The Benefits of Boredom

Letting Your Mind Rest

In a world full of digital distractions and instant gratification, people are more susceptible to boredom. Feeling bored may seem negative, but it’s actually beneficial to your mind.

More than Boredom. Take a Mental Rest.

For the most part, boredom is surrounded by a negative connotation. Someone “bored” is often viewed as filled with feelings of restlessness and dissatisfaction. On top of those feelings, a person can also experience mental fatigue resulting in a slowed passage of time. Because of these feelings, when people feel boredom creeping over, they begin to look for a way to escape it.

In the digital age, most people turn to external stimulation such as movies, video games, or internet surfing. The popularity and accessibility of smartphones have created an increase in short-term digital solutions to boredom. While this convenience seems like a positive solution, people can become dependent on their digital distractions to the point of addiction. It becomes challenging to distract your mind through any other avenue and increases the risk of over-stimulation. Instead of external distractions, look internally to distract your mind and mentally stretch out your thoughts.

5 Benefits to Letting Your Mind Rest

While boredom can lead to adverse outcomes, choosing non-digital ways to distract your mind offers multiple mental health benefits. Below are five benefits of boredom and letting your mind rest from external stimulation, according to an article by Psychology Today.

improves mental health

Your mind can become overloaded with the constant flow of information and external distractions. Taking a break to be “bored” or do nothing relaxes and clears your mind.

Increases Creativity

Once your mind is clear and a strong sense of boredom fills your thoughts, your instinct will be to entertain yourself. Let your mind wander and explore your creative thinking instead of turning to external stimulation and distractions.

opens you to new experiences

Without boredom, humankind would have no reason to create or participate in new or exciting activities. Channel your desire to entertain yourself by filling your day with new experiences or hobbies.

pushes you to pursue new goals

Boredom is an emotional signal sent to your brain that occurs when you dislike or are disinterested in any current happenings. Use this feeling as an encouragement to work toward or set new goals to improve your life and current state of being.

Strengthens Self Control

Boredom can lead to disengagement as a result of a loss of interest. The ability to stay focused is also related to how well someone handles disinterest or restlessness. Embracing boredom and working toward reengagement rather than distraction will result in fewer instances of disengagement altogether.

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