Enjoy a change of pace
Admitting to being bored has almost become a crime. We live in a world in which it seems that if we are not doing something — anything — to move on and achieve more, we are slacking and will never achieve happiness. This is an attitude that is guaranteed to make me seethe, since a constant struggle to fill every minute of every day fills my surgery with stressed patients faster than anything else. It is as if we have become conditioned to always having to 'do', rather than just 'be'.
If this seems a little extreme, ask yourself the following
questions:
Do you turn on the TV as soon as you walk into the house, or leave it on when you are not watching it?
Do you have the radio on, even if you are not really listening to it?
Do you clean things that don't need cleaning?
When you are eating, are you thinking about the next course or the next meal?
If you are relaxing, are you thinking about all those jobs you should be doing instead?
The chances are you will have answered yes to at least one of these. Worrying, isn't it? The answer is to learn to be bored, and do something useful with your 'boredom time'. On the next occasion when you say or think, Tm bored,' stop yourself and say, 'No I'm not, I'm
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switching off.' There is no set way of doing this, but always try to spend that time being aware that you are relaxing. Sit still, practise deep breathing and focus on how you are feeling from top to toe. Let your thoughts wander or try to think about nothing at all. After five minutes of this, being 'bored' will have made you feel alert and refreshed.
Initially this can seem unnatural, as we are not used to doing nothing. When I first tried this, I was desperate to go off and do something to fill my time. I felt I was somehow failing by wasting valuable 'doing' time, but within a few days I was feeling relaxed and comfortable when allowing myself to 'be' instead. When other people now say they are bored I reply, 'Good — enjoy the ride.'
Calvin Coolidge, President of the United States, once stood motionless on the deck of the presidential yacht, looking out across the sea for minutes on end. A group of guests watched him, and after a while began to wonder about how he was burdened by all the problems of the nation. As they voiced their concerns, Coolidge walked over to join them and said,'See that seagull over there? Been watching it for 20 minutes. Hasn't moved. I think he's dead!'
Allow yourself to turn boredom into relaxation and your mind will relax itself, allowing it to be fresher and more alert when you start 'doing' again.
Don't expect to travel in fifth gear all the time. There are always peaks and troughs. Time spent relaxing is never •wasted time.
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