supervisor, have the additional responsibility of checking the level of readiness to start work, compliance with the dress code, or something like that.

Of course, there is a risk of making ill-wishers who will think that you are currying favor with your superiors. But it will relieve boredom. Relationships with colleagues are not a boring activity, it is a whole science, and sometimes a battle for survival. But, of course, it’s not worth taking it to extremes, at least if both this organization and this team are dear to you.

Why does it get boring

Boredom can happen for a variety of reasons, for example:

  • vitamin deficiency and health problems;
  • decline in immunity;
  • too much stress;
  • lack of interesting, exciting activities;
  • lack of motivation;
  • the need to spend a lot of time at home;
  • predictability of any situation.

It would seem that all these reasons prevent us from living, but boredom can lead to even more serious difficulties. How to avoid boredom without straying from your own goals? Always fight the manifestations of boredom, otherwise you can drive yourself into a dead end.

Learn new skills

If you want your job to become more varied, new skills are needed. For example, you will have to master speed reading or undergo training in the “blind” method of typing on the keyboard. If you want to describe or publish your work experience, you need to get an idea of ​​the genres and specifics of articles; you may want to become a copywriter in order to be able to disseminate your experience on the Internet.

Or maybe you even want to start your own website or blog, where you and your like-minded people will jointly discuss problems related to your immediate responsibilities. This way you will have a lot of new knowledge, and you will no longer be bored. And mastering new skills can be noticed by management, which will also affect your professional growth.

Stock up on what you need in advance

A situation with an artificial shortage of food and basic necessities is likely - people will simply rush to take pasta, buckwheat, and canned food from the shelves. Just in case, make a list of items without which you will have a hard time, and purchase them with at least a week's supply.

It may also be that during the quarantine, the work of couriers and the post office will stop - people also work there and they may get sick. Try to order goods from online stores before quarantine is officially declared in your city. In order not to increase the risk of infection, focus on online purchases - this way you will have to go outside less often and expose yourself to the possibility of getting the virus.

Don't be formal about formalities

If you are most bored by daily planning meetings, briefings, briefings and similar meetings, try to change your attitude towards them. Learn to see the “grain of truth” behind all such procedures.

It’s better not to constantly look at your watch or sit with your head buried in your phone, but to delve into the issues that are being discussed. Actively ask your questions about unclear aspects of your work, make specific proposals, solve problems - and time will fly by and the feeling of boredom will pass.

Learning to love yourself

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Use breaks to refocus

In almost all large companies, network administrators install special network filters to prevent employees from accessing popular social networks. They say this reduces productivity and distracts from primary responsibilities.

However, some researchers argue that short breaks in work associated with visiting a favorite website or communicating on a page on a social network improve mood, which, in turn, increases productivity.

This is understandable: a short pause that evokes positive emotions after hard work will relieve fatigue and give new strength. Many psychologists believe that the best rest is not idleness, but switching from one type of work to another. The best “switch” is turning to web pages or your favorite book.

Method of manipulation

If a person spends a lot of time at work , if he does not pay due attention to reflection, then independent decisions come to him less often. This principle is used in the army. Soldiers are given a large number of tasks to keep his thoughts busy and to force him to obey.

A similar principle can be found on the pages of dystopian books. We also see examples in the structure of totalitarian states. People in dystopias have very long working hours and are constantly exposed to information. As a result, there is no energy left, people spend the rest of the day watching TV or listening to the radio. And the media broadcast exclusively patriotic programs. Therefore, a simple oppositional thought simply cannot come to mind - there is neither strength nor opportunity for reflection.

As a result, a person is unable to remain alone with himself - he begins to experience fear or boredom. He will look for ways to fill the lack of information. If he doesn’t find it, he falls into a depressed state. At this moment, nothing can cause his reaction, even a direct threat to life will be ignored. This explains the causes of boredom . It is a natural need of our consciousness. Our brain is satiated with information and impressions, so boredom arises due to its constant busyness. This is best described by science fiction writer Ray Bradberry in his book Fahrenheit 451.

Rest more often

As you know, the best cure for boredom is rest. But you need to rest wisely. If you lie in front of the TV with a tray of food for several days, your attitude towards work is unlikely to change. You need to have a good rest - a complete change of scenery. Away from the computer, from papers, from everything that is associated with work.

Let it be fishing with your beloved husband or two days spent with your wife in an ordinary sanatorium a couple of kilometers from the center of hunger. It’s important to remember something else: if you “rest”, you won’t want to return to a boring job at all. After all, it is widely known that almost a third of resignation letters are written after a long and colorful vacation.

