The value of Boredom and why it is important – CBT Kenya

Boredom is an emotional and occasionally psychological state experienced when an individual is left without anything in particular to do. Prior to social distancing, if someone asked you about your hobbies, would you have an answer? For many of us, hobbies are things we did in childhood. Research shows that a period of uncertainty and lack of control in our daily lives can lead to increased anxiety. A hobby is something that can help us manage anxiety by giving us a sense of control and achievement. As you’ve probably realized, this isn’t boredom as we used to know it. The type of boredom that led to spontaneous adventures and wildly creative ideas. Rather, this is just the withdrawal from the hyper stimulating world we live and work in every day masquerading as boredom.

The value of boredom

Boredom is one of the most underrated experiences in the modern world. More than that, we do everything we can to eliminate it, as if it was some condition or evil force we’d all be better off without. The 21st century solutions to boredom are as diverse as they are many. Reading articles, talking, browsing dating apps, going on holiday, DIY, furthering your education, earning money, exercising, eating; if you have a phone, WiFi, and a fridge, then you literally never have to be bored ever again.

• The cultivation of imagination relies on boredom. The human imagination, one of our great gifts as a species, relies on the default mode network. We need moments of space, of absence, to free up the overwhelming deluge of information assaulting our nervous system every moment of every day.
• Being bored is not an emergency!!  It is not something that we need to go out and fix.  In fact, being bored is a luxury. As adults, our search for stimulation and novelty can lead us down some destructive paths.  Impulsively, we spend money, buy a bigger house, get plastic surgery, reach for alcohol, have affairs.  While these things may alleviate boredom for awhile, we all know they do not last.
• Boredom is just a pause…a nap for the psyche. When the nap is over you can emerge more refreshed and vitalized than ever before, so learn to appreciate periods of boredom.
• Exercise is an excellent anxiety reduction strategy as it helps get the adrenaline out of your body. Its also good for your immune system by getting your lymphatic system moving. During this quarantine period the recommendation is at least one hour a day for children and half an hour for adults.

Bottom line

Despite the huge surge of information and distractions and ways to keep ourselves occupied, it’s becoming increasingly easy to slump down on the couch and feel an unpleasant sense of boredom wash over us. Watch paint dry or water boil, or at least put away your smartphone for a while. You might unlock your next big idea. boredom needs to be reclaimed for the true source of free and infinite wisdom and wonder that it is. To do that, and to start bringing more of the real hardcore boredom back into your life, you first need to be clear about what it is exactly, and maybe more importantly, what it’s not.

At CBT Kenya, we have launched E-Therapy services. Get in touch with our psychologists on +254 739 935 333/+254 756 454 585 or email us on info@cbtkenya.org or visit our website for more details.