How many times have we heard someone say “I’m bored.”?

How many times have we said “I’m bored.”?

I admit- I rarely utter the phrase- I tend to think along the lines of- If you’re bored you’re boring…(for the record- there are many who would call me a very boring person, because the things I love tend to be cultural, or sedentary, so it’s all in the perspective)

I guess I don’t use/like the word “bored” because I think it’s OK to sometimes just sit with nothing to do, and no where to go. I don’t call it being bored: I think of it as creative recharging. My favorite time of the day is about 5pm, when I sit in my favorite brown chair, cup of Earl Grey at my side, and I kind of sit and stare at the void. I don’t look at my phone, I don’t have music on, the TV is off, and I’m literally doing nothing but admiring the way a slice of lemon and a cube of sugar completely enhance my drink. Some people think this is boring. Some people would be bored by this. I refer to it as heaven.

Now it’s your turn:

What do you think about being “bored”?

Do you think boredom has a place in our society?

Is boredom a bad thing?

Discuss:

89 thoughts on “Boredom”

  3. Does boredom mean being alone or having no company and wanting it? Nowadays I see children busy all the time, running from one class to another. And in them I also see some of the most uncreative kids.
    I feel that without some kind of ‘boredom’ there would be no creativity. When my daughter spent long summer afternoons at home, without any friends, she came up with wonderful ideas. I don’t think she was bored though she was alone.
    The quiet feeling that you speak of is not boredom to us, but probably would be to one who likes to be surrounded by people all the time. A person who is bored easily and often, is a tedious person lacking mental resources.

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    1. I think you have a point as to it’s all how you approach something. There’s two extremes, being occupied all the time because you get “bored” because you aren’t actively doing something, and then there’s people who just sit around with there thoughts and brood. The goal is balance…time to let yourself just be, and times to be involved. Constantly jumping onto one’s phone the second there is downtime is bad…which is what’s happening in our society. We are losing creativity. I’m betting Steve Jobs was just chilling when he came up with the idea for an iPod….

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  6. I get bored when I want to be somewhere else or doing something other than what I am doing (like working), and for some reason cant get there. That’s why I like books, because they get me to somewhere else.

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  7. I know people who say ‘I’m bored’ in uncomfortable situations and use it as an excuse not to engage. I am not sure how when we all have a mind we could ever be bored. There is always something to contemplate even if it is clouds or sugar cubes. I can see being in a boring situation (class or lecture) but one still has one’s mind

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  9. I think down time is important for most, especially for me. I think i’m only bored when I’m forced to do something or be somewhere I don’t want to be. Even then, though, I have a pretty active mind. Otherwise, I might just take a quick nap. Naps are never boring! Mona

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  10. “If you’re bored you’re boring” – love it! 😂 I think part of the problem is the age of 24/7 stimulation wee live in. We’ve forgotten the subtle art of entertaining ourselves. As soon as we start to feel bored that urge to check our phones takes over and we miss the chance to be our own best friend. I certainly don’t think boredom is bad – I think we need it more than ever – it’s what facilities creativity.

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  13. Boredom just doesn’t enter the picture. I dare not ever say those words because I have a to-do list that awaits me. I have books I have bought I haven’t read, blogs to write, an office to organize, outside and inside work and I need to exercise. I could use another me to help me get my stuff done.

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  14. I wrote a piece on this myself some time ago, but never posted it, as I realised it was written out of frustration with my mother who always complains of boredom. Personally, I cannot comprehend being bored. Sitting quietly enjoying not being busy – yes absolutely, but I am SO not bored. While writing it, I struggled over whether boredom was the domain of the boring, or those who’d lost interest in life, even those who need (or expect) others to entertain them. Then I got to wondering how many people use the term bored instead of saying they’re lonely and… yeah, I stopped writing and came over feeling all guilty for being judgemental! 😀 But yeah, I don’t get the concept of boredom myself.

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    2. I think boredom in older adults is probably a mild form of depression. I see that with many older adults who live alone. They don’t know what to do with themselves. I think it happened to my Dad after my mom passed.

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  16. Bored? I’m rarely ever bored. I just don’t let my mind go to that place. In fact I taught my students that people who became easily bored were not using their creativity. I challenged them and said if they completed all their assignments early and couldn’t find a learning center to go to in the room, a book to read, a brain teaser to do, etc. until we as a group were all ready to move on…then they needed to think about what THEY could create. And I set up a center called “class creations”. At the end of each week we’d go to that area and pick out a few of those classroom creations and try to solve them or do them together. A few months later none of the kids ever said they were bored. AND I had a bunch of new brain teasers, projects and other interesting subjects to explore. I challenged them to create something whenever they could. ( I also encouraged them to write poetry or stories to push away the doldrums).

    That technique seemed to work on students and personally always helped me. LA I love how YOU use your time. Just taking in the silence can be inspiring and joyful.

    WE choose to be bored. (At least that’s how I feel). I can usually go someplace in my mind to prevent boredom. That’s how I made it through the pandemic while living alone and going through chemo. People can do what is necessary to survive and often many of our best ideas come from being pushed to be inventive. Sometimes doing nothing is what we need to recharge. For me I’ve trained myself to automatically think, what can I create today? And some days, I’m content to just chill out and enjoy the moment. I DO ADMIT, that the one place I get bored or annoyed is waiting at the doctor’s office. But I doubt it’s really boredom. I’m usually just nervous about getting results or having tests. But normally when I’m home alone I don’t get bored.

