Cheetos, weed, crack, Coors;
Ebay, relationship drama, gossip, meddling; Netflix, YouTube, Instagram;
texting, internet surfing, Email; gaming, fantasizing—when we are in what Sober Nation calls “H.A.L.T.” mode (Hungry, Angry, Lonely, Tired), we reach for
our fixes. Even more, what Halts us most is the space between this and that—Boredom.
Call it tedium, dullness, deadliness,
dreariness, monotony, tiresomeness, ennui, world-weariness—it’s the nothing-to-dos, the doldrums, the at-a-losses. The yawn. For those who know about creativity, who know
about magic and the divine—it’s the door.
Nothing is the precursor to everything. It’s the vacuum which Aristotle said “the
universe abhors.” It’s the Possibility
in which our great American poet Emily Dickinson dwelt. Artists, mystics, saints,
genius mathematicians such as Bertrand Russell (quoted above), and everyday meditators
know that there comes a moment of radical nothing.
I know, it’s happened to me. And it
is so huge, so unfathomable, that it both terrifies and fills me with awe. Wow! It’s the ultimate liberation. Other’s might call it “God.” And that makes sense—it’s out of nothing that
the divine in myths created everything.
One metaphor for the brain is a series of interlocking gears:
Boredom is a
gear that can’t find a notch in which to settle. The expression spinning your wheels captures the going-nowhere experience of boredom. Boredom
is the unfocused mind spinning, spinning; scanning, scanning; Scrolling,
Scrolling (see post on this blog site); like a desperate gear looking for a notch in which to settle. (It’s
me repeating the same thing in this paragraph, not providing you some place new
to engage.)
So it’s a matter of deciding who’s
in charge. Who will focus your mind? What matters to me? Who’s in charge?
Marketers, software engineers,
infomercials—Google, Amazon, YouTube, Apple, Weight-Watchers, among others—create
systems that will generate repeat and infinite business. They are not our friends. They are money-makers. Thousands of books, university departments, and
training firms teach businesses how to addict us to their products and services—and
thus to shell out money to them and to their advertisers. They manipulate us into believing that they
are our saviors—from hunger, anger (and other unpleasant feelings), loneliness,
tiredness; and, most of all, Boredom.
Their techniques are to provide novelty, quick fixes, cheap thrills.
As
with every worthwhile avenue of growth and momentum, the first step is to wake
up! When I’m bored, when I’m tempted to reach for my fix, I asked myself “What
just happened?” Am I in HALT? Am I bored?
Can I take care of my huger, my anger, my loneliness, my fatigue in an
appropriate way that honors my best self?
If I’m bored, I have an opportunity to enter the great realm of
possibility.
(1)
Wake up!
(2)
Name my
experience
(3)
If it’s H.A.L.T.:
Manage needs in appropriate ways (eat, address emotion, find someone in person,
sleep)
If it’s the Angel of Boredom:
(4) Stop!!!
(5) Name that
addiction
(6) Don’t give in to
the addiction
(7) Feel the
discomfort
(8) Take ten deep
breaths and/or
(9) Meditate and/or
(10)
Go outside and
(11)
Listen
(12)
Look
(13)
Wait for it
(14)
Wait for it
(15)
Aha!
The mind knows how to take care of
itself, if we let it. Before long, some
worthy idea, some solution to a problem, some creative insight, some generative
course of action will occur to you. You
have accessed your Greater Mind—your unconscious where, like a factory of
elves, all of your answers are being created and are stored. For those of you who believe in a divine, the
process is to Let Go, and Let God.
Media
Ecology—the study of how, literally, systems Mediate between us and our better
selves—helps us to wake up. Neil
Postman, the founder of the discipline, warns us in the title of one of us
books, that we are Amusing Ourselves to
Death.
Think
of embracing Boredom as
Giving
Yourself Space
Taking
care of what matters
“Dwelling
in Possibility”
Preparing
the way
Enticing
the Muse
I
promise, you will vastly improve your
Memory
Creativity
Energy
Relationships
Access
to Joy
When
are you bored? How do you respond? How can you take hold of your life and use
Boredom as a tool for creativity and successes?
How can you, following Bertrand Russell’s image, stop cutting yourself
off and get rooted in your own life?
Here's a memorable quote from Holiday Mathis's column Your Stars:
It may seem counterintuitive, but it's the absence of color and light that will be the most stimulating. Blank spaces invigorate your most creative instincts. (Libra: 3.12.20)
Here's a memorable quote from Holiday Mathis's column Your Stars:
It may seem counterintuitive, but it's the absence of color and light that will be the most stimulating. Blank spaces invigorate your most creative instincts. (Libra: 3.12.20)
Works Cited:
Art:
Cover Art: A-Z Quotes
Text:
Dickinson, Emily. “I dwell in Possibility.” The Poems of Emily Dickinson. Ed. R. W.
Franklin.
Boston: Harvard UP, 1999.
#466.
Postman,
Neil. Amusing Ourselves to Death. New
York: Penguin, 1985.
Seanette Martin
ReplyDeleteReading this post was so funny because I felt like it was written specifically for me. Lately I find myself so bored I’m so use to my routine of work, school, and spending time with my daughter that I feel like I’m going through a boredom strike. There was a time when I would get bored and just decide that I want to work on my cooking skills and I would try to think of creative ways to jazz up a simple recipe like ziti. I would just go in the kitchen and see how creative I could be and it would come out great. Then there are times when I’m bored and I pick up my phone and four hours later I have done nothing around the house because I was so consumed in my phone.
Today when I found myself being bored I decided to pick up my laptop and get started on some homework. I made a list and told myself I would stick to this list instead of sitting around being bored do something productive and stop procrastinating. It actually feels like a weight is being lifted off my shoulders because I have so much homework. Now that I have started I just want to keep going and I no longer feel bored because I found something to do that is actually keeping me busy. Then there is that question lingering in my head asking “what will you do when you have completed all your homework?” The answer is quite simple “it’s Sunday and tomorrow is the beginning of the work week so I have many things to prepare to get ready for the week.” There is also a few schools I would like to research and find out about their programs so being bored not only helped me start my homework but it actually helped me to find more things to do instead of focusing on how bored I truly was.
Fabulous, Seanette! It just takes a moment to stop, reflect, and reinvent yourself!
DeleteWhen seeking to avoid cliché in poetry, Dr. S. Rich introduced the idea, in lecture, of isolating emotion to a location in the body and to create imagery or sensation using that location to illustrate a distinct moment, relatable to the reader. One might, using this ideology in poetry, change a line that reads: “she was filled with stress” to discuss tension in the jaw, or the clenching of fists. One of the many calls of action a poet faces is to challenge conventional third-party experiences that are found in prose, internalize emotions, and to create “snapshot” moments that draw a reader to feel the moment with the poet.
ReplyDeleteIn addition to creating these tangible moments for readers in poetry, by taking the moment to isolate an emotion to where it manifests itself in the body – a poet is forced to: Stop. - Delve into the emotion - Determine how the body reacts to the stimulus – Determine where in the body the reaction lies – And, communicate this idea to readers. [Then, of course, edit as needed ;). ]
As one begins to apply this methodology to writing, the poet finds him or herself running through these steps when they receive a text message from a significant other indicating that relationship is over, when they find out that they just got a promotion, and when they’re anxiously awaiting test scores. This line of thinking begins to present itself at the precise moments of impact versus in retrospect. “Where in the body am I feeling this?” – Answering this question when dealing with emotion inherently creates a sense of self awareness.
When grappling with the tougher emotions, such as anger, sadness, or anxiety, one who has gained the (now) second nature response system [Stop. - Delve into the emotion - Determine how the body reacts to the stimulus – Determine where in the body the reaction lies] can add a proactive last step that constructs a sense of control over a difficult emotion by asking: “How can I alter this bodily reaction, now that I’ve identified its location?” Someone who identifies that stress manifests itself in the clenching of the jaw, might, simply, unclench the jaw – and if the jaw needs a little extra love, give the jaw a quick massage. The proactive “correction” of the bodily reaction to an emotion, and the sense of control created by it, offers a sense of release of the hard to grapple with emotion. Even cutting the smallest hole in a balloon will eventually serve to deflate it.
But, what about emotions that are not so “hard” to deal with, such as boredom? It might take an additional level of self awareness to be able to identify that one is in such a passive state, and to then take it a step further and identify how the body manifests it. However, to combat boredom, and the habits that come of it, such as Netflix binging, and going on a spending bender – one might alter the above steps slightly: Identify where in the body something is occurring – Determine what is being felt – Then, apply the bodily reaction to a rewarding activity.
I.e. She catches herself staring off into space. She realizes that she is bored. She uses the eyes that were just staring off into space and her unoccupied hands to pick up a camera and shoot photos, and focus her eyes on an activity that allows for creativity and growth.
