As you sit mindlessly scrolling through your Instagram feed, the last thing on your mind is how boredom can harm your health. Maybe you never even thought there might be a connection between countless hours on social media and chronic boredom. In this article, we are going to discuss the harmful effects of boredom and distinguish between momentary and chronic boredom. The latter can have devastating effects on your health and well-being.
What is Boredom?
According to Psychology Today: “Boredom is generally viewed as an unpleasant emotional state in which the individual feels a pervasive lack of interest and difficulty concentrating on the current activity. The condition corresponds more precisely to the French ennui, an existential perception of life’s futility.
However, there is a distinctive difference between momentary and chronic boredom. Everybody experiences the negative emotions of boredom from time to time. You temporarily go through momentary boredom until your lecture is over or it’s finally your turn at the doctor’s office. On the other hand, chronic boredom can be so severe that it can be mistaken for depression. That’s how serious it is.
Medical experts are calling chronic boredom the ‘disease of our time.’ It’s no longer just children and adolescents who continually complain about boredom. Nowadays, many adults are at risk because they are suffering from it.
Maybe the main reason why chronic boredom is now reaching epidemic proportions is due to the endless array of stimuli that bombard your every waking moment, making it difficult to concentrate on any given topic. We’ve been programmed to wake up and expect to have information thrown at us, and we know we’re supposed to sit there and take it. We’ve stopped interacting and engaging. Consequently, we’re bored.
Boredom is annoying and frustrating. And it may even get to the point when you feel like you’re slowly suffocating. The German psychologist Theodor Lipps defines boredom as ” a feeling of unpleasantness arising out of a conflict between a need for intense mental activity and lack of incitement to it, or inability to be incited.”
This can mean different things to different people. An introvert, for example, would find pleasure between the pages of a book or any other type of solitary activity. On the other hand, an extrovert may seek more thrilling activities and more social encounters.
But no matter what your personality type is, there’s a direct correlation between boredom and self-awareness. When you have a clear idea of your strengths, weaknesses, motivations, and beliefs and are comfortable in your own skin, you’re better prepared with the tools required to make yourself less bored. You can gauge your moods and feelings and understand what you really want out of life. It also better prepares you to deal with others and respond accordingly.
But having a clear understanding of your personality can be a real problem today with the gut load of information at our fingertips 24/7. The idea of turning off the noise for a few seconds to ourselves, to just close our eyes and be at peace, is now a foreign concept.
No one wants to sit there and do nothing! That’s why full-grown adults are transfixed on playing video games or browsing their social media feeds every free millisecond. Downtime can be intimidating and downright scary.
But it’s in those moments where we feel our presence, tune in to our thoughts, and get in touch with our feelings. It’s also when we are at our most imaginative and creative. It’s how we evolve, discover, create and invent.
Suffering from chronic boredom can make it easy to fall into a rut of negative habits, resulting in powerlessness to finish tasks, putting a damper on the quality of your life, and exacerbating physical pain. It comes with a slew of negative ramifications.
6 of the Most Common Consequences of Chronic Boredom:
Increase In Risky Behavior: Chronically bored people usually lack the creativity to entertain themselves. Never learning this skill set may cause these individuals to seek fulfillment through outward stimuli that can result in sensation-seeking behavior. Think sex, drugs, and rock and roll, but the out-of-control version. In an attempt to break through the boredom spells, it’s common to find people reaching for alcohol and drugs. They’re known for their addictive nature, but at the moment, all people see is how they allow them to forget the aggravating and numbing effects boredom has on their lives.
Technology Obsession: As you know, the rise of technology presents a blessing and a curse. With social media networks taking over our attention spans, the bored individual must beware. Countless articles and scientific research are targeting the overuse of social media and what it’s doing to our brains and relationships. I’m saying that unchecked social media scrolling can have serious consequences for the uninformed, bored individual. I am not suggesting that a lack of willpower is to blame when trying to resist the beckoning of the newsfeed. Why? It is a known fact that the most popular social media networks have built-in algorithms to hook you!
Obsessive Over-eating: Okay, I’ll be the first to admit: Been there and done that! Chronic boredom can cause munchies like nobody’s business. If you find yourself constantly snacking even though you’re not hungry, the culprit is boredom. Eating, especially foods high in processed fats and sugars, makes you feel calmer and happier. Dieticians refer to this as emotional eating, which is often brought on by boredom.
Depression: Boredom can be a symptom of depression, or it can also trigger it. Working long hours, having a stressful work or home environment, or working dull, unchallenging jobs can all boost stress and result in deep bouts of depression. Some people can use boredom to make new friends, travel the world, or start an exciting hobby. While others, who may already be depressed, can fall deeper into despair from chronic boredom.
Stress and Anxiety: Living day to day in an environment that doesn’t give you what you need can be emotionally exhausting. Load on top of that work responsibilities and financial strain, and you’ve got the perfect recipe for chronic stress triggered by boredom and redundancy. Those who already suffer from anxiety are more likely to develop depression when they experience extended periods of boredom.
Heart Disease: When boredom strikes regularly, your brain releases toxic hormones into your bloodstream. These hormones create problems for your heart. Moreover, those who suffer from chronic boredom tend to skimp out on exercising and eating right. They’re more likely to turn to bad habits, like smoking and drinking – all of which can take their toll on the cardiovascular system.
A Few Quick Strategies To Break Free From Chronic Boredom
- Practice Gratitude: I know, here we go again. But think about it for a minute. If you’re sitting in a house with a roof over your head, food on the table, clean water, and a few decent relationships, you can switch your brain into gratitude mode. Gratitude is powerful because, with practice, it causes you to rewire your brain and fortifies you against negative emotions. The science to back this up is out there. So, step back and look at the big picture. Make lists of all the good in your life and be grateful.
- Make two long lists: one for all the things that you are good at and love to do and the other for things that you love but are not good at. These represent your passions in life. Start earmarking time and resources toward those activities on your list. You don’t have to quit your boring job that pays the bills, but you can use your free time more wisely by pursuing those interests that set your soul on fire.
- Take control of your life: Work your way around the things you cannot change instead of focusing on feeling stuck and out of control. Embrace the freedom that you do have and something that you’re curious about.
- Form new, healthier habits. You can start by simply moving your body. Get out into nature and go for long walks. Walking in and connecting with nature has many physical and mental health benefits. Most importantly, you start to overcome your boredom. When possible, add some good whole foods to your diet. People who eat healthier are happier and more fulfilled. I know that sounds crazy, but it’s true.
- Try something new daily: Boredom often comes from a lack of self-awareness. You might have spent your entire life doing what you “had” to do, so you may have no idea what you love to do. So try something new every day and take notes. You’ll find it, but you have to look for it. This activity alone is an antidote to boredom.
We all experience boredom from time to time. In some cases, it can even be a positive thing if it helps you to discover yourself. Other times, it might not be so positive especially if it’s a chronic case and your experiencing feelings of hopelessness and despair. No matter where you find yourself on the spectrum know that you are not alone and you can overcome toxic boredom. As always, it’s always a smart idea to seek professional help to break through if necessary.
As always,
Be well + prosper,
Elaine xx