Deal with boredom

No matter how strange it may sound, sometimes it is better to come to terms with your situation. Boredom will give you a break to rest. When a person is busy working 24 hours a day, this is also abnormal. It is useful for the brain to rest, otherwise it will “boil”, and boredom will relax it very well.

Perhaps it is out of boredom that you come up with a completely new solution to an already seemingly unsolvable problem. Or even invent some new method of action. You'll come up with a brilliant idea, all thanks to boredom. Therefore, sometimes it is worth surrendering to her power in order to later get the perfect result.

And your home environment can save you from boredom at work: a loving family, caring for children, pets that need your care. Then you will be able to distract yourself from boring work by doing household chores. And work in this case will be perceived as nothing other than a source of financing for your more interesting and necessary hobbies in life.

How not to be bored, why boredom occurs and how to cope with it (ways and methods against boredom)

It is generally accepted that boredom is the lot of lazy people and idle people. Let's try to figure out why boredom actually occurs, how not to get bored and cope with boredom, simple ways and

How not to get bored, proven methods and methods for relieving boredom, methods for relieving boredom in this article.

Boredom is a feeling that only humans can experience. Animals do not know this; in a state of inaction they feel quite comfortable. And we begin to get bored, for example, when there is nothing to do or if we are tired of everything and we are lonely.

Doctors say: in order not to get bored, the human brain constantly needs fresh impressions, just like the body needs nutrition. Once the novelty wears off, we become bored. Of course, no one has ever died from it (although they are threatened), but it is impossible to deny: this feeling is the source of many problems. The endless New Year's weekend is the perfect time for madness or bouts of depression “because it’s boring.” But there are many ways to overcome this destructive state of mind.

To avoid getting bored, fill the pause!

Are YOU an active person? You love it when life is filled with events and impressions, but suddenly, in this exciting bustle, an unexpected stop appears. For example, a flight is delayed and you are forced to wait. Or you have to stand in a long line at the embassy. Minute after minute drags on, nothing happens. It becomes boring just thinking about how much time you have to spend waiting. But there is a way out - to bring purpose or meaning into this dull process. For once, you have free time, “minutes of idleness.” Maybe this is a chance to try something new or something that you have usually denied yourself?

If you are alone at the moment of a forced stop, read a book or magazine. If you are waiting with your child, play together - these are moments of joy for him. And if you are with your loved one, there is a chance to feel him close, calmly look into his eyes, just be together, without running around and fuss. An active person will definitely find something to keep himself busy. Boredom cannot be overcome by filling your life to capacity with interesting events! Arthur Schopenhauer spoke sharply, but aptly, on this subject: “An intelligent person alone will find excellent entertainment in his thoughts and imagination, while even a continuous change of interlocutors, performances, trips and entertainment will not protect a dullard from the boredom that torments him.”

Rest my friend, you're tired!

Boredom can be caused by physical or mental exhaustion . It is because of fatigue that we lose the freshness of our feelings - everything around us becomes insipid and colorless. Physical exhaustion narrows your options and takes away much of what makes life enjoyable. And if you decide that boredom can be overcome with a new dose of interesting activities, take your time. This will not improve your condition: fatigue can turn into exhaustion, and boredom will only intensify. The safest thing to do in such a situation is to admit that it’s time to rest.

First, get enough sleep . “People don't realize the importance of sleep and the consequences of not getting enough sleep,” says Carl Hanu, MD, National Sleep Disorders Research Center. According to research, even a slight lack of sleep (7-8 hours a week) can cause depression, attacks of weakness and a persistent reluctance to have fun. Secondly, use easy and accessible methods of mental self-regulation : water treatments (sign up for a pool), a full-day spa, yoga or qigong. Go out into nature more often, enjoy the silence, or just change your surroundings. And if you don’t want relapses, come up with an unusual holiday, for example, Wizard’s Day and gather your friends and make relaxation your habit. Then you will definitely have enough strength to lead an active lifestyle!

Chat so you don't get bored!

Man, whatever one may say, is a social creature, which means that we are all more comfortable being among people. Few people are able to endure a hermit existence, and most often there must be very serious personal reasons for this. Therefore, if you feel that life is boring due to lack of communication , start making connections.

Pay attention: during the day you are almost never alone, there are many people around you - passers-by, colleagues, neighbors, casual acquaintances, friends, relatives. The chance of finding a like-minded person is very high.

