I'm bored of being bored.
The last time I was bored, I hysterically cried in foetal position on my bedroom floor. The boredom was physically painful. My legs were twitching, my wrists were itching, and my ears were ringing - a sensorial fever dream.
Boredom isn't just dull to me; it's agonizing. I once tried to finish a book in one sitting. I did not have much left, about sixty pages or so. I was so tempted by my phone's allure that I felt restless, struggled to focus, and ended up doom-scrolling Instagram reels. (In case you are wondering, I did not finish that book during that sitting.)
Boredom is often regarded as an essential, normal facet of the human experience, a fundamental emotion that arises when our minds lack stimulation or engagement.
However, it seems paradoxical to me that we are still experiencing boredom in our ultra-digitalized society defined by constant connectivity. The reality is that many individuals, myself included, find ourselves grappling with a profound sense of disconnection. This paradox motivates me to write this article and further explore boredom along with its implications in our lives.
Danish philosopher Kierkegaard explored boredom not as a lack of stimulation but as an absence of meaning. This perspective rings particularly true in today's society. In today's world, we are constantly bombarded with stimuli and distractions, and our inability to commit profundity to menial tasks is staggering. Whether it’s work, rest, conversations, chores, we are so accustomed to stimuli that we rarely reach deep levels of concentration. Consider how we often fill our days with mindless scrolling on social media or binge-watching shows—often without even realizing it, and feeling powerless to resist. I believe this combination of mindless consumption and powerlessness toward stimuli is indicative of the profound disconnection I suggested earlier.
Perhaps the root of the disconnect lies in our society's diminishing connection to values that provide a sense of purpose and depth to our lives. For instance, human connections, pursuing passions, and engaging in activities that align with our values may be lacking in our daily practices.
By addressing this absence of meaning, we can begin to cultivate a more fulfilling existence and combat the pervasive nature of boredom. It is worth mentioning that in today's world, we can easily switch activities whenever we please, reinforcing the lack of depth. I struggle greatly with this. Whenever a task is unpleasant or dull, I find myself mindlessly picking up my phone. And before I know it I’m down yet another YouTube rabbit hole.
A colleague of mine told me she had to teach herself to be bored. Ironic right? Boredom isn’t coming from lack, it’s coming from of excess - she explained. We have too much available to us, too many choices on how to spend our time. That’s also the paradox of choice (which I will explore in a future essay.) When we fill our days with too many decisions and ways to spend our time, the decisions become too numerous to consider, so we end up choosing the simplest and most comfortable.
Reflecting back to that conversation, the overload of decision resonates strongly with me. As I research stimulus and ways to combat it, I’ve come across multiple sources referencing flow state. Meditation teachers describe flow as the state of being fully immersed in whatever you are doing. Put otherwise, it’s the sensation of fluidity between your body and mind, where you become totally absorbed by and deeply focused on something beyond the point of distraction. When one is in a flow state, there is a deep connection between what they are doing and a low awareness of their surroundings, resulting in prolonged periods of concentration.
Disney’s Soul is a wonderful example of flow state. If you haven’t seen the movie, what you need to know is the protagonist named Joe, a middle school music teacher, who falls into a coma after an accident. He is introduced to the flow in his coma state, where souls enter by deeply engaging in activities such as writing, art, or music. I’m really not doing the movie justice with this description, so I suggest you watch it. But my reason for bringing this up is because I have reframed my idea of boredom as the inability to enter a state of in-depth, uninterrupted, and full immersion, rather than simply a lack of "things to do."
Have you ever lost yourself in a book that the whole day just flew by, even though you swear you’ve only been reading a couple hours? Maybe you are a musician, and lost yourself playing symphonies. Maybe a similar experience happened when you were cooking. I myself rowed for many years, and we have a term for the undisturbed rowing motion —it’s called flowing. When you become one with your boat, your crew, your rhythm, and are unbothered by other circumstances. Flow state is a meditative experience, borderline spiritual, as you dissociate from your surroundings and tune into corporal experiences.
I've found that paying attention to the sensations in my body, such as where temptations arise, can sometimes be a prerequisite for entering the flow state. I'll notice my fingers fidgeting, my chest tightening, or the urge to bite my nails becoming irresistible. By pushing past the bodily discomfort, I find myself entering the flow state. It's important to remember that you don’t have to overcome hurdles every time you enter the flow state, but there are occasions when the mind’s rebellion manifests physically.
On a closing note, I’d like to share a statement from a creator I admire. Her new year's resolution is to extend and deepen her attention span. She expressed her intention to release longer, unfiltered discussions on her podcast, regardless of potential lowered listener turnout. This commitment resonated with me deeply as I reflected on the significance of attaining deeper levels of concentration. She emphasized the importance of staying engaged in what you are doing, highlighting two key practices: firstly, sitting and noticing the discomfort when it arises (as we have become so adept at numbing it), and secondly, exposing yourself to content that you would not normally watch or read. Will you find it uncomfortable at first? Probably. Will you broaden your horizons, think critically, and most importantly, remain engaged? Absolutely.
Thank you <3
Ps: Big shoutout to my bestie
for encouraging me to write more. Your writing inspires me everyday.
such a good piece!! your way with words inspires ME <3