OMG! Brianna, what a brilliant response to the post! Thank you for so closely articulating the process by which we might further, and most creatively, transform boredom into proactive creativity! Love and Miss you!
ReplyDeleteLove and miss you too! Looking forward to continued reading and exchanging ideas!
DeleteHave you ever talked to someone about something and then you go on your social media and there is then an ad for whatever you were discussing? "They are not our friends." My favorite raw truth. It is so unfortunately true! We sit here and skim through social media, we go on Instagram when we are bored of that we hop on to Facebook, when we are bored of that we go on snapchat and play with the filters. All of this is so time consuming and then you realize that you have just spent an hour and have nothing to show for it. In addition to your time being wasted, maybe they once again sold you something you feel you needed which you really didn't because of the advertisements.
ReplyDeleteAlthough, I only met with Dr. Rich once she really made me question what I do in my down time. Do I waste my down time? Am I shorting myself? I take all my classes and then do my homework. To follow I go watch netflix, or scroll through timelines but what does that benefit me? How does that help me in my future? I feel people are often uncomfortable with the thought of being alone with their thoughts or having nothing to do. We care too much what other people think and not enough about what is most important for us.
So, not only after I left class last week did I go get yarn to teach myself to crochet and step out side of my comfort zone doing something new. I am further inspired by this post. Put down the media, take a break. Self-care people! Self-care.
Kelly Fleschner
Kelly, I love how you are transforming yourself after just a short wake-up call! And yes! It's called "self-care." Thank you for that expression!
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ReplyDeleteThis post magnifies how I feel when boredom creeps up on me from time to time. I feel unfocused, lost alone and I dislike feeling those emotions. In the result of feeling that way, I would just do anything to get rid of the emotion. Often times, I find myself making poor decisions and wasting so much time doing unproductive things. At the moment it feels like the right thing to do, but when I reflect, I notice that I didn’t really accomplish anything. Now, that I am aware of what happens during that state or boredom, I will be still and not give into doing anything to fill in the empty space that I feel when I’m bored”. I will also take control of my mind and sit and stillness and “Let Go and Let God”. Maybe there is purpose in sitting in stillness and allowing your mind to be at rest before making those emotional decisions. Maybe there is a talent or a special gift that I may have that hasn’t been released because I haven’t put enough time in, for it to develop.
ReplyDeleteI’m really reflecting and fully aware of how I spend my time, and
I’m not happy with it. But, I’m happy to be at a place where I can acknowledge the problem, and apply the necessary steps to make those changes in my life. When boredom tries to knock me down, I’ll remind myself that I’m not alone and mediate in order to counteract those emotions. When I am unfocused, I will open up my planner to make sure that I am on track. When I feel lost, I will remind myself that I have a purpose. Time is precious and I agree that sometimes it can be wasted on pointless things especially when boredom strikes.
-Jasmin H
Very thoughtful, Jasmin! The most important step is waking up!
ReplyDeleteI find myself the most bored when I have nothing to do. The slow shifts at work are the first thing that comes to mind. After all the side work has been done (re-stocking, making sure there are backup lemons, making sure the coffee grinders has beans), I stand around with my co-workers and chit chat. Then I get bored with the chit chat, because it’s the same mindless conversation every time. So I walk away, and find something else that has to get done. There’s always something to do in the restaurant business. I think about what hasn’t been cleaned in a while, like the check presenters or the top shelf of the coffee machine, where a thin film of dust accumulates over the coffee cups in the back row that haven’t been used. I reorganize, my mind coming back to life with a task.
ReplyDeleteI started an internship at a publishing house in the city, and that gets boring. Emails from the editor seem to flood my mailbox with new proposals to read. “Tell me what you think”, he asks. Some of these proposals are on topics that are of no interest to me. When I find myself reading the same sentence for the twentieth time, lost in the doldrums, I take a break. I go the bathroom and sit, close my eyes for a minute and just breathe. Allow my mind to be empty. When I’m back in front of the screen, I’m ready to engage with the reading again, despite my lack of interest. Then I find some idea that is of interest, and I focus, asking myself what this story is saying to me as an involuntary reader. Turns out these thoughts are what form my opinions, and I have something of substance to impart to the editor. I think accepting the emptiness in my brain when faced with boredom is key and helps me get past the discomfort and frustration, allowing me to carry on.
I find myself bored mainly at work. I feel time passes extremely slow, and I don't have the company with me to have a simple conversation. Working as an after our pediatric receptionist, the hours that go by are brutal. Whenever I got bored, I would constantly go down to the vending machine to get snacks. Eventually I started bringing my own snacks, so I don't know which was worse. I was constantly eating, and sitting down for all those hours doesn't help the situation. If I wasn't eating, then I would be on my phone. I would sink in to the black hole that is the internet. From Facebook to Instagram, from Instagram to SnapChat, circling back around to Facebook, I was constantly roaming. Eventually it turned into me eating WHILE roaming social media.
ReplyDeleteWhenever I would get bored at home, it was the same story. Eating, internet, TV, and Netflix would take over my life. If I didn't have anything to munch on, I would then resort to taking a nap. Overall I was disgusting. More and more I felt myself becoming sluggish, putting on weight, and falling in to this same habit.
Eventually I got sick and tired of the lifestyle that was boredom. I instantly took hold of my life and wanted to do better for myself. I signed up for a gym membership and wanted to become active. I figured starting there was a really good start considering the boredom weight I had put on. Whenever I find myself getting bored, my mind switches to gym mode to get myself together. I've come to love the gym and the environment. I especially started to love it more once I started to see results! When it comes to social media, I feel I never know the latest news anymore.I'm barely ever on my phone anymore. I switched social media with books! Tons and tons of books, and I find my time being more valuable.
While reading this article, I felt very proud in my decision of taking charge of my own life. This article put into words what I was feeling. Whenever I feel bored now, I take a minute to process and decide how I would like to handle it. So I turned to becoming active and expanding my mind with books. I love to read and lost my love for it along the way, but this has helped me find my way back to books; I fell in love with them all over again and was reminded why. I've also come to find myself spending a lot more time with my mom. Whether it be to watch a movie together, go out to dinner, or spend our entire day at the mall, I find my happiness in the overall time spent with her.
ReplyDeleteDear Dr. Rich,
I have a lot of things I want to say about this blog post on boredom. First, I personally want to say that boredom is a big thing that is interfering with my life on a daily basis for a while now. I feel like it is constantly surrounding me. The only thing that distracts me from boredom is attending my classes and completing my assignments for these classes. Other than that, I feel like I experience it all the time. At first, my solutions to solve my boredom where to watch T.V., use my phone or shop online. But the thing is that these things were only a temporary entertainment. Other than that, it is true that the creators of these things are using us so that we can get addicted to their products in exchange of money. This point made me realize that I must find other ways to get me out of boredom. Therefore, now I find many better ways to get myself out of this boredom zone. Sometimes, I would go for a walk while listening to music. Another thing I do is take naps if I can. Also, sometimes a call a friend or hangout with them personally. More importantly, the one big thing that I do is just sit silently in my room and just relax as well as breath slowly. This way gives my brain a chance to relax and process the unnecessary boredom situation that it is suffering from. There are many other things that I do to help me out when I feel bored but these are just of the few examples that I wanted to share.
Dear Dr. Rich,
ReplyDeleteThank you for this excellent and rich post. Through personal experience, I have mistaken-ed boredom for anxiety. I realized that I was participating in these unhealthy behavior patterns around my junior year of high school. Whether it was after my classes were finished, or my work for the day was done, I would instantly look at my phone. In reality, I liked school and I have always enjoyed my work. However, there was always some kind of drama that was going on in the background of my life. Sometimes there was chaos at home and sometimes there was drama happening at school as well. I have a very supportive family. Let that be clear as day. However, when it rains it pours. Meaning, when there is a problem in my house, everyone is involved because emotions are high and situations get heated. At school, if my friends were going through drama that I was somehow involved with, I always looked for the quickest way out before even dealing with it. The same method applies for chaos that happens at home. I was in denial that problems were happening (that sometimes called for me directly) and chose to make the situation worse, not intentionally of course. I would "distract" or "occupy" myself by taking out my phone, or taking out my computer and just mindlessly surf the internet. This was my way of dealing with the various situations in unhealthy ways, which I found out in therapy many years later. The use of devices to distract, occupy, or manipulate a situation is a form of addiction. Many people do not realize this until it is too late. Fortunately for me, I have an excellent therapist and she warned me about potential harms that devices can cause when abused. Now, I write my thoughts down if I am in a loop of drama (which I try my best not to be) and I express it to those who are affecting me. I tackle the situation hands on and deal with it. I take the bull by his horns! Yee-Haw!! I did not, however, become this strong overnight. This strength was sharpened through years of self love, personal growth, and therapy. I am proud of myself.
