Dr Agnivesh Jyotiraditya Kannankara
The whole world is struggling, during the corona pandemic resulting in a lockdown and social distancing as precautionary measures to control the spread of the deadly virus. In these uncertain times, it is natural to feel troubled, anxious, scared or even bored being stuck inside the house most of the day.
Beneath what we label as boredom are dormant diverse emotional states — loneliness, agitation, disappointment, and vulnerability. Boredom can be a mask for feeling out of control, trapped, powerless. It is a distress signal looking for an escape.
Fact check
Do you often reach for a quick snack at home during the middle of the day? It turns out that boredom, not an empty belly, may be to blame.
According to many types of research, boredom is one of the most frequently reported triggers of binge eating. It also leads to excessive alcohol consumption or smoking, and in extreme cases, substance abuse. It may indicate a lack of emotional awareness of our needs and goals. Feelings of entrapment or ‘stuck’ can lead to a lack of focus.
What can be done to not let boredom create self-harming habits?
The more the focus is on your boredom, the more you amplify that feeling. Once we scratch the surface and stay with this boredom without suppressing, burying it with a mountain of work, numbing it by scrolling feeds, it can give way to emotional awareness and understanding. Let’s try some steps to re-frame the moment:
►According to the Time Perception law, it may seem like a lifetime while one waits to catch a train alone, conversely, time may seem shorter if we are watching a movie or engaged in a conversation with a friend. What you do at the moment decides your perception of time. Most people these days are engaging in non-interesting and mundane responsibilities than ever before. Put your favourite music on or listen to a podcast to make your time more engaging.
►Take the perspective of a journalist or scientist. Keenly study what’s around you. What are people wearing, what do the interiors of buildings look like, what noises do you hear? If you bring your analytical powers to bear, you can make almost anything interesting.
►While being grateful for a slow-paced life, let’s take a mindful pause amid the chores and reflect on the present. These are moments of self-reflection and self-awareness. Engage with yourself. Ask questions to yourself. Become your own compassionate friend. Use this time to process information from past and present for a better you, tomorrow.
►If you cannot get out of it, get into it, as the old saying goes. According to Diane Arbus, “The Chinese have a theory that you pass through boredom into fascination and I think it’s true.” If something is boring for two minutes, do it for four minutes. If it’s still boring, do it for eight minutes, then 16, and so on. Eventually one can discover that it’s not boring at all. The same principle holds when doing boring or irritating tasks.
►Find an area of refuge. Have a mental escape route planned. Think about something delightful or uplifting like reviewing photos of your family, dear ones or memorable moments in life- studies show that looking at photos of loved ones provides a big mood boost.
►Schedule times to break from your routines. Avoid the feeling of being stuck in an activity like “I have to work right now” “I should be exercising now”. Delve deeper into the reason or purpose behind it. How can it be made more interesting? What outcome are you looking for? How is this chore/work going to help you? How can I make it less taxing? The answer to these questions would make the task meaningful.
►Look for a way to feel grateful. One can instill a feeling in mind that It’s a lot better to be bored waiting in a doctor’s office than to be in an agony of suspense about test results from a lab. It’s more fun to sit around the breakfast table talking about dreams than to be away from home on a business trip.
►Ask yourself “Am I the boring one?” La Rochefoucauld observed, “We always get bored with those whom we bore.” One should essentially remind himself of this when having a boring conversation with someone! Work towards being an entertainer yourself.
►Find ways to channel your creativity by reading, writing, or making crafts. Take advantage of dull moments by being productive. Work on a task you’ve been putting off or learn a new skill. Get together with your friends when you’re bored on a video/audio call and find exciting things to do. Find ways to have fun. Just because you’re locked at home does not mean you cannot relax and laugh a little.
Boredom stems from the feeling that there is a lack of quality in how you focus your attention. It is a feeling that there are too few high-quality ways to spend attention. Overcoming boredom can be difficult. Understanding oneself and acting efficiently can turn even dull situations into entertaining ones. Be curious about your boredom and eventually something new will rise.
(The author has 14 published works in five languages to his credit and holds multiple world records)