How to turn boredom to your advantage

Think about the last time you were frankly bored. Maybe during an endless Zoom call or a formal dinner with clients? Many believe that boredom arose in the age of high technology, when we suddenly had a huge amount of free time. However, it is not.

People have complained about boredom since ancient times. Seneca, for example, wroteLucius Seneca. Moral letters to Lucilius about the anxiety it brings. The ancient Roman philosopher noted that boredom has the potential to demotivate and provoke inactivity. The good news is that it can be turned into a tool for creativity and happiness. This is the paradox of boredom.

What are the types of boredom

We often think that all boredom is the same. It turns out this is a misconception. Scientists allocateT. Goetz, A.C. Frenzel, et al. Types of boredom: An experience sampling approach / Motivation and Emotion as many as five types of this condition. But most of us experience only one of them during our lives, which depends on our personal qualities.

And although boredom is common to everyone, some of us are much more prone to it. At the same time, one must understand that any kind of boredom is a signal for change. And instead of suffering, it is worth using this state as a springboard to something new and interesting. And for this it is important to figure out what kind of boredom you are dealing with.

Gauge

This is the feeling that you want to do not what you are doing now, but something else, but you don’t know what exactly. This type of boredom has a significant advantage: if some interesting thing suddenly appears on the horizon, you will already have a desire to do it. The downside is that far from always we can immediately come up with an alternative to the activity that does not suit us.

Seeking

As with calibration boredom, in the case of seeker boredom, you are not satisfied with your current situation. The difference is that you are actively looking for something to help fight boredom. If you fail to find an interesting activity, the searching type will gradually turn into a reactive one.

Reactive

This type of boredom is associated with anger and frustration. You are suffering, feeling stressed and trying with all your might to find a way out of the situation. This is the worst kind of boredom.

indifferent

Such boredom is characterized not by irritability, but by calmness, relaxation and detachment. Some of those who experience indifferent, indifferent boredom do not consider it a negative experience at all. For them, such emotions are an opportunity to relax and gain strength.

apathetic

Scientists have described it relatively recently. This kind of feeling is similar to helplessness and can even cause depression. In apathetic boredom, you feel unhappy, but you have no desire to even try to fix the situation. This leads to recurring cycles of chronic apathy.

How boredom affects us

People who are particularly prone to boredom and experience it more often and for longer periods of time have to face serious consequences. These include decreased motivation, withdrawal, malnutrition, bad mood, fatigue, and counterproductiveness. Sometimes such people try to fight this condition with the help of gambling, the Internet, alcohol, or even illegal substances.

With people who are less prone to boredom, the situation is the opposite. They notice much better when this feeling begins to overcome them, and immediately begin to act. If boredom is due to a lack of sensory experience, they look for a suitable activity, such as draw or make crafts with your own hands. Such people are usually motivated to new achievements and unusual experiences, and also know how to make any situation interesting. Sometimes they use another tactic - they allow events to unfold naturally and give their minds a chance to rest.

Feeling bored at work is, oddly enough, beneficial because it gives us time to daydream. Dr. Sandy Mann and Rebecca Cadman noteBeing bored at work can make us more creative / Science Dailythat it may be time for us to start appreciating boredom in the workplace, rather than fighting it, because it can fuel our creativity.

Besides, boredom raisesH. London, D. Schubert, et al. Increase of autonomic arousal by boredom / Journal of Abnormal Psychology the level of our activity, and thanks to this, it is easier for us to focus and respond to events. All this suggests that boredom can be used as a chance to start new projects and become happier.

How to turn boredom into productivity

It seems that in the modern world, fighting boredom is incredibly easy. You can scroll through Instagram, see YouTube video or listen to an audiobook. However, a little research showedJ. Dora, M. van Hooff, et al. Fatigue, boredom, and objectively-measured smartphone use at work / Royal Society Open Sciencethat using a smartphone when we are bored only increases the feeling of fatigue and longing. Therefore, it is necessary to act differently, for example, in one of the three following ways.

Rethink the situation

Try to notice the moments when boredom begins to overcome you, and turn the situation into a challenge. If you are bored, think about what can change your emotional state. Finding the answer to this question will help you treat boredom as a temporary obstacle and turn it into a positive experience.

Let’s say you are a freelancer who is facing a shortage of orders. Take this quiet time to find new clients, start an ambitious personal project, or take interesting courses on the Internet.

Connect creativity

Teresa Amabile, professor at Harvard Business School wroteHow to kill creativity / Harvard Business Review: "People will reach their maximum creativity when they are motivated by satisfaction, complexity and interest in the work itself, and not by external factors." Think about what you want to achieve and what you enjoy, and use your boredom period to create something out of the ordinary.

If you're experiencing calibration boredom and can't think of anything, try a brand new activity. Paint a picture, take a ride on bicycle follow an unfamiliar route or cook a dish from a recipe you haven't tried yet. Perhaps you will not only step out of your comfort zone, but also acquire an unexpected hobby.

Use boredom as relaxation

Ambitious people often find it difficult to relax and stop chasing new goals. If you are one of those people, treat boredom as an opportunity to exhale. Read a book you haven't started in a long time, make your first entry in your personal diary, or take a soak in the bath. This will give you the energy to keep moving forward.

Whatever kind of boredom you are experiencing, apply a simple scheme: listen to feelings, reorganize your thoughts in a positive way, and connect your inner creativity. These steps will help you maintain personal effectiveness.