Being Bored is Good

Basically being bored or a state of not doing anything. Here I am referring to the state of being completely idle. Not obviously being bored in an endless lecture. :P

Well, it is a blessing sometimes. But I don’t see that happening anytime anymore with so many gadgets and social networking apps our phones are flooded with. At least not really bored. Because we are always occupied with something or the other. Even if we are not actively engaged with anything, just mindless scrolling through the Instagram feed is doesn’t qualify as being bored.

We often dread the thought of being in that state. But here are the few good things which happen when allowing ourselves to be bored. Here are few positives we can draw from such moments of idleness:

Increases Consciousness

During this pandemic, each one of us has got if not a lot, but some time to ourselves to just sit peacefully and reflect upon our lives. It helped us to re-route our lives if we felt we are deviating from our path. We got time to look back at our actions, the good and the bad. It helped to deep dive into our journey and what direction we want it to take further in our lives.

Increases ability to wander

It gave us time to wander and explore our minds. Not just for adults, it was a boon for children as well. With no school and outdoor activities for them, sitting idle is the most difficult for kids. It was not a good idea to expose them to the technology even more with already a lot of time being spent in online mediums of education. It was a reminder that we need not be glued to a device or an activity throughout.

Helps with Anxiety

It might not be true for all. It is purely my opinion. We often just run away from that state of mind when we don’t have anything to do to avoid all the negativity that might grip us. Instead of running away, we must embrace it. Let it flow. So allow yourself to just sit alone and accept all of who you are. This technique was suggested to me by one of the life coaches, and guess what! It actually worked for me. I hope it works for you too.

Helps to Explore New Possibilities

This gave me time to think about various possibilities which I never thought of before. It led me to explore interests I was never aware of. Sometimes we think we started lagging behind by years when we just sat on the sofa doing nothing. But I think it helps us to just think of the unthinkable. It actually made me think of the meaning behind everything I was doing. For finding a purpose behind my certain actions, repetitive for that matter.

It is Relaxing

It is often relaxing too. How often do we switch off all the devices and just stay disconnected from the world to focus on who we are as a person and how we feel which is otherwise neglected because our minds are always preoccupied with thousands of thoughts just like a phone where although it is off, it has still preloaded apps.

It helps to go back to the simpler times

In the end, it helped us to go back to our simpler times away from gadgets. Although I am well aware, technology became an inevitable part more than ever before due to the distances and for a lot of many reasons. But, along with that being idle helped us to go back to our childhood activities which we always loved to do. To relive them and come up with new ways of doing those things again. Like adults liked to draw, or paint, or just get back to their long left hobbies. This pushed them to do it again. So it is a win-win. You will not get bored again also. But even if you do, there will be something positive coming out of it.

Usually, our idle time is usually treated as dissatisfaction whereas it should be treated as a luxury. I am sure there are a lot of our fellow human beings who are working day and night crave such time so that they can come up with even more ideas and make things better for the world.

So stop, pause and reflect. It is definitely not being miserable. Also, make the most of it every time so that you look forward to such opportunities.

Image Credits : Pixabay