Boredom is a very common emotion, and affects your mental health. Boredom can develop when you are dissatisfied with or uninterested in an activity. Boredom might set in when you're feeling energised but have nowhere to put it. It can also happen when you're having trouble concentrating on a task. It is characterised by a sense of emptiness as well as frustration with that hollow feeling. When you're bored, you're likely to have a short attention span and be uninterested in what's going on around you. You may have feelings of apathy, weariness, nervousness, or jitteriness.
So, what causes boredom? Well, the answer is that boredom is seen and experienced differently by various people. Boredom can develop for a variety of reasons, including:
• Insufficient sleep or nutrition
• Lack of choice or control over your daily activities low levels of mental stimulation
• A lack of a diverse range of recreational activities
• Time perception issues
Now, if you find yourself feeling bored more often than not, it could be a sign of depression. However, a mental health expert would be a better guide to help you tackle that. In the meantime, here are some expert-backed activities that you can indulge in when you’re bored. And the best part? These will not only break the monotony but also give you a mental boost while you’re at it.
1. Make A Playlist: Whether you like a specific genre of music or multiple genres, you can create a playlist depending on your mood. Studies have shown that music has the power to uplift your mood and help you regulate your emotions, so make that mix-tape of your favourite songs and gift it to yourself.
2. Get Arty: If you are someone who likes to get creative, boredom serves as a great inspiration to go all out. Want to paint a masterpiece? Want to just be abstract? Want to try out your hands on some new form of art using waste materials? Well, what’s stopping you? Art provides a space for you to be as free and visual with your emotions, and serves as a great outlet for the same.
3. Organise Your Phone: Well, when you want to pass time, the first thing you pick up is likely your phone. Now, a scroll through your social media can help you when you’re bored. But the one thing we often forget about is the photo gallery on our phones. Imagine the number of memes, screenshots, forwarded media that takes up space there. So the next time when you’re bored, we suggest utilising that time to organise and clean up your photo gallery. Your phone will thank you, and you’ll have more space for the stuff that is important for you.
4. Read A Book: Now, this may seem like a common suggestion, but when was the last time you picked up a book and read it from cover to cover? There are many benefits to reading, apart from expanding your knowledge and vocabulary; it also transports you to a different world and helps you get out of the boredom funk.
5. Kon-Mari Your Home: In the words of Marie Kondo, the creator of the Kon-Mari method, “Does this spark joy?” If the answer is no, then it’s gotta go! Experts suggest cleaning out your surroundings when you’re feeling exhausted mentally. Decluttering your space also aids in clearing your mind. Take a look around your house, it can be your wardrobe, kitchen, bathroom, or even your vanity area. If there are things that are just piling up, then it’s time to take stock and see what’s worth keeping, and what can be given away. This way, not only would you have passed your time productively, but you would also have cleaned out your surroundings, thus making you feel good.