ALexandra Grell
Lexie! So very delighted to have you in our Shakespeare crew! You are amazing!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteDear Dr. Rich,
ReplyDeleteAlthough I cannot say I am never bored (because I am human) I cannot say that I get bored a lot. If I feel the claws of boredom reaching for my neck, my own thoughts will whisk me away into some sort of personalized entertainment. I often find myself bored when I am in that awkward in- between waiting space for something to happen. For example, waiting in line for food, waiting at work for time to run out or waiting at home for someone to return and talk to me. I’ll fill those spaces with my phone (of course!) and watch movies, talk to others or scroll through my go- to news source- TWITTER! I am ashamed to say there was a time years ago when I was addicted to scrolling through twitter. I couldn’t even sit through a thirty minute show with my parents without picking my phone up to see what everyone else is doing/saying online. It became a detrimental to myself when I got to college, where time is limited, and realized I had sold all of my (procrastinate) time to twitter. Such a shame to say I dedicated all that time to what can be simply described as nothing.
Lucky for me this problem was very easily fixed, maybe I owe the universe a thank you! I have and have always had a problem with dropping my phone and shattering the screen beyond use. I decided to use that as an opportunity to disconnect completely. The first time, I went two months without a phone, apps, no texts, no facetime; just me. The only downside to this was that I could not contact anyone and nobody could contact me, but that turned out to be the best thing for me. The second time I went almost the entire summer without a phone solely because I found out how much I loved being left alone. After I got over the feeling that I was always missing something, I realized that I was only missing nothing. A bunch of nothing that everyone else cares about and because it’s so magnified I subconsciously saw it as something. That was an eye opener for me. The world is full of distractions so always give yourself a moment to re-center and remember what matters. (Real Life).
Shannon Williams
Fabulous, Shannon! You are an inspiration!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteWhenever I feel bored, I feel guilty. I have too much to do right now to be bored! If I am home, there is homework to do, laundry to be cleaned and put away, studying to be done, etc. If I am at work, this pattern is just continuing. I could be dusting, cleaning the registers, or even making the aisles look perfect, but I don’t, because for some reason, I chose to be bored! Although I have all of these productive things to do, I am still choosing this terrible feeling. I complain and complain about being bored, yet still, sit on my phone wasting away time prolonging the feeling of boredom. Sitting on my phone is not helping this feeling of boredom, and only makes me feel more anxious about not having any homework or laundry done. Therefore, today, I have decided to glue myself to my seat, and complete all of my homework, instead of dwelling on the fact that I am bored, and have nothing to do.
ReplyDeleteI decided to plan my day out, and according to this plan, it is impossible for me to feel the slightest bit of boredom. Instead of lounging on the couch thinking about all of the things I have to do and ignoring them, I am just going to do them. I think I’ll thank myself later for that one.
This blog has made me think differently about this. I am realizing that there is so much that I want to do, but my time is being wasted in many different aspects. One, it is being wasted on being lazy and just overall being “bored.” Two, my boredom is leading me to be on my phone, scrolling through useless advertisements and persuading me to spend money on things that I don’t need. Therefore, after reading this blog, I discovered that this is in my control, I can fix this and prevent these issues, I just need to stop and think about what I am doing, so that I do not waste another minute being “bored.”
Very inspiring, Samantha! And sometimes just let yourself feel bored, make that space, and then see what surfaces for you!
DeleteI tend to get bored whenever I am not busy. I like to keep myself occupied in order to keep myself from using my phone or sitting around doing nothing. However, when I do get bored, I tend to respond by using my phone or watching tv. It isn't the best use of my time and while responding to this post I am realizing that there are so many other things I could be doing: getting ahead on school work, exercising, organizing, planning. So many things that can get done in the time that I spend 'bored,' sitting on my butt doing nothing productive. I can use this information and this method to change my reality and make it benefit my life way more than my actions are right now. When I catch myself on my phone or doing nothing because of boredom, I will try doing school work or planning out my schedule for the following day or week. I will be more productive and get so many more things done if I can stop being bored.
ReplyDeleteAndrea Piaggio
DeleteBoredom…Procrastinating…Distraction…
ReplyDeleteI feel like these three things are the same to me. I find that when I am procrastinating, I will get bored with the things that I am doing to distract myself from the things I should be doing. Therefore, these sometimes three things go hand-in-hand. However, I almost want to say that I am never bored because when there is actually nothing to do, I just go on Netflix and then I am not bored anymore. But those bright red letters that pop up on the screen with the black background should spell D-I-S-T-R-A-C-T-I-O-N. On the brighter side, I have had a go on fixing this ugly cycle by watching ways in which people plan for success. Podcasts and Lifestyle videos have been my “go-to” in helping think about how I want to get myself on the rode to creative thinking that will guide me in performing actions that will achieve my goals. I find myself wanting for this immensely, however, those three long words at the beginning of this post are always creeping, trying to find their way in. What has helped me get “rooted in my own life” is thinking of the dynamics of my family and how I already have a disposition to boredom. Growing up I saw the ways in which my parents would fix their boredom which was constantly watching T.V. and talking on the phone to friends and family members. Therefore, looking for distractions to consume their time as to not be bored.
Luckily, I have recently had that “aha! Moment”. I woke up one Saturday and just went downstairs to do my usual things on the weekends, which were fix myself breakfast, tidy around the house, do some time management things for schoolwork and then it hit me. I’m just going to lie in bed for a bit and think. And I did just that, I thought about the things I want to do for school and how I could stop my procrastinating. I also thought about making a plan to wake up and just journal. Therefore, I could think about the creative things I want to do with my life and write them down. This was really amazing to me and I think it is something that I will be doing often in the future. Just shut-up and listen to my right-brain’s voice.
-Alison S.
I used to be comfortable with boredom (in a negative way) because I had a habit of using my phone as a distraction whenever there was nothing to do. I didn’t realize it was boredom until I found myself pressing the lock button on my cell phone two and a half hours later of intense social media browsing. During those moments, I felt unproductive, lazy, and tired, every time that I used valuable time to scroll through irrelevant posts online. After s while, I realized that I needed to change this routine because I was harming myself; even though I couldn’t see the physical scars, I was harming my vision, my mind, and my soul with this app. Therefore, I decided I needed a change. I knew that in the beginning it would be difficult to completely stop using my phone so I decided to use it differently. I began to use an app called iBooks to read books instead. Also, I searched for writers and poets instead of scrolling through pictures of dresses, in order to read their works and spark some inspiration for my own pieces. Eventually, I decided to put my phone down when I felt bored and directed myself towards getting more homework done. After getting some work done, I felt energized, worthy, and ready to do life! At times, I sometimes find myself reaching for my phone when boredom strikes but as soon as I realize it, I lock it and look for human conversation, an activity, or something else that I know I will gain more from. And now that I have some of your advice Dr. Rich, I will refer to some of the steps that will allow me to reach that “Aha!” moment. I have also learned to Let Go and Let God help guide me towards eliminating those corrupt gears in my brain.
ReplyDelete-Marilyn Hernandez (Shakespeare Survey 3215-04)
When I am alone at home, I often find myself in H.A.L.T. and to deal with these feelings I do usually rely on technology. For instance, instead of going outside for a walk (if it's a nice day) or drawing, two activities that make me smile and proud of, I usually end up watching random videos and shows on YouTube and Netflix. This is distraction with the screen is especially not beneficial and I have started to notice how much it is affecting my work ethic and my sleeping schedule. Therefore I am going to try my hardest to cut down on my cell phone time.
ReplyDeleteIn cutting down my time on my phone (another media freeze!) I'm hoping that it will not only allow me to improve my sleeping schedule and work ethic, but that I will have more time to do activities I usually enjoy:
Singing
Drawing
Reading
Acting
Hiking/Walking
Dancing (which I really haven't done in a long time )
Writing (for school and creatively)
Another aspect that is also important to take into account is that if I am bored and “must” (and I mean that loosely) use the internet, I should only use it in a way to help me with the activities I enjoy. For instance, instead of using YouTube to only watch people do activities I should use it for karaoke music and sing to it.
While I was reading the Boredom and Creativity blog I was trying to figure what I do when I get bored. I usually watch a television show that has inspired me in my writing and that has helped me to continue with my writing. I see what inspired me about these shows and, for some reason, I climb out of my writer's block and continue on with my story. I also go out and write in the settings of my story. If it takes place in a go-go bar then I would go to my girlfriend's bar when she's working to bounce ideas off her and her fellow dancers. If I am writing a scene that takes place within a police station then I would talk to my cousins or my uncle who are NYPD and get their takes on my police characters. I try to use my personal life as much as I can in my writing so that I do not get bored when I am writing. What causes my boredom is not that I am going through writer's block, but comes from the fact that I sometimes lose interest or that I am not depressed. I have found that when I am depressed over something than my writing begins to flow and flow. I never fully understood that, but for some reason it works better when I am depressed. Since having a girlfriend recently, I have been able to write relationships even better than before because I have something to draw from that I did not have before.
