Bored?

The global scenario right now makes it mandatory for us to stay at home, while this might have been the aspirational covet of many (like the usual weekends); this long term seclusion has definitely altered the way we interpret holidays. Maybe you’re done with the movies, maybe the games don’t seem that fascinating, maybe you’ve changed your mind about ‘free’ time, but may I remind you that it’s us who’s entirely responsible for the boredom we’re augmenting; the more we try to ‘deal’ with it, the less our focus drifts into stillness, in short you’re bound to get more bored when you undertake activities associated with the so called “passing the time”, your resoluteness becomes debilitated, your will suffers a lot. Imagine you’re watching your favorite sitcom, and after this activity it will be a nearly impossible task to shift to something productive say, like doing your assignments, yes you were successful in passing your time and delaying the boredom until the periphery of the show you were watching or the game you were enjoying temporarily; post scenario yields boredom more aggravating than the previous one which you slowed with that activity of yours but you simultaneously increased the boredom deficit to the extent that you’ll then be dissatisfied with anything low stimulated afterwards. We’re used to media and our smartphones to fill the void that boredom creates; we’re truly hinged on these services even for our emotional highs and lows, we’ve relied so much on these that it feels strange to leave the comfort zone of media tools under the spell of boredom.

So what can be done? It may not be possible to abandon these entirely all the time, because they’re what provide us with prime data instantly, what can be done as a will strengthening exercise is to devote a period of day to be free of all those things which you expose yourself while treating your bored self, you can execute any other activity that supposedly would bore you after high stimulating activity (like exercising or meditating), initially it will be difficult, and you’d perhaps be tempted to revert back to the actions of ‘passing time’ however, you must understand that when you’re ‘not’ dealing with boredom, you’re actually exercising your willpower, the knowledge of this fact should keep you going for longer than you expect yourself to, and it doesn’t matter how long you do it as long as you do it every day, just like a fitness regime it’s the consistency that builds your muscles, however you must take care that your activity during this period is what bores you and not which delays boredom, only then will this be fruitful for your willpower and hence your emotional-mental state. Quarantining is not just about passing the time is it? Just one period a day to strengthen your tenacity numbed by smartphones and easy dopamine fixes, and remember it doesn’t matter how long you do it as long as you’re consistent with it. So, where are you and where do you see yourself after ‘this’ ends officially? Enthusiasm can’t be compelled to someone’s current habits neither can it be enforced to stay long enough for you to achieve what you’re craving for, unless one has clarity in what he does, unless he knows what he’s talking about, it just isn’t so simple like the movies; if you make it through boredom, your willpower gets tenaciously robust, something that you’ll be definitely proud to have in these current smartphone era of undivided attention and high stimulation activities. No pressure yes, but I’m not asking for much, it’s a tiny fraction of the amount of time you’re complacently defraying.

Let me give you an example; in the preparation phase of my board exams this past winter (November, December, January, February and March too though it’s not cold during that time :P) I gained a lot of weight, I was helpless because, I had to primarily give time to Physics and Mathematics (yes there were other subjects as well but these two are what makes you or breaks you ;)) and I perceived exercising rather as a cumbersome time consuming tiring process ( yet healthy too), so I racked up a lot of fat that my tummy started appearing round and chest started drooping (yes not something I was proud of) due to plumpness that I accumulated due to laziness over the period of those months, so I started exerting my body again from the time my Computer paper got postponed, and I have been thankfully able to continue even now due to the lockdown, though it was boring and there were pretty much other lucrative things to enjoy, just few minutes of a day to stay fit was what I gave and in return I felt rather happy to see myself in the mirror today (pic below) after so long.

The point is that boring things yield satisfying fallouts. Hope you’ll try the same (not necessarily calisthenics), anything which may be boring but looking ahead it would make yourself feel rewarded. All the best and happy quarantine.