Bored in the U.S.A.

[Claire.]

Bored in the U.S.A.

Boredom, ennui, apathy, doldrums, world-weariness, etc.  Whatever word we use to describe it, the feeling is all too familiar for everyone.  

While not that easy to define (the most common definition for boredom is "the state of being bored"), dealing with boredom remains a constant challenge for most of us. It's probably not too surprising that boredom has also become an active research topic over the past decade.

Psychologists studying boredom have proposed various theories to explain why people get bored and the role that it plays in how we think and behave. For example, neuroscientists have suggested that boredom occurs due to low levels of arousal or stimulation which can motivate us to search for novel experiences. In a real sense, escaping from boredom underlies much of our need for entertainment, whether in seeing the latest movie or television show. following new fads, or searching online for new memes to enjoy. 

Read more: Psychology Today

[preacherman76]

Boredom sets into the boring mind.

 If you are bored when you are alone, you are in bad company.

[darkmoonlady]

I do think attention spans have shortened which makes concentration on a single task harder. If you cannot stick with a task boredom comes a lot easier. We also have shifted our free time quite a bit. It would be interesting to see if our free time is greater or lesser than previous decades. I know kids get bored easily and at the same time have the greatest access to the Internet with games, activities and distractions.. I spend a large amount of time at home and learned how to keep busy either with hobbies or reading. Doesn't mean I don't get bored now and again. I think boredom can be a reset for creativity if you think about it. 

[.ZZ.]

I don't get bored.

The voices in my head and the endless parade of colors in my eyes keep me entertained.

Hey, I survived the 60's!

[+ouija ouija]

I don't get bored either ..... and I spend most of my time on my own. I think boredom sets in when a person is limited physically i.e. forced to sit at a desk during a lesson they're not interested in, or maybe on a long haul flight.

[Hawken]

My job keeps my mind active. I know I would get bored if I was on welfare.

[sees]

Boredom just denotes a stagnant mind!  Really....there is so much to THINK about, let alone to do!  Maybe I am lucky in that I am inquisitive and creative.  Of course there are potentially boring situations.  I just change gear mentally and often focus on  something that is puzzling me/needs to be sorted out.  Failing that I become more aware of my surroundings and get curious about the people there and glean what I can about them, e.g. try and 'read' them.

It pays to have a tactic/strategy if there is a pattern to the boredom.  For instance, to stave off getting frustrated in a check out queue, I tend to get a magazine (that I'd be interested in reading) before I complete my shopping.  That way I have something to read whilst in the queue.  When I am about to be served, I merely put the magazine aside!  No one has ever said anything!

Edited March 4, 2017 by sees

[Farmer77]

4 minutes ago, Hawkin said:

My job keeps my mind active. I know I would get bored if I was on welfare.

I hate to go against the group here but Im on day 11 of a 14 day remote hitch and I am so bored its killing me........the alternative is worse , but damn im so so bored!!!!!!!! 

I have TV, Internet, my fly tying gear yet somehow the inability to escape the walls im trapped in eventually always limits my brains ability to stay entertained. 

[sees]

5 minutes ago, Farmer77 said:

I hate to go against the group here but Im on day 11 of a 14 day remote hitch and I am so bored its killing me........the alternative is worse , but damn im so so bored!!!!!!!! 

I have TV, Internet, my fly tying gear yet somehow the inability to escape the walls im trapped in eventually always limits my brains ability to stay entertained. 

Change your mind/make a gear change and it can change your attitude.  You are not trapped....you just think you are. Do/think about something that inspires you.  Failing that, go for laughs e.g. a programme, youtube...so much choice!

Edited March 4, 2017 by sees

[quiXilver]

simple awareness of the breath moving in and out of my lungs... inner silence, pure beingness... what is boredom?

[Hawken]

1 hour ago, Farmer77 said:

I hate to go against the group here but Im on day 11 of a 14 day remote hitch and I am so bored its killing me........the alternative is worse , but damn im so so bored!!!!!!!! 

I have TV, Internet, my fly tying gear yet somehow the inability to escape the walls im trapped in eventually always limits my brains ability to stay entertained. 

Seems to me that technology and money can't always make life complete. Sometimes the simple things complete the circle.

[preacherman76]

1 hour ago, quiXilver said:

simple awareness of the breath moving in and out of my lungs... inner silence, pure beingness... what is boredom?

This.

[preacherman76]

1 hour ago, quiXilver said:

simple awareness of the breath moving in and out of my lungs... inner silence, pure beingness... what is boredom?

Bro I tried this thing last night called a Anja light, powerful tool for meditation. If you ever get the chance I'd highly recommend it 

[Why not]

I'm not a loner, but I am content and probably the happiest when I'm alone.