ReplyDeleteBoredom and Creativity Blog
I really do appreciate this blogpost, Boredom and Creativity, and I really appreciate how you really broke down for us the true angels of boredom. That stood out to me the most in this post and made me remember our first day of class, when you told us that the classroom was a technology free zone. In first hearing those words, I thought that was the worst idea, to not have any technology in the classroom, mainly speaking of laptops. In all of my other classes, laptops are essential to taking notes in class and following along with presentation slides. BUT, now towards the end of the semester I think back to the first day of class and say to myself, “THAT WAS THE BEST IDEA EVER!” I thank you for giving us the opportunity to have a technology free zone as students, who are literally glued to technology such as laptops and cell phones. In doing this, it really made me appreciate our class time, rather than checking my phone or laptop screens to see what time it was. Technology is truly so distracting to our education and our lives, and it’s honestly heartbreaking. It’s so heartbreaking how many people depend on their phone for everything, including myself as a victim. Before taking this class (having a technology free zone), I used to be a victim, I used to be a student who was always checking the time on my laptop and opening different apps of social media. I don’t do that anymore, and I’m so thankful because now I see how important it is to cut down on the use of our technology. I now understand that just because of the simple fact of being bored, doesn’t mean I have to turn to my phone for the solution. I can be creative in so many different ways when I’m bored. One thing we had to try to do for class, was to go home and not use a certain app of social media and cut down our screen time in general. It was over the weekend when I decided to now use my phone other than for calls or important texts and let me tell you…it was very hard…but it was so refreshing and life changing. In my boredom, I found so many different solutions through creativity and that helped a lot. I drew, I painted, I read a book, and I exercised, which is something I haven’t done in the longest time before giving up social media on my phone. Technology is such a waste of time, but I can say of course, that it can be used for so many different helpful things. Thank you, Dr. Rich for introducing a technology free zone in the classroom, for it would have probably took me a very long time to find my creativity.
ReplyDelete- Kelci Neto
Nicole Diefenbacher
ReplyDeleteI think right now, as someone who is as busy as I am (two jobs, full class schedule, sorority, social life etc) it is hard for me to be bored because I am constantly on the go.
However, when I wasn’t so busy, I would find myself feeling bored constantly. I was diagnosed with ADHD as a child and remember not ever being able to sit still. I would start things constantly and never finish. I am a Gemini, and if you believe in that sort of thing, Gemini’s are known to get bored easily and move from one thing to the next very quickly. My ADHD is not super severe anymore (I honestly think I’ve mostly grown out of it) I find when I don’t have the busy moments that I typically have, I will be on social media for hours. Just mindlessly scrolling and hours would pass by and I wouldn’t even realize it.
So oftentimes now, I will make physical lists of things to do so I have a goal in mind and I won’t stray from it. Sometimes, homework can be kind of mind numbing so I will finish something on my list and reward myself with a snack or a 10 minute phone break.
Within myself I noticed that when I am in a “H.A.L.T” phase I tend to turn to my many social accounts. Instagram, Snapchat, Facebook, Netflix, and Hulu have seemed to be what I have to fall back on the most these days. Many people are able to map out just how much time they spend on social media or watching television but not I. Throughout my day I tend to go on my social media sites whether I am in class, walking to class, at work, or on my way to work. At times I open these apps without even noticing that my fingers are clicking on the little icons displayed on my phone, laptop, or iPad. I usually spend only a couple of minutes on each app, close it out and proceed to the next one. At times I catch myself and I am able to proceed to doing something worth my time.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to watching Netflix and Hulu I tend to do that during the breaks I have between classes or the break that I have in between leaving school to going to work. I realized that these things often keep me balanced being that being a manager and being assigned to two different stores and being a full time student my social life is basically dead. Prior to being so involved in my life there was a time I enjoyed going to the library and getting lost in a book but now I feel like time is against me but during these H.A.L.T. moments these social fall backs are what is really keeping me from engaging in a good book. During these moments I can be challenging myself to delete these social accounts from my cell phone and getting lost in a good book, painting, or even myself for a change. I appreciate my Shakespeare Survey course because it challenges me to go for a period of time without touching or even seeing my phone and it is amazing how fast time flies and how much you can learn and get done when you’re away from these social distractions.
So this blog post I thought was extremely entertaining. I am going to answer the bottom questions because they stood out to me and made me truly think of what I can get from this blog post.
ReplyDeleteWhen am I bored? How do you respond?— I don't really have a specific time, but when I am bored I go straight to fixing the problem. I watch Netflix, I try to make plans with my friends, maybe watch a movie with my mom. I never like to stay in one place.
How can you take hold of your life and use Boredom as a tool for creativity and successes? —- I believe I let boredom direct me to typical 21 year old outcomes. Maybe as an English major I should allow my boredom to bring me to writing in a journal like I used to when I was younger. Maybe read a series of books and never be able to put them down, just like I did when I was a kid. My whole life I couldn't stop reading and writing and I am not sure where or when I stopped.
How can you, following Bertrand Russell’s image, stop cutting yourself off and get rooted in your own life? —I feel I need to start taking my life in my own hands and doing what I want and not what others want. I live my life to please others, but what about myself?
Dr. Rich,
ReplyDeleteI do not believe that HALT has anything to do with boredom what’s so ever. In fact boredom comes from procrastination. We find ourselves bored when we do not want to do things that we have to do, such as, homework, go to work and etc. I do not think people scrolling on social media platforms has anything to do with boredom either. People tend to do that to ignore responsibilities. But also there are many people that use those platforms to learn how to cook, learn how to draw or to learn something new. These platforms are not only used as a tool for procrastinating but to help us learn new techniques, learn about what’s going on in the world and even to fix your car. For example, let’s say you do not know how to change a tire, you can easily go on YouTube to learn how to do it step by step. This website/app can help someone for free. You do not need to be a member or pay a monthly fee to use it. Actually, the person that posted the video will make money by someone watching it and you are technically not paying them whatsoever. So I think YouTube is a good friend and does not manipulate us.
To add, I can never say I am bored but to say that I procrastinate sometimes. When I procrastinate I clean, I eat, I nap, and I watch Netflix. While I procrastinate, I am still learning. Such as when I’m watching Netflix, I learn life lessons. All in all, everyone has different opinions, but if the tool is used in a meaningful way, there isn’t anything wrong with it.
Always,
Anastasia Vazquez
Since my childhood years I have never been okay with boredom. I always feel that I have to be moving and partaking in something. It can be said that I frequently am bored when I am left alone by myself. When left alone I quickly begin to find things that interest me such as eating, although I am not hungry, and scrolling on social media. Without realizing it hours have passed by and my room is filled with wrappers and my phone is on the verge of dying. I never thought this was unacceptable until reading this blog post. I now realize that I only waste time and I am not being productive. I have nothing to brag about in regards to accomplishments because all I did was scroll on social media. Due to this, I find that I need to tackle my boredom by “taking care of what matters” as the blog post states. By tackling my boredom, I plan to put aside my phone, and food, do activities that matter. Whether this is starting on early homework assignments or partaking in creative activities, I will aim to do it. I enjoy painting canvases but do not paint as often as I am always on my phone. I believe that by doing this it will allow me to clear my mind and detach from the world. It is important for me to learn how to be okay by myself while not relying on others, even if they’re on social media. I need to learn to not be interrupted/distracted and be productive.
ReplyDeleteBailey Vick
This blog speaks so much to the people of this generation which can not do anything about their phones. When ever there is any free time the first thing that everyone does is pull their phones out. Even if they have already gone through all their insta stories and through their whole feeds they hope for more. Hoppe that someone has uploaded more of their lives to social media so that they have some things to scroll through. Then god forbid there is no wifi or signal, they are left lost. Not knowing what everyone did before there was wifi readily available everywhere. A good example of this is when super storm Sandy struck. I had no power for two weeks and it was horrifying for a high school student who is obsessed with their phone. Thee first couple of days I was lost, hoping that the power will come back soon, then you become frantic with boredom, not remembering that there was a time when you would entertain your self without wifi. Those two weeks without power I spent a lot more time communicating with my family and playing board games with them then I had in the last year. Great things come from boredom and no technology.
