Medical experts call boredom the ‘disease of our time”. This is especially true during times of pandemic and quarantine.
5 Consequences of Chronic Boredom
It’s not just for children anymore. Everyone suffers from it.
It used to be temporary for the most part. You couldn’t wait for the lecture to be over.
Or for your turn to see the doctor. It’s boredom, and it can turn serious.
Boredom is a chronic disease, and why not? You’re bombarded with an endless array of stimuli every waking moment.
We’re used to constant information flow when we awake. We’re expected to take it all in, 
and we do.
and we do.We’ve stopped interacting and engaging. So, we get bored.
German psychologist, Theodor Lipps, described boredom as ” a feeling of unpleasant arising out of a conflict between a need for intense mental activity and lack of incitement to it, or inability to be incited.”
This can mean different things to different people. An introvert, might find pleasure between the pages of a book or any other type of solitary activity.
But an extrovert may want more excitement as well as more social encounters.
You Do You
No matter the personality type, there’s a correlation between boredom and self-awareness. Let’s say you have a clear idea of your strengths, weaknesses, motivations and beliefs.
And you’re comfortable in your own skin. You’re now better prepared with the tools required to make yourself less bored.
You can gauge your moods and feelings, and understand what it is you want out of life. It also better prepares you to deal with others, and respond accordingly.
But having a clear understanding of your personality can be a real problem. The world is at our fingertips 24/7.
The idea that we can turn off the noise for a few seconds is now a foreign concept.
No one wants to sit there and do nothing! Adults fixate on playing games or browsing through their social media.
Downtime can be scary!
But it’s in those moments where we really feel our presence, tune in to our thoughts, and get in touch with our feelings. It’s also when we are at our most imaginative and creative.
It’s how we evolve, discover and invent.
Chronic boredom can make it easy to leave you in a rut of negative habits. You feel powerless to finish tasks.
This puts a damper on the quality of your life, and exacerbates physical pain. It comes with a slew of negative ramifications, the 5 most common are:
• Obesity
Constant snacking minus real hunger could be a case of boredom. This often involves foods high in processed fats and sugars.
These make you feel calmer and happier. Dieticians refer to this as emotional eating, which is often brought on by boredom.
• Depression
Boredom can be a symptom of depression, and it can also trigger it.
Working long hours. Stressful work or home environments. Less than challenging jobs.
These can ramp up stress and lead to deep bouts of depression.
• Stress and anxiety
Living day to day in an environment that doesn’t give you what you need can lead to emotional exhaustion. Top that with a helping of work responsibilities and financial strain.
This is the perfect recipe for chronic stress triggered by boredom and redundancy.
• Alcohol and drug abuse
In an attempt to break through the boredom spells, it’s common to find people reaching for alcohol and drugs. Of course these can have an addictive effect.
But in the moment, all people see is how they allow them to forget. They’re forgetting the aggravating effects boredom has on their lives.
• Heart disease
When boredom is the rule, your brain releases toxic hormones into your bloodstream. These hormones create problems for your heart.
Moreover, chronic boredom sufferers tend to skip exercise and eating right. In fact, they’re more likely to turn to bad habits, like smoking and drinking.
These can take their toll on the cardiovascular system, resulting in premature death.
A great way to break the boredom cycle is to step back and look at the big picture. Make lists of all the good in your life. as well as all the things you’ve wanted to try but never found the time and start from there.
Take control of your life and try to work your way around the things you cannot change. Form new, healthier habits.
Try something different each day. Volunteer your time to helping others who are in need.
And, above all, find something that piques your interest.
JohnK 5-27-2020
Overheard: “The two enemies of human happiness are pain and boredom”
~Arthur Schopenhauer
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