Spend More Time Being Bored.

Dopamine is a readily available drug.

We live in a world where our minds are stimulated 24/7 and never get a chance to wind down.

I’ve recently discovered a topic from the book Dopamine Nation by Anna Lembke that really resonated with me.

These days, most of us have lost the ability to tolerate even minor forms of discomfort – like being bored.

“The reason we’re all so miserable may be because we’re working so hard to avoid being miserable.” -Dr. Lembke

Immediately, we seek ways to distract ourselves from this discomfort, typically by pulling out our phones.

We’ve all done the “open the Weather app to pretend we’re busy on the phone” gag.

To be honest, we spend most of our waking hours plugged into some kind of device (phone, laptop, tablet, etc.), scrolling social media, reading emails, listening to podcasts or music, or watching videos on YouTube or TikTok.

We’re addicted to our phones.

I’ve personally dealt with this very problem, I’ll admit it. Being a person that enjoys making content, I often find myself glued to my phone for hours on end, scrolling through social media.

Not only does my productivity take a hit, but my mental and physical health decrease as well.

But this is a topic for another day.

Why Should We Care?

As kids, we all complained to our parents that we were bored at one time or another.

Even now, while waiting in line, or even sitting at a red light.

But being bored isn’t a bad thing. It’s a gift.

It’s not something we should run from.

It’s a way to become familiar with ourselves and listen to our inner voice.

Avoiding yourself all the time is exhausting and may even contribute to anxiety and depression.

Overstimulating yourself with music, podcasts, social media, every moment you get is not good for the mind.

This overestimation causes us to become numb to the dopamine hits.

Being bored ultimately gives you an opportunity to access new ideas and feelings, and better connect to the world, yourself, and others.

How Can We Improve?

1. Don’t reach for your phone the next time you’re bored:

The next time you get that itch to grab your phone, stop yourself and just reflect on what you’re trying to distract yourself from and why.

Embrace the uncomfortable.

We always wish our lives away, hoping for a moment of relaxation, away from our responsibilities.

So why are we not taking advantage of those moments of boredom?

Yes, I know it comes as a natural reflex to reach for your pocket in search of something to distract you from boredom or awkwardness. But try embracing this more often.

And if you think mindlessly scrolling through social media is your preferred form of relaxation, then priorities need to be rethought. There's more to life!

Boredom also creates resilience and breaks us from our reliance on those distractions, such as our phones and social media.

*Try reading during downtime. This is a much more productive way of utilizing free time. You'll not only spare yourself the overstimulation that phones give, but you'll be learning & using your brain positively as well.

2. Think of ways you can put barriers between you and your drug of choice:

A few tips for my fellow phone addicts:

- Move all your social media apps to the last page on your phone

- Set a screentime-limit on all of the apps

- Put your phone on greyscale mode

Atomic Habits by James Clear has some impeccable tips on habits and a major concept he explains on breaking bad habits involves this concept.

Habits are indirectly controlled by the environment it’s in.

Making phone usage as difficult as possible will ultimately limit us from using it as often. It’s that simple.

In the end…

We need to become comfortable with boredom.

Overstimulating our minds with dopamine all day is basically “frying” our brains.

Embracing the “awkwardness” of lulls allows us to remain in the present moment and enjoy life's little things.

Be comfortable being alone. Be comfortable being bored. Just be.

TL;DR

1. Constantly preventing boredom is “frying” our brains.

2. Being bored allows our minds to ponder & enjoy life in the present.

3. Create systems & habits for decreasing distractions & phone time.

🙇🏻‍♂️🌱 Until Next Time, C.