ReplyDeleteMy boredom almost always takes me to food. And I hate it. Mostly it’s when I’m home and have a day off. Sometimes when I’m actually not bored, I’m watching one of my favorite tv shows. But my hands aren’t doing anything, so I go to the kitchen for a snack and sit back down to continue watching. Boredom eating has made me gain pounds I can not lose. In the back of my mind, I know I’m doing it just because. Because I have nothing else to do. Because it’s right there. I should HALT. Think about what the reason is behind it. There is always something else I could be doing. For example, rather than eating when I’m bored, why not go to the gym and exercise? I would definitely feel better after. It’s the motivation I need to to drive to the gym and do it. Or nap. I am very behind on sleep and rather than watching tv I could take a small nap. Regenerate my mind. Something to look into in the near future.
ReplyDeleteDr Rich,
ReplyDeleteWhat I liked about this blog is how mindful it is. Especially when you said "They are not our friends. They are money-makers. Thousands of books, university departments, and training firms teach businesses how to addict us to their products and services." I never really thought about it like this and it's true! They are NOT our friends, rather our enemies! You made this to save us from.....boredom? It's also selfish in a way because they pocket all the money they make from people that are addicted to their products and services. It's almost like being a drug-dealer.
When I'm bored, I love binge watching a Netflix show. It's entertaining for me and it's my favorite guilty pleasure. However, key word; binge. Do I really need to indulge THAT much? Wasting so many hours of my life in front of a screen when I could be spending more time with my loved ones or working on my passions? Yeah, Netflix shows are fun to watch but what I don't realize sometimes is that it gets in the way of my time!!! Something I can never get back!! Entertainment keeps you entertained, not growing. Great blog!
This blog spoke to me deeply. I find myself falling into habits often when I am bored or in HALT mode. Food is my comfort for almost any of those reasons. I reach for chips or candy or something small, easy to snack on and in my reach, especially when I’m bored. Lately, I have been using my phone more than usual. Not for text messages or phone calls but to scroll and distract myself. I call it “getting sucked in”. This refers to when I’m bored and grab my phone to look at Facebook for a minute or two and then a half hour goes by and my thumb is still moving. It feels like I’m in a trance and can’t stop because I have to see what the next post is and so forth. Until finally I have to look away from the screen and put my phone down. Instead of picking up my phone for scrolling purposes, I’d like to find a new hobby or an old one that I fell out of. When I’m bored, I can write. Something I always tell myself I have no time for. I can spend more time playing with my dog. I can learn something new. I am only prohibiting myself from doing things that I would normally or used to enjoy doing.
ReplyDeleteRecently I have been reading a book about how to live a happier and more fulfilling life. This post relates directly to the book. The book discusses how these fixes (video games, YouTube, Netflix) are halting creativity. We are no longer creating or generating new ideas out of our boredom, we are just drowning it with flashing lights and colors. Instead of using our free time for good we are wasting it. I found this post very interesting and it came at the perfect time for me, I have been trying to be more productive when I am bored now instead of wasting that time on twitter or instagram.
ReplyDeleteThis post could not have entered my life at a better time. Recently I have been reading a book about how to live a happier and more fulfilling life. This post relates directly to the book. The book discusses how these fixes that people have (video games, YouTube, Netflix) are halting creativity. We are no longer creating or generating new ideas out of our boredom, we are just drowning it with flashing lights and colors. Instead of using our free time for good we are wasting it. People are not coming up with ideas like they used to simply because we do not get bored in the same way. I know that sounds like it does not make sense, but think about it. When people were bored before having all this technology access, they were forced to rely on their own thoughts and ideas for entertainment. We no longer do that, we just click onto netflix or some social media app and completely turn our brains off. If we had to come up with our own forms of entertainment, we would have brilliant ideas again. We would be forced to use our minds to entertain ourselves. I found this post very interesting and it came at the perfect time for me, I have been trying to be more productive when I am bored now instead of wasting that time on twitter or instagram. This is a very good post for people to read and they should consider making some changes to their “boredom habits.”
ReplyDeleteI find myself bored when there’s so much to do such as responsibilities to take on. I find that I shut down because of the stress of those responsibilities. I rather eat or scroll through social media. I do find myself picking up my instruments when i'm bored which seems like the only healthy option from the other two. There are times that I do feel cut off already. And in order to find myself I can take those roots and plant them into my boredom to create its own life. To take control of my boredom I can play my instruments more or turn the other habits into better situations. Such as making a new recipe, learning more skills to cook, and for social media I can scroll through other things on my phone that can give me useful information. The possibilities are endless in our lives. It's just a matter of finding those opportunities and taking advantage of them.
ReplyDelete-Racquel F
I am never really bored. I go to school and work full time and on the weekends I spend my time doing work. The excruciating load I am given from my teachers don’t allow me to experience boredom. When I am bored and it is not the semester, I reach for my prayer journal. This is where my creativity lives, sleeps and eats. Whether it is something to be creative with my style, my life, the people around me, the environment around me, I usually put all of my creative ideas there to rest and manifest. I keep my prayer journal close so that when I feel the urge to waste my time on social media or other things in life that I know will be useless, I have that handy to make sure my brain is working at all times. Another way I respond to boredom is staying active which also helps my creativity. When I am active in the gym I think about a bunch of ideas and things to do to be better in different ways and will pull my phone out to take notes in my notes app. I don’t really experience boredom, but when I do I make sure that that time is used wisely.
ReplyDeleteBoredom is found everywhere in our everyday lives. I think that we all would have a better time if we used our boredom time as a way to find new hobbies or continue old ones. Those who always hustle, especially when they are bored, are the ones who become successful in life. However, in society, we normalize down time and relaxation after a long day. What sounds better than Netflix and wine after a hard day at work? Going to the movies with friends on your day off? Although these activities are certainly time consuming and keeps us busy/entertained, they do not work our minds.
ReplyDeleteWe advertise these down time activities to keep people from becoming too successful and having an influx or imbalance of the rich to middle class to poorer families. Netflix, movies, social media, etc are catered and advertised to the general public as a family bond or connector. Eventually, we automatically turn off most of our brains when we go and watch movies and tv shows -- something that can draw us in rather quickly.
Unfortunately, one of the things that I have noticed is that we, as a society, have a shorter attention span. We cannot focus on things for too long unless they are entertaining. I believe that this is the result of us not using our brains enough when we do mindless/mind-numbing activities. I work at my local library and I have noticed that people are either going on their laptops or borrowing tons of movies to watch at home with families. This does not mean that family bonding time is not good, it simply means that we revolve our family bonding time with movies and TV shows. How would it differ if we bonded over different activities like pottery or painting?
I have also noticed in myself that I do have the attention span of a goldfish when it comes to almost everything. I get bored pretty easily and that is because my mind is not used to being engaged for incredibly long periods of time. My mind doesn’t work when I watch movies. Sure, I react to whatever is happening on screen, but I am not being challenged. That is why sitting down and reading a book -- an activity/hobby that I used to love and could do for long periods of time with glee -- is a little bit more difficult for me now. Sure, I could read a book, but I would have to seriously focus and sometimes forge myself through the plot (unless it’s incredibly captivating, i.e, the most recent book I read that I loved: How to Hack a Heartbreak by Kristin Rockaway). I have recently tried to go back into reading, but excuses pop up left and right: oh, I have homework. Oh, I don’t have enough time. Oh, I don’t want to exude that much energy right now.
Reading doesn’t and shouldn’t take too much energy, but for some reason, I seldom do it. Aside from reading, I am planning on engaging in more strenuous or fitness related activities such as rock climbing or kickboxing. I recently took a yoga class -- something that I haven’t done since freshman year of college. It rekindled my love for yoga and made me realize how much I love my own body and what it can do.
Boredom is something that we all face, but it is how we deal with it that makes us who we are.
Me and boredom are no strangers. I find myself using boredom as an excuse not to do things. I always have something to do and yet always stray to netflix or social media and fall easily into laziness. Right now, I have a painting that I’ve started and am about half way through. I’m proud that I even got myself to do it but am also disappointed that I haven’t put more time into it when I totally have had the time to. I find the I put laziness and boredom in the same category and really need to break the habit. I constantly have creativity flowing through me but just don’t have the energy or motivation to do anything with it, or really that’s what I’m convincing myself it is! It’s really a mental battle with yourself on whether you’re willing to push yourself to do things, not if you can do them, because we totally can. Now that I think of it, I haven’t said I was bored in a while, I simply say I just don’t want to do anything, which I think is even worse but I have to commend myself for being honest with myself. However, I will be adapting new methods to cure me of this boredom/laziness as I have mentioned before in the dailiness blog. I want to improve the quality of my life and I truly think it begins with writing things down. I think I’ll treat myself to a white board and hang it up! Things I WANT to do, not HAVE to do because really, who wants to think about that.
