What to do when you’re bored

Well, first off — stop googling what to do when you’re bored.

And…be bored. I promise you’ll make it through…

The other day I was sitting a table in whole foods while my son ate his delicious snack.

And I did something radical, ya’ll.

I sat there.

I didn’t check my phone. I didn’t wish I was writing this blog. I didn’t try to fill the time.

I embraced the feeling of nothing — often know as boredom.

Now, I’ll interject here and say my son and I were connecting, so I wasn’t totally doing nothing. But, when he was busy with his snack or playing…I stared out the window.

But I can’t tell you how many times I’m at a playground and watch parents, while their children are playing, they immediately grab their phones.

Hey, I get it + I do it too.

Yet I don’t know why I do it. It’s not really productive to check my phone a lot. It’s gives me a false sense of doing something when I’m really missing out on my most creative moments.

Yep – being bored is your #1 tool to being creative.

According to the research cited in this article, boredom is a neural stimulation that isn’t satisfied. Meaning our brains are just trying to fill a blank.

You get to decide how to engage that blank space.

Are you going to fill it with the noise of the internet?

Are you going to try to do something so you can avoid the uncomfortableness of being bored?

Boredom is an invitation to pause.

Instead of grasping at something to-do during this pause, truly take the pause.

How many times does your brain give you a literal way to pause and let inspiration find you?

What to do when you’re bored, instead of feeling bored? Try these things:

  • Stare out of a window or into the sky.
  • Close your eyes and be quiet.
  • Be present in the grocery line or waiting line.
  • Ask yourself how am I feeling?
  • Embrace the moment as much as you can

Learn to be uncomfortable, knowing that the sensation isn’t forever.

What to do when you’re bored: praise it.

As someone who is constantly unraveling her idea of worth+productivity, sometimes boredom can feel like the hardest emotion to bear. I get it.

I know great things are going to come from the boredom.

Boredom always precedes a period of great creativity. ~ Robert Pirsig

So tell me, dear one, how are you planning to engage your boredom? What’s one way you can change your perception of being bored from a thing to fix to a thing to embrace?

Tell me in the comments. I want to know!

Download your free inner critic survival guide to thrive even in your most bored times.

What to do when you’re bored

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2 thoughts on “What to do when you’re bored

  1. How gorgeous it is to revel in the moment to simply be without having to do something. Love the exploration here Rose.

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