Boredom – The state of being weary and restless through lack of interest.
When I was a child, I remember complaining to my grandmother about being bored. My grandma’s solution to boredom was cleaning. She used to say “If you are bored go clean something!” I hated my grandma’s answer. To me, cleaning was boring.
As an adult, I can understand why grandma suggested cleaning to ease boredom. In retrospect, grandma listened to romantic songs and danced as she cleaned. Grandma didn’t have to clean. We had a maid. Before you judge, she had a store to run and needed the help. I think cleaning/dancing helped grandma alleviate her own boredom. It helped her tap into her imagination and brought her great joy.
Experts say that our feelings are our greatest guides. When we are bored, our feelings are telling us to explore and discover new things. Boredom activates our imagination and helps us with self-contemplation.
Below I share 5 killer ways to use your boredom to ignite your journey into self-discovery.
1. Meditation
Meditation. If you are bored, sitting with your boredom might be the best thing you can do. Some people are masters at meditating on their own. Some people need help with their meditation experience.
Remember meditating is not about right or wrong. Meditating the right way means finding what works for you. Sometimes even the masters of meditation get bored and look for some outside stimulation.
Here is a guided meditation you can try:
2. Move Your Body
My grandma knew that dancing to music while cleaning made her feel good. When my grandma danced, her boredom melted away. Her dancing skills didn’t matter. Moving your body doesn’t have to be about right or wrong.
There are so many fun ways to move your body. You can try an online dance class. You can take a walk while listening to your favorite songs. You can take a martial arts class. You can swim. The possibilities are endless. On the road to self-discovery through body movement, you might find talents you didn’t know you had.
3. Journal
When I was young and bored, writing was my savior from boredom. I used to escape the boring high school class by making up stories and writing them down in my notebook. Journaling comes in many forms. You don’t have to like writing or be a perfect writer to journal.
Journaling is a freestyle form of writing where grammar and form don’t matter. When you journal, the story can be fiction or non-fiction or a mix of both. When journaling, the release of boredom comes from the freedom of creating.
4. Read
Reading lets your imagination enter new worlds. Everything starts with imagination. Reading is amazing because there are so many genres of books. Some books take your mind into made-up worlds, while other books teach you new skills.
You can read all types of publications and not just books. You are fighting your own boredom. Some publication types might ignite your soul more than others. Follow the message from your soul.
5. Create
I often have a dream that we were created because the universe was bored. In my dream, there is a glowing light surrounded by darkness. The light feels bored and alone. This light has the power to create anything and bring it to life. In my dream, the light decides to create planets and forms. The light gives these things a piece of itself and brings them to life.
In different religions, it is believed that humans are made in God’s image. These religions believe we can create our realities just like God creates. Does my dream have any relation to what these religions believe? I don’t know. What I do know is that humans do have an amazing power to create. From music to art to technology, humans can create breath-taking objects and stuff.
When I think of creation, I always think of Walt Disney. Maybe your boredom is the ignition you need to lead you in creating a legacy for generations to come, just like good old Walt.
With Love,
In what ways do you embrace boredom? Let me know on Twitter @SocialMediaSass