Hello, dear readers! Welcome to the end of the summer! I hope you’ve all had some time to get out and enjoy the sunshine, even if it’s from your backyard’s vantage point. I have been taking advantage of the view from my back porch, and although it is beautiful, at times, even that gets old. Yes, I admit it, I have been BORED this summer.  

As an extrovert, I am usually booked for social engagements several nights per week. That, combined with my other pursuits (mindfulness, music, writing, recreational shopping), keeps me very busy. At least, I USED to be very busy-before the pandemic. Now my life moves at a more leisurely pace, and I have had to adjust my expectations and find new ways to pass the time. 

When I started to notice that I was feeling a sense of restlessness, a desire to run around the block blowing a kazoo and taking a lot of naps, I realized that I was experiencing something that I had not since I was a child- I was feeling BORED. Since I happen to be a life coach, I decided to do some investigation into ways to help myself cope with being bored, and I found a lot of fascinating information. What stood out to me the most was that some social scientists have found that boredom can actually be GOOD for you. Yes, Dear Readers, being bored can have a benefit in your life!

Discovering this felt like striking gold for a life coach, so I’ve decided to share some of the wealth with you.

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Boredom Benefits 

1. Boredom inspires you to try something new: You know the drill. You have things that you do, and you know what to expect. You get into your routines and rhythms and life ticks along. Then, one day, you get a little bored, and suddenly you feel inspired to look around for something new. Our brain has a “novelty center” that is triggered by new stimuli. The novelty phenomenon activates our brain’s reward center and “BOOM” you feel happy about discovering something new and next thing you know, you’re a fly-tying expert! If you hadn’t been bored to begin with, maybe you would never have thought to get that book out of the library, and the world would be one fly-tyer short. 

2. Boredom can increase your creativity: Daydreaming is more than just a waste of time in math class. There are creative benefits to letting your mind wander and “spacing out.” Have you ever been sitting around, wondering what to do next and had an idea pop into your head? That’s because you were allowing your mind to relax, and that is when the creative magic happens. Remember when you were little, and all you needed to entertain yourself was a paper bag? You could be a car, a robot, an elephant, and make a house for your cat; the possibilities were endless. If you hadn’t been at least a little bit bored, you wouldn’t have imagined your way into some fun.  

3. Boredom charges your brain’s batteries: Multitasking is a skill that our culture reveres. We are constantly trying to get more done. When you experience boredom, your mind is not shifting gears constantly and trying to keep up with multitasking processing demands. This allows more of your brainpower to build up for things such as figuring out that complex problem at work. Boredom also builds self-control, which will enable you to focus more intently on whatever task is at hand. This process could also be called mindfulness, and doing nothing is a skill that can be learned. Try allowing your brain to rest, Dear Reader, and see if you have more to offer when the time comes to focus on something. I have a hunch you’ll be pleasantly surprised by how much more you can give when you have rested first. 

Laura Klain is a certified life coach and the owner of Bud to Blossom Life Design LLC, which is located at 20 Trafalgar Square in Nashua. She has been helping people build better relationships, change careers, increase creativity, and successfully navigate life’s curveballs for the last eight years. You can learn more about her at www.budtoblossom.net.

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