Bored? What does that feel like?

I honestly, cannot relate to people who come into my office and tell me they are bored. How is this possible? 🤔 Please tell me, what is it like to feel bored? How in the world do you get in this state? I do not think I have felt that way in at least 25, maybe 35 years. This truly fascinates me. It seems incomprehensible. So, I am thinking through this to see what could possibly lead someone to this horrific feeling.

The boredom condition

Consider me judgy, but I think boredom is reserved for lazy people, people with no imagination. If you are bored, then you are not exercising your ability to create, to dream, to imagine, to reason among the options in front of you. There are so many incredible things to engage your time besides being sucked into the digital device right in front of your face and wasting hours upon hours on non-relevant and often damaging information.

If you are bored, your abilities and aptitudes are dying. You are wasting your time. How could you do this to yourself? Is the over-entertainment of our culture dumbing people down to this realization? Can you find something to do that does not involve being 'entertained'?

Now, I say that, but sometimes, I admit, I long for the simple days of Sunday afternoons huddled on the couch watching B-movies. This is a time back in the late 70's and early 80's when there were few options on the television. This was a time when weekends actually lead to periods of rest from activity and constant motion.

Does the quick fix culture we have lead you to believe if it takes too long, it is not worth doing? If the results do not happen quick enough, then you get uninterested? Lethargic? Most things worthy of our time and attention are not quick fix situations --- reading a book, training for our sport, leading the team, cleaning the house, walking the dog, heck getting my teeth whitened took 90 minutes.

Parents, if you have children who say, 'I'm bored' or any other common ailment such as 'there is nothing to do' or 'I'm tired', then consider letting them know every time you hear that, you will assign them a chore to do. They may quickly get inventive with their time. Faculty member Julie Lowe at the Christian Counseling & Educational Foundation wrote a great blog about this a few years ago. I highly recommend the read!

Boredom is a chosen feeling

Boredom is a feeling reflecting a state of existence that is void of purposeful activity. It is a condition of a sloth. It reflects a weary closed mind. The cure for boredom is curiosity and activating reason. It then requires action rather than staying in the doldrums.

The great Wayne Dyer said, 'Life is never boring but some people choose to be bored.' Yes, yes, yes...boredom is a choice! If you are struggling with this feeling, then you are choosing it. Why? The cure is work. The cure is action. The cure is better reasoning with yourself.

Can someone make this light turn, I am getting bored!