As long as everyone I care about is healthy and safe.

[sees]

33 minutes ago, Why not said:

I'm not a loner, but I am content and probably the happiest when I'm alone.

As long as everyone I care about is healthy and safe.

There is a lot to be said for the bliss and liberation of solitude!  It's the chief reason why I choose to be a semi-recluse.  Like yourself, I care about others but -  maybe because I am an empath - I find it can be draining to be in the company of others for too long if they are not upbeat/positive minded or in need.  

Making good friends with yourself i.e. to be in harmony, seems to be a quality missing from so many people.  That said, I guess the ideal is to be with someone who 'gets' you and, together, you are a complete whole.

Edited March 4, 2017 by sees

[aka CAT]

8 hours ago, Hawkin said:

My job keeps my mind active. I know I would get bored if I was on welfare.

Though I always have too much work to do, it preoccupies me.

UM along with Clair

10 hours ago, Claire. said:

Bored in the U.S.A.

Boredom, ennui, apathy, doldrums, world-weariness, etc.  Whatever word we use to describe it, the feeling is all too familiar for everyone.  

While not that easy to define (the most common definition for boredom is "the state of being bored"), dealing with boredom remains a constant challenge for most of us. It's probably not too surprising that boredom has also become an active research topic over the past decade.

Psychologists studying boredom have proposed various theories to explain why people get bored and the role that it plays in how we think and behave. For example, neuroscientists have suggested that boredom occurs due to low levels of arousal or stimulation which can motivate us to search for novel experiences. In a real sense, escaping from boredom underlies much of our need for entertainment, whether in seeing the latest movie or television show. following new fads, or searching online for new memes to enjoy. 

Read more: Psychology Today

often help combat boredom despite my sometimes nodding off when it's past time for me to turn in.

 

8 hours ago, Farmer77 said:

I hate to go against the group here but Im on day 11 of a 14 day remote hitch and I am so bored its killing me........the alternative is worse , but damn im so so bored!!!!!!!! 

I have TV, Internet, my fly tying gear yet somehow the inability to escape the walls im trapped in eventually always limits my brains ability to stay entertained. 

What's a remote hitch?

[Farmer77]

11 hours ago, aka CAT said:

 

What's a remote hitch?

An amount of time working away from home. Generally mine are two weeks at a time. 

[StarMountainKid]

I think low self confidence or low self esteem can cause boredom. One issue is, when you're bored, enthusiasm comes after you begin doing something, not before you do it. This causes staying bored and not doing something.

 

[sees]

35 minutes ago, StarMountainKid said:

I think low self confidence or low self esteem can cause boredom. One issue is, when you're bored, enthusiasm comes after you begin doing something, not before you do it. This causes staying bored and not doing something.

 

Yes being bored is a reflection of the relationship you have with yourself e.g. being downbeat.  Realising boredom is not a fatalistic scenario but a choice comes with awareness and challenging this feeling!

[quiXilver]

I often work for weeks on end, and then have some weeks off. 

I'm either immersed in work, or I'm immersed in my home life and cultivation of my inner life.

When bored, turn within and see how much silence you can muster, then how long you can abide in it... no boredom guaranteed.

[jimrich]

For me, boredom is the automatic exposure of unhealed inner pain that becomes apparent when there is nothing to distract my attention from that low level pain that is ALWAYS here.  If I am sitting alone somewhere and have nothing to occupy my attention, the subtle and not so subtle presence of discomfort or pain becomes oh so obvious and then I rush off to get a magazine or into a meaningless conversation with someone.  Anything to take my attention OFF OF my constant inner pain or discomfort.   A little baby is NEVER bored and can play with it's own toes or toys for hours or do nothing since the baby has not yet acquired a bundle of inner pains and emotional trauma like it will most likely own by age 5 and be easily bored (hurt) if not entertained or distracted.   Getting drunk can remove boredom in a flash because the ever present inner pains are temporarily numbed out.  Falling in love does the same thing to take one out of their constant state of inner pain and put us into BLISS - which is just a normal state of consciousness MINUS pain.  Our subtle or not so subtle accumulation of inner pain begins very early on and we come to accept it as just a normal, tolerable part of living UNLESS we are left all alone with this subtle inner pain that we call Boredom.   Psychotherapy, meditation, yoga and some other therapies attempt to reduce or eliminate this well of inner pain to help us live a happier and more comfortable life WITHOUT a need for escapes though alcohol or drugs, etc.  The more of my inner pain that I heal or vent, the less bored I feel and can sit for hours without discomfort or a need for distractions.  Boredom is a warning signal from a friend to a friend asking for help to eliminate the inner pain but most of us will turn to a distraction and never even look at what Boredom is trying to tell us UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE.  I cannot imagine going to my death with this inner pain unhealed!  UGH!

