Boredom is Underrated
“Yes, boredom is that state of agonizing disinterest coupled with the sense that time is moving too slowly. But that state of mind can help you develop your thinking and creativity skills.”
I consider myself an “expert” on this topic because, in the age before digital swipes and texts, I experienced champion levels of boredom when I was growing up in Queens, New York.
I remember counting the acoustic tiles and then attempting to count their dots as I sat in Knights of Columbus party rooms as we gathered to mark someone’s life or death milestone. I was usually the youngest or only child in attendance, and my old-fashioned, French-born, Polish mother expected me to sit, listen, and not give her any cause for concern or critique.
So, before I learned the concept of mindfulness, I was learning how to “be in the moment” for very long periods. But here’s what I learned to do and where it informs how I work today.
I learned how to :
- Be patient — frankly, I didn’t have a choice. I knew the event would end eventually, and I just had to “hang tight.”
- Observe behaviors — I would sit there and wonder why one aunt’s lipstick always extended her lipline or why an uncle insisted on leaning into people’s faces and speaking loudly even when his listeners were sitting next to him.
- Watch body language — One aunt always monitored the conversations and would swoop in to smooth ruffled feathers if she thought the topic was triggering an angry reaction.
- Listen — I learned about my relatives’ concerns about work and health. I even learned what gave them some pleasure with my family: food.
- Use my imagination — I created stories, sometimes about the people sitting before me, sometimes about things I wanted to do one day, like organizing a fun party or even making up adventures and fables.
- Mimic — Without realizing it, I was developing an ear for dialogue and an eye for movement, which has served me well in my writing and when I present to groups.
- Watch body language — One aunt always monitored the conversations and would swoop in to smooth ruffled feathers if she thought the topic was triggering an angry reaction.
- Be optimistic — Yes, I held on to the belief that boring events would eventually end, that things would be “better” (aka better) when I was a grown-up, and that maybe everything I learned would be useful one day.
Don’t just take my word for it; read more information. Here are three articles that explain how your brain needs to be bored to improve its resilience and serve as the gateway to creativity! So the next time you find yourself bored in a meeting, suppress your urge to hide your mobile under a table and scroll. Give your brain a chance just to be!
Articles
Boredom–understanding the emotion and its impact on our lives: an African perspective
