You get up, shower, dress and go to work. Your work responsibilities are routine now; you’ve been doing the same thing day in and day out for years. When the day is done, you return home, eat, maybe watch a little TV, and then go to bed. You get up the next day and do it all over again. Or maybe this scenario fits better: you are up with the sun to get your children ready for school. Once they are gone, you sit in front of the TV watching mindless daytime programming while munching away at whatever snack you had in the cabinet. When your children come home, they do their homework and then vanish into their own lives while you make dinner. You fall asleep shortly after they do and then wake up to do it all over again. Similarities exist between these and other scenarios. In all instances the amount of meaningful interaction with people is minimal, as is the amount of emotional and intellectual stimulation. Put plainly, you are bored.
The problem with boredom is that it can become something more. A bored person can become destructive, either to others or to themselves. A mind left without stimulus will find other ways to occupy itself. Thoughts that you might never have had when you were active in the world could begin to creep in, such as concerns about self-worth and purpose. You might internalize thoughts of inadequacy. Comparisons to people you see on TV may manifest in self-loathing over time, or your emotion could take on a more sinister bent. You might begin to envy those who look a certain way or are, in you perception, accepted in mainstream society. Thoughts of harm could begin to form.
The good thing is that boredom and the adverse effects that are sometimes experienced in the example of extreme cases can be reversed. All it takes is attention to your interests and your purpose. The monotony of life is reality – there are things that we must accomplish on a daily basis to keep a roof over our heads and food on the table – but there are ways to shake things up. Here are a couple of simple things you can do to make marked changes in your outlook on life:
Look Up
Literally! When you’re walking to the train or shopping in the supermarket, look up. Stop avoiding personal contact by focusing on the ground and connect with people. Eye contact will turn into a smile and that smile will change your outlook on life and the people around you.
Get Out
Change your scenery. Instead of going straight home after work go to a coffee bar and listen to live music. Sit on a bench in the park and people watch. Take a stroll in the mall and try on an outfit. Be in the world instead of locked away inside your home.
Reach Out
Do you get along with a colleague at work? Do you have a friend that lives nearby? Do you enjoy members of your family? Schedule time together. There’s no reason to spend every day cooped up in your home. Go out for dinner, take in a local show, go to the movies – do something with someone.
Adding these simple things to your routine will help change a monotonous life to a fulfilling one. Try them out and see the difference.
