Photo by Kevin Grieve on Unsplash

Boredom is something which you cannot avoid. At some point or another you may feel bored in different situations, places or times.

Boredom can be described as-

I am stuck in a situation that I feel is irrelevant.

We can agree on one thing though-

Nobody wants to feel bored

In today’s world, which is full of stimulation, feeling bored is becoming easier than before. However, it’s something we don’t want. So, let’s find out how we can avoid boredom.

Whatever the reason may be of your boredom, it can be problematic and can also be dangerous to you. According to Scientific American, scientific studies on binge eating found that it was one of the most frequent triggers binge eating. Other studies found that when bored, you are more likely to drive at higher speeds, take longer to respond to unexpected results and also are more distracted.

Boredom is interesting

Boredom can also be interesting because it tells us something about our behaviour, our emotions, our values and our expectations.

How to handle boredom

A simple technique can help you to handle boredom better and may also help you to avoid boredom in the first place.

If you’re bored in a situation, you can ask yourself a simple question, “what is interesting in this situation or time or people or place?” It simply helps you to look at the situation from a different angle. It forces your mind to take a look at the possible positive things is situation, people, place or time. It will help you to change your perspective.

It may seem very easy but initially it may be difficult for you. But once you focus on the question and not on your boredom, it will become easier. Once you focus on the question and try to find out answers to the question, it’ll be easier to find out the good things in that situation.

You can also do this is before you go somewhere where you feel or know that you will be bored. First of all, you will not have any expectation from the situation and at the same time you will also be prepared before to focus on what positive things you can find out and to observe the situation, place and people more closely. It will bring you more benefits besides saving you from feeling bored.

If you practice it for some time, it becomes easier for you. This is nothing but observing things happening around you. You can name it as mindfulness or simple plain observation. You’re trying to focus on specific things which will help you to sharpen your focus. It will also improve your observation skills.

When you observe people and situations closely and then find out the positive things in that situation, people, place or time, it will help you to learn a thing or two. It means you are focused, observant and you are learning something and when you do that, you can no longer feel bored.