ReplyDeleteI can get bored very easily. When I’m bored, I either watch TV, play games on my phone or computer, and sleep. After the day is over, I would stay up a little and play on my phone or go straight to bed. Just last night, my sisters have been observing my behavior that I’m stressing myself out with multitasking that I can’t handle. I have been working myself too hard with school and two jobs. My stress I put upon myself is overwhelming that my health is terrible. I say I don’t make time to do anything because, I feel tired all of the time when I step inside my house. I repeat the same routine over and over again, I think to do something else, and don’t do it. I know I have to make time for things that I want to do and still don’t think how to schedule that out. They say nothing is impossible, once you put your mind to it. I haven’t listen to music for a while and when I played music, I felt a little better that I was doing something else from my other habits. The music gave an uplift not to sit or lie around, but it gave motivation to move around and be active with my body. Listening to music also gave an inspiration in mind of a music video and I wrote it down. Playing music again got me out of boredom to get creative with dancing and writing. I’m also making time to volunteer at a church and going to meetings to film movies for directors. It is possible to break away from the old habits and step outside our comfort zone to try new things. There are many activities that has to be explored and that can get us back on track of our lives to do active and creative things.
ReplyDeleteDear Dr. Rich,
ReplyDeleteI am bored when I am home and feel hungry. I am not hungry because I have not eaten, I am hungry because I am bored. PHEW! That was harder to type and say in my minds than I thought it would be… I have been snacking on (good and bad) foods for about a year now. I have gained about ten pounds (I am still very healthy) however I understand that if I continue, there is a chance that I will reach an unhealthy weight gain at some point. I try to convince myself that my eating habits aren't out of boredom or necessarily wrong. Even after eating this post -HA! Oh my!! I typed “eating this post” rather than “reading* this post” unconciously. That was not intentional and now I am shocked at myself. WHat I was trying to say was that even after reading this post, I am still in a bit of denial. I do not want to believe that my boredom falls under one of the categories of H.A.L.T. Mostly, because I feel great after snacking and eating more than I should. But I am slowly learning that food helps me cope with emotions that I do not want to feel or because it is a way to prevent from feeling the nothing, the silence, the emotions that my mind, body and soul SHOULD in fact experience. I am still trying to figure out solutions to cope with eating out of boredom, but I am realizing that reading your blog posts, Dr. Rich, are keeping me focused, engaged, and creative. I was actually craving something before reading this blog post. So I found myself walking around my kitchen, hunting for food. I settled for 10 blueberries and then I began to read this post. Once I finished reading the post, I craved another snack (as if the first was not enough) and felt the urge of taking another stroll around my kitchen. But I felt empowered by your post and decided I was going to begin my journey of simply rejecting the unnecessary hunger. Now that I am at the end of my reply, I feel less hungry. Therefore, I think I will revisit your blog posts whenever I feel bored because it worked for me this time. I am absoluteley not bored and feel creative!
Boredom is that synapse misfire that creates a hole in what was previously a full clean circuit of attentiveness. It’s a hole that must be filled, and an easy way to trip into a quick-fix addiction. The USA has a consumerist culture, where boredom is a weak point that advertisers have found and began to push as hard as they can. As Dr. Rich mentioned Media Ecology Theory, I feel it’s relevant to mention how predatory the way we’re told to consume texts is, and is becoming. Neil Postmans work was in the era of Television before the digital era, but the message still rings true in the endless slew of isolating Ebooks only available on one type of tablet, movies streamed but not even owned, social media’s scrolling past videos I won’t remember to pass time, humming along to pop songs I’ve never heard before but know the melody of. These are end results of business practices that seek to make audiences more bored, and consume more content without needing to be critically engaged with it. As someone with ADD, my inattentiveness and greater difficulty focusing on one thing has made me have a heightened sense of how fleeting the quick fixes are. That incongruence of focus, whether brain pathways or literal, shows me that the long way around makes it all the fulfilling. The process of journaling, periodic clipping of a trees branch, that eventual runners high, finishing a work or home or school project, blowing away Zen sand art, I’ve heard it told that happiness is fleeting, but joy lasts. Don’t we want to fill the hole with a patch that lasts?
ReplyDeleteI would like to propose a definition of boredom: boredom is when one is not happy with the stillness they are experiencing. Boredom is not pleasant, but stillness and silence can be uplifting, and this I can attest to as a spiritual thinker and a writer. The key, I think, is to be satisfied and indeed thrilled by emptiness, silence, and stillness. Then I see this breath and pause, as a gift, not as boredom. Then, it serves as the 'door' to creativity and meaning, that Dr. Rich describes in her post above.
ReplyDeleteHow many of us were able to more fully realize a special friendship in our lives, in part because we were lonely before the time of the friendship? I certainly have. The silence, the stillness, the emptiness, the loneliness, are gifts, because the space created by this, is a space that can be filled with anything. Being without, being empty, is a necessary beginning to everything that fills us. A baby is silent in her or his mother's womb, but becomes to the world. Birth leads onto birth. Likewise, how the dawn awakens us after the stillness of night. We wouldn't be able to stretch and awake with grace and glory, if it wasn't for the darkness of night that came first. Rest, and silence, and stillness, are the pre-requisites to the blooming, to the wholeness- a wholeness, that indeed needs a degree of emptiness to be what it is. So instead of being bored, let us appreciate stillness. Let us fill the gift of emptiness in a most precious manner!
-Michael Loberfeld
When I think of boredom I think of wasted time. Over the course of this semester I have felt extremely bored in my science class. My first two years of college I forced myself to love science because I wanted to be a nurse until I finally realized I was bored and I hated it. Then I took an english class and I learned I was good at writing papers. I am a quiet person and I have trouble letting out my voice but in my papers I have the ability to say what I want to say. This was exciting! I enjoyed going to my classes and this year I had almost all English classes in which my advisor told me that I was going to get overwhelmed but I didn't! I loved it! I was excited and felt like I had this superpower! I was stuck in a state of boredom for two years and then my English class saved me.
ReplyDeleteI am constantly bored. I could be at work talking to a customer and in my mind I’ll just think of how boring it is talking about perfumes and lotions (I work at Bath & Body Works). I can be in class diligently taking notes and be bored. I am bored at home so I turn on the television, but that bores me too. As cheesy as it may sound one of the few things that pull me out of my boredom is writing. When I write on occasions out of boredom, it rarely makes sense. It’s what pulls me out of this “bored lull.” I write incoherently and ridiculously. It’s like when you wake up from a really weird fever dream and you just have to write it all down to make sure you really did experience those things mentally. This is probably one of the only tools to pull me out of boredom that proves itself to be productive. A lot of write I write during these times, though can be drivel, have nuggets of ideas that I pull out and section off for it to be a whole other writing piece of its own. It’s where I get a lot of my prompts that I use in my creative classes and develop into longer pieces for myself.
ReplyDeleteSometimes I find a certain freedom in bored. I find that when my mind is so dulled, and not distracted by anything, I can let it wander and see what it comes up with. I wrote an entire short story during the times I was bored. I wrote it during boring times at work, at home, and at school. I'm incredibly proud of that story and it is my favorite one I have written. However, sometimes I find I can stare at a wall for an hour and my mind will not have wandered at all. During those times I feel like my mind needs a break from its boredom and I watch Netflix or read a book, or give something to my mind for it to do. After reading this blog, however, I now know I can use a HALT method to help me further.
ReplyDeleteI often find myself bored. I'll be sitting in a class and be bored. I seem to just not be able to focus on a lesson and get into it. A lot of times I'll be bored at home. I'll be sitting there with nothing to do and I'll turn to music or a show to entertain me. Often the only time I am not bored is when I am writing a poem. When I'm writing poetry I get involved. I am so involved my mind does not falter to distractions or slow down. I think being creative in writing or another art form is an effective way to stop boredom. If you take the time to write creatively you open your mind up to all kinds of thinking. If your thinking a lot, your also not going to have the time to think about being bored. The concept of boredom might fall under a mindset as well. If we change how we see boredom, that lull in action and enthusiasm, and we see it as a period of time we are recharging, then we should appreciate it. We can use this mindset to create to new art. If we have to get back to it a lot, then at least we are doing something that opens up our thoughts which do not stick to just black and white. We can work with grey as well. I think its all about how we look at boredom. We can stop ourselves when we label boredom as a negative. If we take a step back and reevaluate we can find something more meaningful to combat the boredom.
