Embrace Boredom To Unlock Your Creativity
Boredom – Why We Should Get Bored More
Boredom and even more boredom..It’s drawing closer to the summer holidays, and if you listen carefully you can hear cries of “Muuuuum… I’m boooored” up and down the country. Most of us have childhood memories of thinking we were bored in the month of August, making our own fun out of treehouses, playing in rivers, and homemade tyre swings. If you look back on those memories with fondness, then it might be time to get bored more. Nowadays we think of boredom as negative, spending endless time scrolling through our phones, playing music, and listening to podcasts in order not to feel bored. But could boredom be good for us? I think so. Here’s why.
Daydreaming
Imagine you’re sitting on the train. Normally, you’d be plugged into your smartphone listening to music, planning what to have for dinner, and texting your friends asking about their day. We occupy our free time with entertainment but at the cost of daydreaming. Daydreaming is something we might overlook as irrelevant, but it contributes to our existence as humans. Just as night dreams are an important part of our sleep cycle, daydreaming plays a key role in our well-being. Scientists have found a correlation between daydreaming and enhanced memory. Not only that but it is thought to increase empathy, focus, and problem-solving ability. You might have heard the famous story that J.K. Rowling thought up the idea of ‘Harry Potter’ whilst daydreaming on a train. This is because indulging in a daydream gives a massive boost to your creativity, as you are allowing your brain ‘free reign’ over thoughts, ideas, and concepts. Would J.K. Rowling have thought up the iconic book series if she had been plugged into a podcast? Maybe not…
Human Interactions
The problem with always being entertained is we forget to interact with the world around us, and that includes the people who occupy it. Whenever you take public transport, everyone around us is looking at their device – it’s rare to see someone without one, and usually it’s because they’ve run the battery flat. This reduces the amount we speak to each other, which is a shame. I’m not saying you try to strike up a conversation with someone you’re squeezed next to on the tube – avoiding eye contact on the London Underground is almost an Olympic sport – but not being stuck to our devices allows for conversations to happen more freely. Next time you’re waiting for a bus or standing in the queue at your favourite coffee shop, try and interact with someone. It can boost brain function and reduce depression – you don’t get those benefits from playing Candy Crush or constantly checking your emails. Allowing yourself to be bored creates room for better conversations to happen more frequently. And who knows, you could meet a new best friend, other half, or potential client for your business…
Relaxation
How often do you relax? I mean really relax, not sit down on the sofa scrolling Instagram and watching television. Proper relaxation is about more than being comfortable, it’s about giving your brain a break from thinking and filling it with information. Being bored lets you relax, as you stop using your brain and allow it a little breather. With recent technological advancements, it’s so easy to fall into the trap of using every waking minute to be productive, but by allowing yourself to be bored you give yourself some time to just chill out. Instead of trying to entertain yourself, let your mind take a wonder. Picture your future, think of your favourite memories, and dream up a delicious meal to make later… your brain will thank you for it, and you’ll feel a lot more centered than if you just spent 20 minutes of your spare time trying to catch up on emails.
“Only boring people get bored…”
It’s the response we used to dread our mothers saying when we complained of having nothing to do, but it’s true. If you’re bored, you make your own fun. You invent games, you think of memories that haven’t crossed your mind in years, and you make plans. Never being bored prevents this from happening, and we tend to rely on the same things to entertain us. Like going back to the same film, same album, or same holiday destination, it stops us from exploring our full potential.
How to Get Bored More
It might seem like a regression for all the industries and pastimes that were created to prevent boredom, but it’s time to get bored. You can achieve boredom very easily – just stop staring at your phone. Instead of plugging in your headphones and tuning into a podcast on your commute, try staring out the window instead. When you’re at home, have some set time that’s dedicated to daydreaming, and sit on your sofa without the distraction of television.
Of course, getting bored to boost your creativity is just one aspect of having a healthy lifestyle. Achieving balance and well-being comes in many forms, from eating nourishing foods to sleeping well, and everything in between. If you’d like to find out more about how you can be the best version of yourself, click here to get in touch and arrange a chat.
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