What do you do when you find yourself bored in a career or a relationship that you once enjoyed?
Before you think this cannot happen to me, let’s agree that life is a series of cycles or seasons. Some seasons are obviously more preferred than others, thus alluding to some level of control in that we can anticipate them.
That said, life ebbs and flows with seasons of sickness, grief, joy, stress, success and in some cases boredom. Often, life finds us unaware because we are so submerged in our routines to recognize the signals that life has been sending us all along.
What is Boredom?
Psychologists defines boredom as, “An emotional state of being where you feel a pervasive lack of interest and difficulty in concentrating on the current activity.”
Boredom can can befall you when you least expect it. Surprisingly, no one plans to be bored. It just happens.
A study published in the Issues of Mental Health Nursing found that, “As a function of boredom, individuals may feel over-worked or under-employed, and become distracted, stressed or disillusioned.”
Gallup poll reports, “Only 33% of employees are engaged at work, meaning that 67% are bored at their work.”
Are you engaged at work? If not, you may be bored and not even know it. Boredom is linked to unfulfilled aspirations. Research shows that there is an assumed link between boredom and depression, which can be fatal if not addressed.
Although boredom is a part of life, and all of us experience it from time to time. Understanding how this emotion can be detrimental to your health and wellbeing is critical.
Do not wait until you are in the dark, be curious to examine why you are bored. In fact, being curios can help you navigate this state gracefully. Equipping you with insights on how to spot the dull feeling when it starts to sneak in on you.
Signs of boredom includes
- When working or living in a toxic environment.
- Misalignment of personal values with your organization at work or in a relationship.
- The feeling of being stuck: no forward movement and no growth.
- When you have an unrealized aspiration and are unaware of it.
- When you find yourself with too much time doing a whole lot of unfailing tasks.
Science tells us that the human brain is always seeking to make sense of why, and that its constantly assigning meaning to situations.
For example, if you are faced with danger, your brain will alert you by way of sending you the adrenaline chemical rash in your nervous system alerting you of the danger so you can either take flight or fight. Simply, it’s how we are innately wired and for good reasons.
Similarly, if you find yourself bored, frustrated or burned out in a career or a relationship you once enjoyed, you are likely unaware of the lurking inner-work your soul longs for.
Your emotions in this case are mere signals that your brain is sending you to alert you of your current state of being. Rather than continue in insanity, “Doing the same thing and expecting different results” as Einstein cautioned, be cognizant.
Boredom and stress are a fact of life, and the sooner you learn to deal with these emotions the better of your quality of life, work and relationships will be. Even the billionaires are not exempt. Jeff Bezos, the world’s richest man shares that whenever he finds himself stressed is because he failed to take action to address a critical issue in his life.
You are no different. Be comforted though. Realize that the human brain behaves the same in all of us. Boredom simply means that your souls is crying out for some attention, and you will be wise to address it sooner than later.
What to do to beat boredom, and come ALIVE
- Be aware of your state of being.
- Be grateful. Life honors those who honor it, and if you are not grateful it’s probably giving you what you’ve been putting out.
- Acknowledge or own your emotions as they are.
- Ask the right questions to unravel what is really going on?
- Be willing to do what you must to change the situation for better.
- Get help—hire a Coach or share how you feel with a friend you trust if you cannot seem to get yourself out of the funk.
- Take actions, because if things are to change, you are the de facto in determining that change.
- Embrace the process to better. Change may come slowly or quickly, whatever the case; be open to learn and become what you want to become—a happier and more engaged person in your career, relationship and in life. Choose to be ALIVE!
In short, life is a series of adventure. Unfortunately, good times don’t always last. Boredom can glide into your life without notice. Nevertheless, if addressed promptly and effectively; boredom can be your gateway to your best life now if you embrace it with curiosity and self reflection. So, get curious to discover why you are bored in the first place. After all, why be a living dead when you could be ALIVE always?
How do you deal with boredom? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
Carolyne helps professionals and organizations gain CLARITY building better brands for better results. A speaker, author of Being Grounded: 21 Days To Come Alive and Love Your Life, and a contributing writer for various publications. To schedule your 45 minutes complimentary session with her, you can write her at carolyne@vpfstrategies.com
