By Dr Ravi Chopra
- Satish is waiting at the airport departure lounge of the airport because the flight has been indefinitely delayed. There are plenty of shops and newspapers, but shopping or the news is not what he is interested in to divide his attention. He cannot even afford to sleep because sleep he may miss his flight. He keeps looking at the monitor and with every passing time is losing his cool.
- Manish wants to go out and play cricket but has to stay at home due to lockdown. Even his father is getting bored reading a book he is not interesting.
- Ravi is waiting to be called in for a job interview for really long time. This is making him feel irritable and stressed.
Boredom is a fairly common feeling. There is no commonly accepted definition of boredom. The expression “boredom” means “state of being bored,” “tiresome or dull”.
Boredom is a moment when you don’t seem to be interested in what you are doing and are finding it hard to pass time and divert your energy in some other meaningful task. It is a moment when time appears to slow down. Most of us experience boredom at one time or the other in life.
Symptoms of boredom?
Boredom is temporary phase in life when time comes to a standstill – leading to lethargy, tiredness, weariness, fatigue, lack of energy, frustration and emptiness. A person who is bored may also experience deficit attention span and feel apathy, fatigue, nervous, or jittery. Boredom and lack of focus leads to a number of traffic accidents. Some people turn to addiction, gambling, over-eating and alcohol abuse out of boredom.
Boredom can occur to anyone, anytime in life. It can be accompanied by depression, decreased motivation, apathy, and inadequate sleep. In some cases, boredom may occur due to inadequate rest or nutrition, and low levels of mental stimulation.
There are no tests to diagnose boredom. Boredom and depression have somewhat similar symptoms. Some people can’t articulately describe their feelings.
There are many theories and explanations – it has never been clear what causes boredom. The external stimulation will vary from one individual to another.
There’s no specific, medical treatment for boredom. However, there are tons of solutions if you’re experiencing boredom.
Boredom is mostly an excuse and rarely the reason. A bored mind is a devil’s workshop.
In the words of the phenomenal British thinker, Bertrand Russell:
“Boredom is a vital problem for the moralist since half the sins of mankind are caused by the fear of it.”
Once you get past the wave of boredom, you will find yourself in an ocean of bliss. There is nothing wrong with feeling bored. Some of the greatest inventions did not just take place out of necessity, but out of boredom, simply because someone was bored and wanted something new.