[jimrich]

On 3/4/2017 at 4:38 AM, preacherman76 said:

Boredom sets into the boring mind.

 If you are bored when you are alone, you are in bad company.

I'd say you are in DAMAGED company but there is a way to repair that damage and then be in good company and NO LONGER bored.  Psychotherapy is one way and spirituality or metaphysics is another way.

[jimrich]

On 3/4/2017 at 5:40 AM, darkmoonlady said:

I do think attention spans have shortened which makes concentration on a single task harder. If you cannot stick with a task boredom comes a lot easier.

Jim: Because the inner pain that is always there is no longer being covered up by this "task" .

We also have shifted our free time quite a bit. It would be interesting to see if our free time is greater or lesser than previous decades. I know kids get bored easily and at the same time have the greatest access to the Internet with games, activities and distractions.

jim: I don't know if todays kids are given more, less or just as much emotional pain as previous gens but the basic issue of hidden, inner pain is the same for everyone and many will do whatever it takes to block or ignore this low level inner pain known as Boredom.

. I spend a large amount of time at home and learned how to keep busy either with hobbies or reading. Doesn't mean I don't get bored now and again. I think boredom can be a reset for creativity if you think about it. 

jim: IMO, creativity, hobbies, reading, business, etc. are mostly a strategy to STOP feeling the low levels of pain and discomfort that many of us from unhappy homes have accumulated inside and have no idea how to get rid of or reduce so we are compulsively driven to find distractions - hopefully productive distractions.

 

[sees]

6 minutes ago, jimrich said:

For me, boredom is the automatic exposure of unhealed inner pain that becomes apparent when there is nothing to distract my attention from that low level pain that is ALWAYS here.  If I am sitting alone somewhere and have nothing to occupy my attention, the subtle and not so subtle presence of discomfort or pain becomes oh so obvious and then I rush off to get a magazine or into a meaningless conversation with someone.  Anything to take my attention OFF OF my constant inner pain or discomfort.   A little baby is NEVER bored and can play with it's own toes or toys for hours or do nothing since the baby has not yet acquired a bundle of inner pains and emotional trauma like it will most likely own by age 5 and be easily bored (hurt) if not entertained or distracted.   Getting drunk can remove boredom in a flash because the ever present inner pains are temporarily numbed out.  Falling in love does the same thing to take one out of their constant state of inner pain and put us into BLISS - which is just a normal state of consciousness MINUS pain.  Our subtle or not so subtle accumulation of inner pain begins very early on and we come to accept it as just a normal, tolerable part of living UNLESS we are left all alone with this subtle inner pain that we call Boredom.   Psychotherapy, meditation, yoga and some other therapies attempt to reduce or eliminate this well of inner pain to help us live a happier and more comfortable life WITHOUT a need for escapes though alcohol or drugs, etc.  The more of my inner pain that I heal or vent, the less bored I feel and can sit for hours without discomfort or a need for distractions.  Boredom is a warning signal from a friend to a friend asking for help to eliminate the inner pain but most of us will turn to a distraction and never even look at what Boredom is trying to tell us UNTIL IT'S TOO LATE.  I cannot imagine going to my death with this inner pain unhealed!  UGH!

Interesting.   Certainly when I am not currently preoccupied, e.g. there is an unexpected lull/pause (like, having to wait around for something) then it does expose my current/ongoing state of mind and this is upsetting/stressful rather than being bored.  I say upsetting because, even though I am spiritualised, centred and have a positive mindset, I am undergoing some very testing situations (e.g. the recent death of my mother and my sister not honouring what my mum wants for me in the will)....but bored?  No, never!  I am far too creative for that, i.e. can always turn a potentially boring situation around.

[jimrich]

On 3/4/2017 at 6:07 AM, ouija ouija said:

I don't get bored either ..... and I spend most of my time on my own. I think boredom sets in when a person is limited physically i.e. forced to sit at a desk during a lesson they're not interested in, or maybe on a long haul flight.

As with any discussion, it comes down to how you or we define boredom.   For me, boredom is low level pain.  From a dictionary =

synonyms weariness, ennui, apathy, unconcern; frustration, dissatisfaction, restlessness, restiveness, lethargy, lassitude; tedium, dullness, monotony, repetitiveness, flatness, dreariness;

......and all of that translates to some form of pain or discomfort.  If it were no pain I would not call it boredom.  I'd call waiting in a long line a "time out" but not boredom (pain). So, boredom means one thing to one and another thing to another.  For me, unloading the low level pain has been the most effective way to slow down or stop boredom from bugging me.