Learning to accept boredom

Several weeks ago, I watched this video which talks about how different things are today in that we can 'escape boredom', typically thanks to our mobile phones, and how being bored shouldn't be treated as badly as we do. It makes sense. I've talked before about how we're often addicted to content, how we're needing content constantly playing. I'm still struggling with it today.

With that advice in my mind, a few weeks later I was feeling quite low and so I decided I should start trying to accept boredom. I know I have messed with my ability to handle even the slightest bit of boredom. When I first get up, I load up some dumb drama video to play while I get ready and dressed. I have to have something playing while I'm eating food. I'll play a video game but also put on a stream of some drama so my mind can have two things at once. I really struggle to escape it.

So as I said, I would try to accept boredom more often. I would not put on a YouTube video when I get ready in the morning. I would eat my breakfast of overnight oats with no tv or distraction. This was the initial start of my plan and I figured I would try doing it for a week and then discuss it here.

That was a few weeks ago and suffice to say I utterly failed. Part of it was continually feeling low and feeling like I needed that content to distract my low thoughts. I think Seasonal Affective Disorder may have contributed to those low feelings and so I did not commit to avoiding content. Does that mean it's not worth trying again? Absolutely not.

I plan to make another attempt at it. A wholehearted attempt. It's difficult at the moment because for personal reasons my environment has been different for the past week. As a result, I'm scrolling through my phone when I lie in bed beore going to sleep, knowing that it's awful and is the reason why when I sleep in my regualr bedroom my phone is plugged in and charging away from my bed.

Hopefully in about a month's time, I can come back to this blog and say I was more succesful. That's the plan at least.