Many parts of the country recently experienced storms that knocked out internet services and power. My neighborhood was among that group, so for several days my family and I decided to lean into the boredom at home and see what happened. We liked it so much that we decided to intentionally implement more time to be bored after our power was restored!
Since most of us experience very heavy doses of technology and moving at a very quick pace on a daily basis, it definitely felt different to slow down. Sometimes we were, dare I say…..BORED, which is a rarity for many these days. That can be an unsettling idea because we get out of the habit of moving slowly and being bored when we constantly get dings on our watches and notifications on our phones. So when we actually slow down, we’re often not sure what to do with it, moving right back into texting friends or watching Netflix. This is not a new concept to anyone, but instead a friendly reminder to take inventory and see if you might benefit from some low-tech (and sometimes boring) living.
What if we intentionally disconnected and embraced the boredom that comes?
What good things can com out of being bored?
System Reset:
Humans are adaptable, so we learn to function under certain conditions, whether or not those conditions are ideal. Our minds and bodies get used to being rushed, (over)connected to our world, and always having something to do or watch. Planing intentional time to disconnect and be bored can encourage our systems to reset and operate in a slower, more creative, and less frenzied way. Scientific research supports the benefits of being bored, including the increase of gray matter in our brains, which increases cognition and functioning. We can encourage our systems to function in ways that better-serves our brains.
Opportunity to do other things:
Being bored can encourage us to address tasks that need to get done. How good does checking things off your list feel, especially when they are things we have avoided in order to watch one more episode or scroll for 15 minutes longer? If we’re bored enough, we just might or fix that broken cabinet we’ve been staring at for six weeks, try a new recipe, or weed the garden.
Connect with nature:
When we have fewer options inside, it’s a good opportunity for us to move outside. Take that walk around the neighborhood that you keep thinking about. Go on an all-day hike or volunteer in a community garden. Or spend time with your pet throwing the ball at the park or playing in the nearby creek. Being outside and touching actual soil has been found to be beneficial in numerous scientific studies. If you make ‘bored time’, would you be more likely to get outside?
Reconnect with people face-to-face (not behind a screen):
Meeting new friends for coffee, having a long, slow dinner with old friends, taking that class with mom that you’ve been thinking about, going on a date with your partner, or meeting your neighbors are all great ways to connect with people that do not involve screens. Technology can be great to connect with people, don’t get me wrong. But there is also the art of human interaction when you’re in someone’s physical space and looking at their actual face that feels refreshing to many. We might be more present with our kids by starting a new lego set with them or reading them a book without getting interrupted by phone notifications. Can we show up as more engaged partners, parents, colleagues, and friends if we spend more time with people in person and minus the tech distractions?
In the age of tech, we are fortunate to benefit from our connected world in many ways. We have access to so many opportunities, people and resources that we wouldn’t otherwise have. I am so appreciative of this and embrace that this is a very large part of my modern-day life. But, like so many other things in our lives, balance is often a great thing to strive for. There will be many days when we’re not able to disconnect. Some weekends our kids will spend more time watching their iPads than we would prefer in an ideal world. We may not spend as much time outside as we’d like to if we didn’t have other obligations. Realistically, our to-do lists will always have more things on them than we wish they did, and sometimes we choose to watch Netflix over addressing those lists. These are realistic parts of life and not something to feel guilt about. The goal is to focus on balance and adding little pockets of boredom to our lives when we can and seeing if that improves our quality of life.