It’s ok to sit with your thoughts

Rather than finding endless ways to deal with the pandemic boredom, it might be best to lean in to it.
You can't tell a bored man to go find something fun to do. He would if he could. He is on aquest for self-fulfilment. Something we are all seeking right now. The world isn't what it was two months ago. A lot has gone missing, especially the weekends! We have cut down on interactions, broadened physical boundaries and there is no “looking into the distance” beyond the next row of houses.Experts call it pandemic fatigue or pandemic boredom. “We still don’t have an answer as to when will we get back to normal or will there ever be a normal or what the new normal is going to be like. So even if we have chores and social support, it is not enough to tide away this time,” says Dr Sonal Anand, Psychiatrist, Wockhardt Hospital. We are swaying between average days and hopeless days. But were we not bored and hopeless before this?
MODERN AGE SYNDROME
The modern world has been chasing away boredom like the plague. Despite filling up our lives with innumerable devices for entertainment we are still 'bored' quite often. We are bored at home, at school, chronically bored at work, bored by paperwork, by the commute and by dull meetings. There is definitely an issue here. “When our brain is stimulated by easy diversions it releases a reward neurochemical called dopamine and, in some ways, we have become addicted to the surge of this chemical rather than enjoying more simpler everyday pleasures,” says mental health expert Dr Shyam Bhat. So, it is the need for overstimulation that causes boredom. We dislike being alone with our thoughts and always in search of a new distraction. Something philosopher Bertrand Russell wrote about boredom in his book The Conquest of Happiness way back in 1930, “All these devices give us illusions of meaningful engagements. This mindless preoccupation gives a shallow control.”
STOP FIGHTING IT
Embrace boredom and it won't feel so painful. Make it your new excitement. Let it give you an opportunity to add something new and valuable to your daily grind. “A good way to deal with this listlessness would be to follow a routine and make sure we plan something new at least once a week. Maintain a diary with the key notion of reinventing yourself and challenging yourself. It could be something that was left unfinished, forgotten or even something brand new,” says by Dr Sonal Anand, Psychiatrist, Wockhardt Hospital. You could also draft a procrastination list and finish pending tasks.
A 2019 study shows boredom as an experience that can fuel productivity and creativity in people. Bill Gates and Warren Buffet, two of the most successful people of the modern age often make time to just sit and let their minds wander. Rather than finding endless ways to distract yourself, it might be best to learn how to lean in to the boredom and turn those feelings of frustration into something much calmer and more accepting. “Boredom is an important state of mind. The ability to cope with it is important so that we can deal with the real feelings that are emerging from within us and also to allow ourselves to have creative thought. This pandemic is therefore a good time for us to cultivate the ability to be with ourselves a bit more, to learn how to enjoy our solitude and use strategies to stay connected with the many interesting aspects of the present moment,” suggests Dr Bhat.