Is boredom only a perspective?

What is the most ridiculous thing you’ve ever done to pass time?

Francis Bacon , the famous English philosopher once said “I don’t think there is any truth. There are only points of view. Boredom, for example, is a point of view. So is total exaltation.” well if that is the case we have been viewing boredom all wrong! For most people, boredom is a dreaded feeling we all try to avoid at all costs. it’s that moment we are stuck in a meeting or in traffic, and we feel like our brain is slowly turning to mush. but according to Francis Bacon, its all just a matter of perspective. boredom is a point of view which means we can choose to see it in a different light.

What is boredom?

Boredom is a universal experience that we all encounter. It’s that feeling of restlessness, dissatisfaction, and the disinterest that creeps in every now and then when we have nothing to do or when we are doing something that fails to engage us. While boredom is a common human experience it’s also a complex and multifaceted emotion that has intrigued psychologists for decades. While most people view boredom as a negative emotion, it can also be seen as a signal that something is amiss in our lives. For example if we are bored at work it could mean that we need more challenging projects or that our values and interest don’t align with our work anymore. As Salvador Dali one said “Boredom is the mother of all creativity.” Boredom can motivate us to seek out new experiences, learn new things or make changes to our environment.

What causes boredom?

There are many factors that leads to the feeling of boredom, including

Monotony: Doing the same thing over and over again can quickly lead to boredom. This is especially true when the activities lack novelty and variation.

Lack of challenge: When a task is too easy or doesn’t require much effort, it can fail to engage us and lead to boredom.

Lack of control: When we feel that we have no control over our situation we may feel helpless and disengaged leading to boredom.

Understimulation: When we are not receiving enough sensory input, we may feel bored. this happens in situations where there is little to no stimulation like waiting in line or sitting in traffic.

Overstimulation: When we are overstimulated we become bored as our brains become overwhelmed and desensitized to the stimuli.

The Effects of boredom

While boredom may seem like an harmless emotion, it can have significant effect on our health and well-being. Chronic boredom has been linked to a range of negative outcomes like anxiety, depression, substance abuse and also many health problems. So one of the main problem of boredom is that it can lead to negative coping strategies like eating too much food, drugs or alcohol. These behaviors can give you temporary relief but can lead to long term negative consequences.

Ways to alleviating boredom

Engage in new activities: One way to compact boredom is to try new activities that challenges your brain. This keeps our brains busy and alleviate boredom.

Set Goals: Setting goals can give us a sense of direction, which helps alleviate boredom

Practice mindfulness: Practices such as meditation can help us be more present and engaged in the movement, which can alleviate boredom

Finding meaning: Find the meaning and purpose in every activity we do. The question we should ask ourselves is “why are we dong this activity right now?” or “How does it benefit me in the long run?” Once we know the answer we are likely to be more engaged in what we do and feel less bored.

Take breaks: Continuously working for hours can make us fell drained or overwhelmed, this can lead to loss of motivation and boredom. So sometimes taking brakes from an activity can recharge our batteries and we will be able to come back to it with renewed energy and interest.

Boredom is a very common human experience that can have significant impact on our mental and physical wellbeing. But by understanding the cause and effect of boredom we can develop strategies to alleviate it and lead more fulfilling lives.

So there you have it Folks. boredom and total exaltation are just points of view, according to Francis Bacon. While we may not be able to achieve total exaltation all the time, but with proper strategies we certainly can find ways to make the most of our moments of boredom and cultivate moments of joy and creativity. After all life is too short to be bored all the time!