Why Am I Always Bored?
“I’m bored.”
We have all said it, whether out loud or in our minds, when the world around us discolors to gray and white. As kids, our parents would sarcastically respond with “Go do chores” or “Read a book.” But as adults, we grasp for something to fill the void as the clock ticks and tocks. Constant boredom plagues our modern life.
In our modern society, we are over-stimulated and have little to no reason for constant boredom. Our entertainment options are endless! But a TV or phone screen cannot heal our past trauma or guide us towards our bigger purpose. It only fills the day-to-day gaps that constant boredom leaves.
Addressing the psychology behind constant boredom allows us to understand why we get bored and what we can do to avoid it.
Why Do We Get Bored?
Coping Mechanism
The majority of us have undergone some sort of trauma, from how we grew up to who we grew up with. Some events are so traumatic that our consciousness buries them in the deepest, darkest parts of our hearts. Our emotions remain ignored and forgotten, and in their place, boredom manifests. Boredom becomes a coping mechanism from the harsh feelings we have faced. It’s like our mind is telling us: why feel anything if we could feel nothing?
Disconnected
Have you ever blankly stared at your schedule, no longer passionate or motivated by what once excited you? Your world view shifted and your values no longer align with your work or interests. Our hearts disconnect from our hands, leaving us under-stimulated. A researcher at the University of Limerick described boredom as “signals [that] what you’re doing right now seems to be lacking purpose.” Boredom reflects a symptom of a much bigger issue—not honoring yourself.
Throw Some Anxiety Into The Mix
Our emotions and sense of purpose use boredom as a signal, letting you know you need to reconnect with yourself. Boredom could also be an indicator of fear. Our mind appears to say that we need to move forward with our lives, but fear stops us in our tracks. This anxiety manifests into boredom, another form of a coping mechanism but also a symptom that we’re departed from our purpose. Boredom hides a lot more than we bargained for.
How To Deal With Boredom
Boredom seemingly disappears after starting a new book or engaging in a new hobby. The pattern to these surface-level remedies is how they reinvigorate your mind.
For constant boredom, you need to reinvigorate your life.
Emotions
Addressing deep-seated emotions is hard work. No one likes to do it, but we know it’s necessary to move forward. Healing takes effort, commitment, and a willingness to accept those emotions. There are many routes to validating and honoring your emotions. You can seek a mental health professional to talk through the trauma and understand them. You could also look past Western medicine and into the spiritual realm.
Remember that honoring your emotions isn’t an overnight journey. You must put in work and time to get it right, but when you recover from your past wounds, boredom fades away.
Disconnected
If you find yourself in a cubicle forty hours a week, bored at your work and the people around it, look for purpose somewhere else! Start a side business, join a class, or if you can, quit all together and follow what makes your heart glow. Our lives seek purpose, a reason to live and carry on with each day. When we attempt to realign our purpose, we have to be open-minded and willing to explore. A short way of saying it: try new things!
Alternative behaviors may give you a sense of purpose, a willingness to engage in a new activity. How you react to that purpose, whether positive or negative, brings you a step closer to realignment.
Combine them together
When we move from our trauma and excite new interests, we engage with different parts of ourselves—our past and our future. Boredom has no room to be a coping mechanism or a symptom when we align ourselves. We can fill our time with entertainment and media, but at the end of the day, unhealed trauma and unaligned purpose remain.
Start the hard work of healing, of understanding, and you’ll never have to say “I’m bored” again.
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