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    1. We choose to be bored…yes…that’s exactly it…it’s almost like people find it easier to say they’re bored than sit and enjoy the mental quiet, or think of something to do

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  17. I’m often bored. But it is usually when I’m at work and I’m having trouble focusing on the job as I’m thinking of everything I could be doing at home.

    I can’t conceive the people who say they had to come back to work because they were bored at home. That’s bizarre to me. Unless you’re at home with an injury and can’t do what you want to do.

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    1. I think some people really loved their work, and it was all they had. I have a neighbor who works twelve/fourteen hour days….I don’t think she needs to…I think she has no other hobbies

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      1. Oh yes, I agree. My dad was like that. He worked until he was 75.

        In my reply, I mis spoke. I meant to refer to people who came back from vacation saying that they had to come back because they were bored to tears.

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  18. OMGOSH! I was raised as an only child, and my mother used to say that to me “If you’re bored, then you must be boring.” Of course, as an adult, I see it as manipulation, but at the same time, as an adult I’m never bored.

    One time, Dwight was like, “Do you just sit around and think of new things to do???” To which I replied, “Yes. Yes, I do.”

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  19. I’m never bored because I’m always doing something. I never tolerated my students or my children saying they were bored. I think boredom is mental laziness. It’s fine to sit with a cup of tea and enjoy the quiet. That’s not the same as being bored. Being bored is an attitude. I do cringe at the thought of losing eyesight, hearing, and mobility as I age. At that point I would probably be frustrated and bored, and I would need a lot of grace from those around me.

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  20. Oh my, what an interesting topic LA. I believe boredom (I prefer to say time spent doing nothing) is essential for everyone, especially creatives. If we’re always engaging with distractions like the phone, the television, or browsing social media we never have time to listen to our own thoughts, let our minds stretch out, linger with the silence! Nothing better than that! xxoo, C

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  21. I’m embarrassed to admit I utter the phrase “I’m bored” pretty often. I think tater hit the nail on the head with his comment above. I need to figure out not only how to BE still, but how to be content in being still!

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  24. Like Lesley in her comment above, I also think of boredom as a mild form of depression…There are so many wonderfully interesting things to do (e.g savouring a beautiful cup of Earl Grey), but for some reason your brain isn’t able to stimulate itself to connect and engage with them.

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  25. I love the title “creative recharging!” It aslso sounds like being aware and in the moment of what’s going on around you in life rather than what’s going on around you on TV. Good post!! Thanks!!

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  26. We can be so consumed with doing, doing and going, going that the idea of feeling bored is a bad thing. But I think it’s our body’s way of saying, “Just sit and rest.” We need to look at what we perceive as “boredom” as a sign that’s it time to detach ourselves from the busyness and enjoy the moment. The quiet. The stillness. The nothingness.

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  27. As a child I learned that being bored meant I needed to take responsibility and find something to do– or my mother would find a tedious chore for me to do, so I never said “I’m bored.” BUT I also lived in a family that embraced the idea of taking it easy, which some people seem to equate with being bored. There’s a difference, one is a reaction to circumstances, the other is living a balanced life.

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  28. You are my kind of people ♥️ Seriously, I love to “be bored” and also, people think that I’m boring. I love a quiet house, when the kids and hubby are outside and it’s just me, my dog and cat doing…nothing. I get so creative during those hours of the day. My mom and sister tell me that I have to get myself busy, cause if I’m busy I don’t have time to overthink. But I kinda like to overthink because that is when I get the most amazing ideas ever. People have this need of being on the go all the time, it’s like the idea of being alone with their thoughts scares them so much. That is my favorite part of life honestly. So yeah…”I’m bored” does not exist in my life. 😁

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  30. It appears that creative people (e.g. blogger reading here) would never say they are bored. I agree with you completely. Now, sometimes when I have to crest source citations for my work, I sense the drudgery of it. But it involves some creative challenges, too. Never bored here! And I am comfortable doing nothing but enjoying the scene, maybe while sipping coffee or vino.

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    1. Well, there’s a little necessary drudgery in everything, which is something that people don’t necessarily get. It’s a misnomer that your “dream job” wouldn’t include some annoying moments and parts that are clearly “work”

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  31. I don’t think it’s a bad thing, if when bored, we get into action, and do something about it, or just sit patiently in our boredom. The issue arises when people are bored and then choose self destructing behavior as a release for this boredom. Happens often.

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  32. Some things can be boring, but the key is how much you plan to endure. If I become bored with something I eventually tune them out/stop watching/stop reading/walk away ECT. But is it a bad thing ? Naw, everyone is entitled to an opinion of what they deem boring and you’re right it’s definitely different across the board. American Football BORING, The X-Games NOT BORING, Ballet BORING Any other style of dance NOT BORING, Organized Religion BORING, Black Gospel Music NOT BORING…

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    1. I personally don’t consider doing nothing and enjoying the silence as equated to being bored. Although having been owned by a cat the past decade I don’t get enjoy the silence as much as I used to.

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  33. My mom use to say “only a boring person gets bored” but she was legit the most boring person I ever met! I think it’s okay to be bored so then you can find something spicy to do.

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  35. For me, boredom is usually some exhausting work.
    I don’t get bored when i am just sitting with myself and doing nothing but when i am asked to so stuff i don’t like then yes i whine about it in every 2 minutes, saying its really boring.

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