If you’re anything like me, a common theme of your text messages with all your friends is complaints about how bored (and tired) you are. Life just seems to lack excitement these days. Combine isolation with being stuck at home and you’ve got a formula for boredom. We’re used to living such busy lives, and now that our lives are a lot less busy and we’ve been robbed of our social lives, we have a lot of time on our hands that we don’t know what to do with. Boredom ensues.

Many of us view boredom as a bad thing, but can we switch our mindsets and actually see it as a good thing?

Why Boredom Can Be a Good Thing

Hear us out: boredomcanbe good for you. “Boredom can be a great indicator that we need to recharge but still be engaged,” says Talkspace provider Elizabeth Derickson, MSW, LCSW. “Being bored is like our brains telling us it has the energy to do something, but it wants to do something fun.”

Since the feeling of boredom can weigh heavy on us, it can also serve as motivation to get up and actuallydo something!Research backs this up.A 2019 studyreferred to boredom as a “little-known way to spark creativity,” after finding that in study participants, boredom increased productivity and idea generation.

Basically, when we’re bored, we’re lacking stimulation in one way or another. Motivation to get rid of the boredom causes us to seek stimulation, and that’s where the good stuff comes from.

How to Cure Boredom

Derickson says that there’s certainly a time and place for long naps and binge-watching, but they usually are not the best cures for boredom. She encourages clients to think of activities that can engage our minds or bodies, that are enjoyable and active. You want to find activities that get you occupied and in a flow. When you’re actively engaged, you’ll notice that boredom just isn’t a feeling anymore.

Can’t figure out what you should be doing? Derickson has some advice. “If you are really stuck on ways you can get into the flow, think back about things you did as a kid,” she says. “Did you color, do puzzles, or listen to music? For many of us, the things we did as a kid are natural ways to cure that boredom.”

There isn’t a universal way to cure boredom (sorry!) because what’s enjoyable for one person might be boring to the next. Finding what cures your boredom might take some trial and error, so you will need to have some patience when it comes to finding your personal cure. But once you find the activities that work for you, it will be worth it.

Here are three guidelines for curing boredom:

20 Different boredom busters

So next time you’re feeling bored, remind yourself that boredom can be a good thing — it may bethething to motivate you to take on a new challenge, get active, or take on a novel pursuit. Allow yourself to let ideas flow freely. Boredom and the resulting motivation and curiosity can take you to places you’ve never been before.

Our goal at Talkspace is to provide the most up-to-date, valuable, and objective information on mental health-related topics in order to help readers make informed decisions.

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