boredom woes + friends & fam sneak peeks
Hi!
When do you feel like you’re going through it the most? When shit hits the fan, yes, I'm going through it. But other than that, I feel like I'm going through it when I'm BORED.
There are times when everything feels routine and mundane. When there’s a lack of inspiration and zest for life. It’s not necessarily a state of depression, instead it's a “lack of stimulation from the outside world” (LiveScience).
Truth be told, I’m not actually going through it [Kim there's people that are dying!]. In reality, it’s a privilege to be bored. But in an effort to validate my feelings, let’s examine boredom.
Boredom to me is a fine line (great song btw). When I have a lot of unfulfilling downtime, AKA when I fry my brain cells while scrolling on my phone for hours, I end up feeling like I'm in a rut. If I were making a cake and the recipe asked for a teaspoon of boredom, I might as well have poured the whole bag. Getting to this spot of pure and utter boredom makes the cake taste like shit, and I feel just the same. Like shit.
But with a teaspoon of boredom I turn to my creative interests. I’m not distracted by constant activity and running around from place to place. To fill my downtime time, I'll make videos or do some writing, sing a song and play guitar. But it has to be just the right amount of boredom for me to get to this spot. Anything over a teaspoon makes me feel tired, and anything less than a teaspoon I feel uninspired. Needless to say, this cake recipe is damn nitpicky.
But the voice in the back of my head wants to scream “Why on earth do you equate your downtime to productivity?”
I suppose I know the quick answer (capitalism), but maybe there is another reason. If I were to create a hierarchy of least to most fulfilling activities, phone time would be at the bottom of the pyramid. The top of the pyramid on the other hand would house journaling, walking, reading, and creating of any kind.
And sometimes I don’t want to do any of those things. At all. Which makes me feel bad about myself as I wonder why I am resistant to these activities even though they always make me feel better.
I think because these pursuits seemingly take more brain power than a mindless scroll. They require thinking, being present, focused… all of which uses energy. And I get tired, dammit!
But… is the energy I exert from doing these more meaningful activities greater than the energy I exert when sulking?
Upon further research, I’m not so sure. According to Scientific American, the exertion of varying degrees of mental activity burns relatively the same amount of energy, otherwise known as calories. Instead, the article argues that simply the belief that these activities require more energy is enough to make one feel more tired, similar to a placebo effect.
Knowing that there’s a placebo effect at play gives me the hope that I can change my mindset around doing these more fulfilling activities. I can fight back against the perception that these activities are more mentally tiring now that I know they’re really not.
I asked on TikTok what some cures for boredom are for you. Unsurprisingly, some of the comments revolved around getting off of their phone –
“honestly getting off my phone and doing literally anything else makes me not bored. even if it’s just like doing chores with headphones in”
“going outside and simply just sit in the grass, it gives me sm motivation to do productive things instead of laying in bed all day haha”
I think the Law of Diminishing Returns applies to screen time. In moderation, it can be a lot of fun. With too much however, you end up spiraling. Everyone has a different point where the negative effects of screen time outweigh the positive. I guess I just need to learn what that tipping point is for me. Maybe I can do an experiment and get back to you ;)
Let me know some of your cures for boredom! I’d love to include them in the next newsletter.
Lastly, do something fulfilling this weekend! Whatever that means to you. You deserve it. 🤩
With love,
Emily