Make a list of your interests and hobbies. Think about what events related to them you could attend. A photo exhibition, a jazz or rock concert, a film festival - any place where you usually feel comfortable will do. Once you find yourself among people, choose the person you like, as if by chance find yourself next to him and ask his opinion about what is happening. This is easy, unobtrusive communication, which may be interesting to both of you, and does not oblige you or your interlocutor to anything.

If you find common ground, perhaps a friend will appear or a romance will begin. In any case, you will be rewarded with a few minutes of conversation with a like-minded person, and you will certainly not be bored.

Imagine and create!

Everyone has to do monotonous and monotonous work from time to time. But sometimes life itself begins to resemble a vicious circle, consisting of home and work, with rare breaks to go to the cinema or meet with friends. In a word, a well-functioning, safe, but extremely boring mechanism.

The French writer Albert Camus very precisely defined this state: “Boredom is the result of mechanical life, but it also sets consciousness in motion,” and the Russian philosopher Nikolai Berdyaev believed: “Boredom can only be overcome by creativity.”

Try to turn a painful feeling into a stimulus that will force you to move forward, to come up with something unusual on the go. There is always room for something new in life, even when you walk the same road to work. For example, you can change the route a little, pay attention to those who make this journey with you every morning, watch how the windows of a nice store with gifts are decorated, and fantasize about “how would I decorate it.” Finding fresh experiences is easier than you think!

Bring more variety to life with the help of creative actions: change your hairstyle, rearrange your apartment, rehang boring wallpaper. At work, change the picture on your computer monitor every day in accordance with your current mood. Come up with an unusual holiday - for example, Wizard's Day or an Orange Cocktail Party, gather your friends, play with them, organize a competition.

Try an activity that is unusual for you. Remember and make some old dream come true: a parachute jump, a trip to an exotic country, the opening of your own friends only exhibition. It is creative hobbies that help overcome dissatisfaction with the monotony of life, develop creativity and self-confidence. Remember: external changes often entail internal ones. And if everything around you is in motion, it will be difficult for you to get bored !

Re-evaluate to get rid of boredom.

If you regularly have thoughts that you are not doing what you want, you are not doing what you like, and everything around you seems unnecessary (and useless), perhaps you have entered a period of so-called existential boredom. It is directly related to the concepts of the meaning of life and uselessness own efforts. Coping with these feelings on your own is not easy. Many in such a situation need support, and sometimes the help of a psychologist.

First, think: where did this feeling come from? Perhaps you stopped thinking and caring about yourself, forgot that you live not only for the sake of duty, other people, or to remain correct and good. As the popular American rock guitarist Frank Vincent Zappa said: “If you always listened to your mom and dad, school teachers, priests and some guy on TV, and now because of this you lead a boring and unhappy life, then you clearly deserve it.” . A little differently, but essentially the same thing, the German psychoanalyst Otto Fenichel wrote: “Boredom appears when we are not allowed to do what we want to do, or have to do what we don’t want to do . If both statements apply to you, conduct an “audit” of your life.

Think about what you usually do, how you spend your time, how often you allow yourself to do what you like, what interests you. Are you sacrificing your life to the expectations of others or to the same sense of duty? Doesn't this rob you of joy? After all, life can become harmonious only if you exist in harmony with yourself. Learn to love and understand yourself, live with your own goals, interests and feelings, abandoning imposed roles and stereotypes. Only then will opportunities for change and growth open up. And you can start with the book by German psychologist Ute Edhad “Good girls go to heaven, and bad girls go wherever they want, or Why obedience does not bring happiness.”

Throw away illusions!

Everyone probably once dreamed that his life would be like an exciting journey filled with bright achievements, amazing events, interesting work and ideal love. But over time, it turned out that reality does not always correspond to youthful expectations - it is much more boring and ordinary. Even great love after some time loses its colors and becomes more prosaic. A person begins to immerse himself in everyday life, boredom, and routine. And it is at this moment that a strong desire may arise to linger in a much more beautiful world of dreams, to live not in real relationships and affairs, but in dreams and fantasies about them.

On the one hand, illusions in themselves console and make existence easier, and the desire for such a perception of reality is an integral feature of our consciousness, because sometimes we so want to take a break from everyday life! On the other hand, fantasies cannot become a full-fledged content of life: they have the unpleasant property of dissipating when confronted with reality. And you need a certain courage to accept this fact. This is the courage of a person who is already more mature, conscious and responsible for his thoughts and actions, who can find other ways to interact with boredom than empty dreams. Grow up, accept life as it is, find charm in it: a beautiful sunrise over the bay, a quiet evening alone with your loved one, the successful completion of a work project that you have been working on all year... Collect the fruits of reality, not illusions! )

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