ReplyDeleteBoredom is one of the best ways to inspire some new work to be done. It’s through the boredom that some of the best ideas can come. Last week I was hungry and bored so I decided to create a garlic bread grilled cheese (which was divine might I add). For a longtime I wanted to make this grilled cheese and I kept seeing videos online for how to make it but I was either low on time or low on the proper items to make it. The other night I had everything I needed time, ingredients, and motivation. It’s typically in the moments I’m bored that I come up with some really good ideas and do the things I’ve wanted to do for the longest. However I loved making that grilled cheese and I now through that was inspired to spend more time actually cooking at home instead of constantly eating out at other places. You got to take these inspiring moments sometimes and turn them into some new habits and better ways of living. I’m not building on my cooking skills trying to make sure that I’m able to save more money and eat better. Boredom is one of the most precious amounts of time because you have so many options of hat you could do which for some it’s to surf social media. But, it was so cool using that time to other night to achieve something I always have so I’m tasking myself with using my moments of boredom to find something that will better me in the future.
ReplyDeleteI would say during the day, I am occupied with work and school and feel there is no area for boredom, Although sometime during my classes If we are not actively doing something, I can easily get bored. Doodling is my favorite thing to do in class when I’m bored. When I get home, I’m usually always with my fiance and/or my family. Where I find myself the most bored is when I don’t have class or work! It's crazy to say, but I hate being alone. When I’m alone, I’m more stressed out and can easily become bored. I guess that’s not a great way to live, haha, but that’s what I’m used to. I definitely fall into the H.A.L.T category when I’m home alone. I’ll eat for no reason, just because I have access to free food. I’ll definitely feel lonely, although my cats can keep me company (It’s not the same as human interaction though). I’m always tired.. or at least I think I am when I'm alone. There’s nothing to do so might as well take a nap, right? I find myself getting angry if no one is around to hang out with me either. Like really? I’m always there for you but when I need someone to hang out with no one is there! I guess I am a bit clingy. To avoid being bored, I start more wedding planning. This seems to happily distract me from being bored and I actually become quite productive! Writing is also a scapegoat for me to avoid my boredom. Even if its a list of things I need, it's better than sitting on my butt and rewatching The Office on Netflix.
ReplyDeleteYes, yes, yes!!!! I always say that boredom is so important and has become a lost art and we lose art when we lose boredom!! People say necessity is the mother of invention. If that is so than boredom is the mother of artistry. The times in my live when I have been the most departed from any type of distraction medicine. When I was at the train station recently, my train was delayed an hour. My phone was on 5% and my ticket was on the app. I had to spend that entire hour alone with myself and to be completely transparent, it was torture. Not simply because I was bored but because I had to enter into my warring mind. I tried browsing the books in the bodega but kept rereading the same words over and over again extracting no meaning. I COULD NOT EVEN WRITE BECAUSE I HAD NO PEN AND PAPER. So what did I do? I faced myself. I thought. I thought and I dug and I dug and experienced these moments of self revelation that sprung forth words and lines and beginnings of songs. I had to then exercise my memory so that they did not depart from me.
ReplyDeleteOne final thought, boredom also causes people to talk to each other. And we desperately need connection. Just take a look at this class this semester. It is evident that when we remove phones, and sound and distraction-- people look up, and form bonds.
Unlike some of my other classmates, I think boredom is just plain boredom. For me I don’t want to do anything creative I just want to sleep. My creativity stems from being inspired from a novel I’m reading or show I’m watching or even a man walking down the street in a shockingly bright red outfit. But I can see how other creativity might stem from boredom. My best creative idea came from the time I went cliff diving in Jamaica and that, for sure was not boring. Its one of those things where its subjective because everyone sees something in different things. But I did use this as an excuse for homework assignment. I let my boredom take charge of what was going to be the outcome of my Sunday night and for some strange reason I ended up in Target looking for god knows what, because target is like a worm hole, and left hundreds of dollars’ worth of room décor. I’m talking new velvet curtains, bed sheets, a new rug, bookcase some closet stuff. I got up and did a whole room renovation that night. I think my boredom made me do something that I already needed to do.
ReplyDeleteDonika H
As an EC teacher, my co-worker and I worked hard to remove the phrase "I'm bored" from our students mind. If they say then they will have to explain what it means to us. In a classroom with different kinds, styles, textures, weight, height and genre of toys, why should any child and/or teacher be bored. I realize when I am alone, I do tend to feel the boredom sensation. It's funny how I'm bored when I feel lazy and don't want to do what needs to accomplished (chores). The word bored or boredom is such as easy way to describe our lack of thought or movement. Honestly, most of the time my inner body wants to do things but getting the outer body to move is the true struggle. I get this sinking feeling, almost as if I'm in cement and it's hardening fast. I do enjoy getting into the car, playing my music and just driving. Lately, I've been standing in my driveway and looking up. If you stare long enough, you forget where you are and your thoughts run wild. Though it sounds boring, you mind relaxes, your breathing is steady and you tend to smile more. Afterwards, its as if you were never bored because ideas jump in automatically.
ReplyDeleteI love H.A.L.T = Hungry, Angry,Lonely,Tired
I'm rarely angry but that feeling of the rest is so true.
Word of advice, is to create a daily agenda of 3-5 things to complete. Don't include the obvious things you need to do (grocery shopping, cleaners, mechanics). You'll be busy before you know it.
Meagan AWP 5000
Hi Professor Rich,
ReplyDeleteI find this post so relatable. Boredom is a dirty habit and a disease. As you and Sober Nation mention, H.A.L.T plays an enormous role in what we classify as boredom. I think of boredom as another word for procrastination. In my dictionary, the two words are interchangeable. In both cases, you’re running away from something. Procrastination usually consists of physical labor -- running away from a specific task, chore, homework, etc. In boredom, though, it doesn’t have to be physical labor. It can be anything. Like you’ve mentioned, we’re sometimes running away from conflicting emotions, from hunger --- whether its hunger for food or something else -- from ourselves. And it is so incredibly damaging. We’re only hurting ourselves by submitting into boredom. Instead, we have to do something. Anything. Anything at all. But we just have to get up and move.
I try very hard not to give in to boredom. When I feel a pang of boredom, that’s my cue to get up and be productive. Mostly, though, I try to solve my boredom by being present with the ones I love. I’m at the point in my life where I’m beginning to realize that schoolwork, quizzes, and exams will always be there. They’ll be there tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that. No matter how much I do, I know they’ll still be there. So, instead of launching myself into more work, I devote my time to my parents, my siblings, and my baby birds. I turn off my phone, switch off the part of my brain that’s screaming “BOREDOM”, and I head downstairs to the living room to spend time with my family. I let myself appreciate the familial warmth and eventually, that voice goes away. For me, boredom can be solved by self-love and self-care; to every individual, it means something different. Even for me, every day the definition of self-love changes. Sometimes it’s doing a face mask and enjoying my sister’s company, sometimes it’s writing poetry, and sometimes, it’s just spending time with my family. But as long as I’m being good to my psyche, my soul, my body, it doesn’t matter what I do because I know I’ll be away from the monster that is Boredom.
-- Rabia A.
Hi Professor Rich
ReplyDeleteTo start off, this blog post hit me, I like how everything is worded that I could relate and felt that this blog post was talking to me. H.A.L.T which classifies with boredom. It would be rare for me to have those moments of boredom but i do have those slip ups. But, when I do I would fit into each letter of H.A.L.T. when I get into those moments. I’ll ask myself after I could have been doing something else. Boredom to me is time wasted from your life. It is very true what your can do. The mind is very powerful and you’re the only one that can control your own mind. If you are having these moments, then it is very important to “WAKE UP”. I am stuck with this phrase from Dr. S. Rich “ If I’m bored, I have an opportunity to enter the great realm of possibility.” Which in my understanding or the way I read this phrase, If bored, we feed into the society of now which is social media, Netflix, shopping online which are all addiction an addiction. Use that time to be creative and take control of your mind. For example, I’ll use my social media to grow my business as a wellness coach. Making a positive Impact to many people instead of being bored and feeding into all the drama and gossip and sometimes nonsense information from celebrities. So, knowing me I go on my phone to check here and there on social media, well why not use it to my advantage to grow my business in creative ways.
ReplyDeleteThe most frequently place I find myself bored is at my job working in a nursing home. To make it clear, this is not my first nursing home gigg. I have been doing this for about three years now, and this particular facility is just truly BORING. My job is to create and do fun activities for my residents, but my job does not supply the proper material! I can go on and on, but for the sake of this quite interesting post, I will stop there.
The way I respond to this boredom is by doing classwork/independent projects… or my favorite… RESEARCH! As bad as it sounds, they are more entertained watching me do homework!
Beside drawing myself in academic work, I use my visual art in place of Boredom to take control of my life. Being an artist, I understand that escape of reality, all its emotions, and the presence of Boredom when I am deep inside my craft. I want to return to that escape very soon. I seem to find everything else in my life possible but my craft, my art. I would not say lose, but how did I replace what I do Boredom? Is this the true life of an academic and adult? Do I have to choose between what will make me money or just a healthy habit. Oh, how do I want to choose the
healthy habit.
