Letting Go of Boredom as the Norm
Dear Self,
Me: “I’m bored,” I proclaimed in my last therapy session. “I can’t be somebody who goes to work and comes home and watches TV. I just can’t do it. My routines are solid, I am keeping up with all my to-do’s, the house is clean, my kid is happy, there is no major crisis happening. Now what? I asked with desperation on my face.
My therapist: Well versed in how my brain works, she took a deep breath then looked up,
“Can that be enough”?
Those four words lingered in my head. My thoughts were screaming, absolutely not! That cannot be enough. There’s got to be more! Are you crazy?
Me: Very composed, calm, and collected, “I’ll have to think about this.”
I started to wonder, what is enough? How much of this is my struggle to accept the monotony of day-to-day experiences vs. lacking meaning, passion, and a good project?
I have worked so hard to rid my life of chaos and dysfunction, so I knew I did not want to self-sabotage or invite chaos back into my environment; but I also have a low tolerance for boredom. I decided a solution to this predicament was to make the mundane tasks a little less mundane. Here are some ideas I have come up with. If boredom grabs hold of your soul or anyone you know, please feel free to try out any of my “boredom hacks” or pass them along.
· We have regular dance parties in my house, but I have recently leveled up my dance parties. I purchased a disco light and now, my living room turns into a full-blown night club after dark. We have disco lights, microphones, musical instruments, and very curious neighbors.
· Changing up dinner. I get so bored with dinner. I cannot sit at the same wooden dinner table every night staring at chicken, broccoli, and rice. I am never going to be a chicken, broccoli, and rice kind of girl. I have started creating different dinner themes like make-your-own pizzas, tacos, and ice cream sundaes. Sometimes we sit at the table, other times we have a picnic on the living room floor, and once we had a car picnic. Next on the list, I am going to implement dinners where everybody eats with their non-dominant hand!
· Showers. Showers also bore me and can lead to dread. Lately, I have been challenging myself by taking cold showers. Not only do cold exposures help activate the vagus nerve which promotes overall nervous system regulation, but it also speeds up the entire showering process. With freezing cold water, I am in there for five minutes tops, so even if I am bored, I am not bored for long! Showers can also be a fun time to bring a speaker in the bathroom to jam out to music or listen to an enjoyable podcast.
· Last week we decorated the house- just random colored streamers all throughout the house. It was a party “just for living.” It changed the mood and vibe; you cannot help but smile when your kitchen is covered in purple streamers.
· Family meetings in the closet. Every Monday I meet with my daughter for a family meeting where we sit on the closet floor and talk about life. It is super fun to shut the door and feel like we are having a private meeting. There is usually chocolate involved.
· Changing up the wardrobe every now and then. It is always fun to switch clothes with friends or shop at thrift stores when we need some variety.
· Hair Dye. We bought pink hair dye this week just for fun. Everybody had pink hair on a random Wednesday in September. Why not?
· Dinner Parties! Hosting dinner parties used to feel so stressful and like the same thing over and over. Our dinner parties are a little less traditional these days. Last week we had our guests arrive in their pajamas! Sometimes we do magic tricks, crafts, and even limbo contests.
You may not find THE answer in a $3 bottle of hair dye at Wal-Mart, but you may find AN answer. Perhaps it is fun or spontaneity. Maybe it is just a break from the rigid rules and doing what we are “supposed to do.” These ideas will not cure depression, but if we can’t be happy yet, can we at least be less sad?
xoxo,
Self