Do you catch yourself feeling bored all the time?

Maybe it’s winter – cold, grey, and isolating, with everyone hiding indoors.

Or maybe it’s summer – you see crowds living their “movie-like” lives, while your routine is just work, TV, sleep, repeat.

Or maybe money’s tight, and instead of going out, you end up glued to your phone, scrolling Instagram, comparing your life to people who always seem to be having more fun.

Day after day feels predictable. Nothing excites you.

You can only feel one thing.

BOREDOM.

In my previous articles, I explained that boredom is a very destructive feeling that can push you into obsessing over crushes , becoming clingy in relationships , dwarfing yourself and idolising people and so much more.

As the band Tool once sang: “Boredom’s not a burden anyone should bear.’“

And here’s the truth: excitement isn’t about money or perfect circumstances. Some of the richest people in the world have everything, yet still feel empty and fed up with life.

If you want more fun, you must know how to live an interesting life.

What makes someone feel bored

Here are some reasons why people get bored:

• no challenge – when your brain is not pushed to think and solve problems, it slows down. Your cognitive abilities decline. Without stimulation your brain goes into zombie mode;
• nothing new – same environment, same routine, no variety – you will feel bored, frustrated and eventually depressed;
• something is too easy/ too mentally challenging – if something that you do is way below your skill level, you will get bored because there is no challenge. But if it’s too hard, you will not only get bored, but also frustrated;
• too many distractions – you may feel bored because you are too distracted. Even if you are in Disneyland, if you can’t focus and fully engage your senses, it doesn’t make much difference if you are there or lying on the couch.

How to Make Each Day of Your Life Interesting

1. Set a screen time limit

The first step is simple: spend less time online.

Just two hours of blue light exposure already messes with your melatonin levels. Low melatonin = poor sleep = tired, irritable, and yes… bored.

Being online has two majorly underestimated side effects – it’s addictive – you don’t live in the real world and your brain gets overloaded with information.

When this happens, you can’t focus for too long into what’s happening right now and you can’t enjoy your real experiences.

Not living in the present is one of the fastest ways to feel bored.

If you can’t quit social media cold turkey, give yourself a strict limit, say, 10 minutes per day just to check in, then lock your apps.

You may be shocked at how much time you spend online and how often you instinctively reach for your phone once it’s off-limits.

2. Constantly experiment with new things

If you live the same day over an over again like in the movie “The Groundhog day”, then of course life will be dull.

We said before that boredom happens when your brain is not engaged enough.

If you keep eating the same breakfast, going to the same cafés, meeting the same people, and taking the same route to and from work, your brain eventually memorizes those actions and goes on autopilot.

To feel alive again, you need to add adrenaline and novelty:

• eat foods you’ve never tried before or make weird food combinations – (fries dipped in creme brûlée, why not?);
• if you’re going some place new, skip the GPS – try to get there the old-fashioned way;
• meet people from different ages and groups;
• go crazy when you can – take extremely hot or extremely cold showers, go skinny dipping in the river if you’re out with friends, do silly things;
• hobbies you never tried before – buy inline skates at 35, take scuba diving lessons, learn to cook, sign up for an acting class;
• be adventurous – go on trips that you set the route to, discover hidden places, connect with local people;
• do ordinary things in the most fun and weird way you can think of– if you’re home in the middle of a boring online meeting, try juggling with 3 balls (make sure your camera is off).

3. Be brave and spontaneous

The biggest difference between kids and adults is that kids are always spontaneous.

That’s why kids have so much fun.

They don’t overthink about the past or worry about the future. Kids treat life like a playground.

Adults, on the other hand, tend to get stuck in rigid routines and worst-case-scenario thinking. Stop being cautious and making up fears in your head.

Here is a psychological trick to stop being afraid and overthinking: count to 3 and do it. Want to talk to a stranger? Count to three and go.
Want to sign up for that class? Count to three and click register.

Life doesn’t need to be so serious – in any situation think: “What would a kid do right now?”

Routine keeps people mentally grounded. But too much planning makes your daily life predictable and boring.

Say “yes” to last-minute changes, eat dessert before dinner.

4. Overcome codependency

People with anxious attachment style have difficulty being on their own and enjoying life without their partners.

They focus on their partners’ life so much, that they forget to live their own. When they have alone time, they get so anxious and they have no interest in exploring what life could offer them.

This inevitably makes them feel chronically bored and unhappy.

If you can’t be alone, learn how to overcome dependancy in a relationship and how to go from anxiously attached to secure in love.

5. Engage with the world

When you leave your doorstep, what do you usually see?

People waiting for the bus, stuck on their phones, people in the metro scrolling through their Facebook feed, people walking, even driving, writing texts behind the wheel.

It’s time to start using your phone like… a phone. Slip it into your pocket and start engaging with the real world.

Observe the world in detail, like a detective would:

Make it a habit to see things that nobody would – count the different shades of green on a single oak tree, spot the running squirrel in the park, or the tiny dog dressed in an oversized sweater.

Tune in to the background soundtrack of life, snippets of strangers’ conversations on the bus, the hum of the city, smell the electricity right before the storm.

Find the extraordinary in the ordinary.

Write poems only you know about.

Say yes to random conversations.

Don’t spend unnecessary time in your head.

6. Don’t be afraid to look stupid or weird

Maybe the reason you’re bored is because you’ve trained your brain to think in limitations.

Because of so many RULES, your imagination suffers:

“This spring, only tight jeans are trendy.”

“On a first date, women should drink wine, not whiskey.”

“If you don’t go out on Friday nights, you’re a loser.”

You should know that the most interesting people are not the smartest or the best-looking, but those who don’t care about what is expected, and do what they feel like instead.

If you struggle with self – confidence, learn check out my guide on how to build real confidence here.

If you follow these six steps, you will never be bored again.

There are so many things in life to explore. So many that one lifetime isn’t nearly enough.

Want to know more?

See What causes chronic dissatisfaction

Why you suddenly get depressed for no reason

The secrets of irresistible people

The psychology behind unfinished business

TheThinkAbout is a website based on psychology in practice and experience.

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