I want to try to use Bertrand Russell’s image by accepting the Boredom and embrace in its beauty. Boredom is where I start to doodle in class; where my wildest imaginations would hit the paper. Where Dennis Art was born.
Patricia D. AWP
Sadly, my answer to the question: "when are you bored?" is "rarely." I live in constant saturation of work, school, school work, media, more media... more media... food. I used to be bored. That is when I learned to create. I was so bored in fact that I had to (and still frequently have to) draw during class so that I can actually hear the professor. I learned to act by impersonating the grown ups on new years eve drinking their champagne because I did not want to sit around and watch the ball drop. I learned to sing because I when I had nothing to do I would run around the house making up lyrics to my favorite songs. But with the boredom, also came a lot of noise. Painful noise.
ReplyDeleteI have ADHD and I think todays environment is even more detrimental to those of us like myself whose active minds are in search of constant distraction from the noise that comes in times of boredom. I've been coping with constantly needing to hear another voice when I am driving with podcasts or music. When I am getting ready I need youtube. When I am waiting I need instagram.
This is NOT ME!! I never was the person that loved my phone. I abhorred it. I was against social media; the last of my friends to join.
The distraction seduced me into not having to face my internal world, but it left me feeling even more internalized and shut out than ever before.
The only way to cope with this seems to be an active fight against temptation to reach for instant-gratification. I try to face silence. I listen to my creative thoughts. I listen to people when I talk to them. I pray. I connect with God... and when I say God I mean that infinite, all-over, inter-woven, inexplicable current that seems to run through everything I see, touch, smell, taste, hold. When I do that, I remember who I am. I remember where I am. This creates a laser like mental precision that allows me to organize my noise and make good use of it.
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ReplyDeleteInstead of a traditional response, I'm going to respond to your last paragraphs of questions.
ReplyDelete1) When are you bored? How do you respond?
It's stupid to say that I never get bored, but it's the truth. I can't remember the last time I was bored. I always keep myself busy (it helps with my anxiety) and I never complete my 'to do' list.
2)How can you take hold of your life and use Boredom as a tool for creativity and successes?
I guess whenever I'm 'bored' I take a look at my surroundings and gaze upon the view no matter how ugly or beautiful it may be. I try to relax myself and try to become one with my surroundings and imagine I'm a part of it all. Sometimes I'll get a creative spark and others I don't. Either way I find it relaxing and I feel as if I can breathe.
During my winter break, I had time. Loads of it. But I would always say I’m bored I’ll just watch some Netflix while a blank canvas and paints lay somewhere on my cluttered floor. I have the creativity but my mind won’t tell my body to move. I always think about and wonder how much time and opportunity I’ve wasted for this so called being bored and when I do feed my creativity it feels great, though I don’t always commit. I feed my mind with toxicity like snacks and social media because I just take too much in and it blocks my creative hunger. Writing in my journal everyday has helped at least 5-10 min of my day fill with my own thoughts and creative flow rather than just taking in temporary information through social media. I’ve been forcing myself to do other things like draw in my notebook rather than use instagram and it’s been inspiring me and improving my use of time. Picking up even small new projects cures my “boredom” and I only plan to build. We, especially as a country have become such a society of convenience and making things easier that we forget to even think for ourselves and we don’t have dreams or ambitions anymore. We just do things out of convenience rather than to excel.
ReplyDeleteWhen it comes to boredom and creativity I understand how that time could easily be time for me to create. However my boredom has become my time to sit in my feelings and in some cases can be a playground for depression. I sit there and think about my life and the world and what might be currently going on and sometimes it makes me sad to a point that I struggle to do other stuff. I have realized through this week that my work can be motivated by others circumstances instead of boredom. When I think of death and what it means to be alive I desire to take all the time I have alive to be productive working on what I want to leave behind. At this point life is so short that some people aren’t making it to doing anything they wanted to. With that being said I feel like I should be more intentional about what I’d like to leave behind because anything could happen. I feel a sudden urge to be even more honest about myself and my work and what I’m able to do so that I can also improve things around me. Oddly boredom doesn’t motivate us to to do the things we need procrastinating does. Maybe it comes from the idea that people constantly want to be. Boredom can have many responses depending on whom you are and mine definitely took. Mine tends to lead to extended periods of reflection and thinking because I’m typically in my mind.
ReplyDeleteIn a previous blog post from last semester, I shared being bored as a general statement. What I want to discuss in this post is how I have overcome my boredom. I used to hate being bored. I would always find myself thinking, “Wow, I hate being alone” or things that would make my mind race into oblivion. I feel that I have always struggled with detachment issues. I’m not exactly sure why, but I always find myself with my fiance, if I’m not with him I’m with my parents, If i’m not with either of those three I’ll find a friend to hang out with. All of these different ways to avoid being alone and “bored”. I’ve realized that this is not healthy for me. Yes, it's nice to be around company and build relationships with the ones I love, but i;ve never found time for myself. Recently, I have finally found that time. When I have a break in between classes, i actually become productive. I catch up on homework, I get coffee in the library, I go to the gym on campus...All these things which have replaced my boredom in a positive and productive way. Being that I have been working out, I’ve cut back on eating unhealthy things. To fix that, I pack a lunch before coming to campus with a healthy lunch that can fill me up for the day. This makes me healthier while also saving money, which is a huge plus! I can I say I really enjoy being “bored” now. Where I never used to!
ReplyDelete
ReplyDelete#47 Boredom and Creativity
In all honesty, this blog sparked a lot of feelings inside of me. I am currently processing those feelings, but to put it into words, I am definitely an offender of doing things that I either don't really care for or aren't good for me, but I justify it out of boredom. This probably happens for me at least five or more times out of the day. It is a bad habit and starting now I would like to be more conscious of it. I appreciated the honesty of the blog, specifically when it said, "Marketers, software engineers, infomercials—Google, Amazon, YouTube, Apple, Weight-Watchers, among others—create systems that will generate repeat and infinite business. They are not our friends. They are money-makers." They are one-percenters who do not care about the middle class, working-class, low class, and they do not think twice about what their products do to us in the short or long run. I think if people "wake up their brains" they can avoid their fix when boredom strikes, I do believe it will take a lot of effort and self-discipline, but in the long wrong will be worth it. After reading the entire blog, I hope that I can become more conscious of my boredom and what I turn to when I do feel this way. I am thankful, though, for the insight that I have never thought about before, and now I am aware.
The times that I find myself most bored is when I come home from either school or work. I take off my attire and change into some comfortable clothing. I sit in my $500 chair (a Limited Edition PewDiePie Clutch gaming chair), and begin to launch my monster of a PC (built with my own two hands; valued at ~$2,000). Ask me how I respond to this boredom a year ago, I’d give you a nice and quick one word response “Fortnite”. That's right, a 21 year old man, with equipment valuing 2 or 3 months rent, indulges (for hours on end) in a video game marketed to children. But I was the best player I knew. Quite literally. That's what happens when a man with very little motivation discovers a virtual world where he can achieve (false) greatness. For a while, I believe that although im not progressing in real life, my progression in this game can compensate. But I was naive, and young. I’m 22 now and realize that I have the world at my fingertips. Instead of launching that godforsaken game, I check the news, I join calls where im able to socialize with my friends from across the world, I read (something I regret to admit that I just started to do recreationally early 2019). But my 22 year old mind KNOWS that engagement with my PC is no longer enough to reduce my boredom. Yea, it’ll help for about a half hour ( 1 hour if I’m lucky), but it’s still not enough. I started to ride my longboard a lot more, and I even began to play tennis again whenever it’s not cold. Walking to my brother apartment to just hang out even helps, because for that 7-10 min walk, I’m alone with my thoughts. I’ve started to take great pleasure in moments like these, where im able to engage with myself. Don’t get me wrong, I still love my PC and still take great pleasure in being able to engage with my friends and even get lost in a virtual world for a little bit. But I know that it isn’t enough anymore. Maybe writing poetry can help fill this boredom, because I know damn well that when I use my PC for things like coursework or projects, the boredom simply gets amplified. As a side note, and without getting into too much detail, but early highschool, substance abuse was rampant in my life. The boredom (the void, the emptiness) was filled with vice, but I’ve learned to overcome. Early community college, cigarettes were my vice, I’d smoke a pack a day, mostly in between classes. I don’t have many/any vices currently in my life (unless you including vaping, but because of it, cigarettes literally make my nauseous) and I intend to keep it that way. I hope to take creative writing further in my future. And eventually, I hope that it becomes the first outlet that i consider to relieve my boredom.
ReplyDeleteChristian Paiz
AWP Spring 2020