Stop what you’re doing and take a moment to think about your question, or if you do not have any ideas then go out in the world and see what the day brings. Breathe deep, even if it is just for a few seconds, and let everything else drift away from your mind. Stay where you are for this last section before we get into some specific examples of how to fill your time with positive action!
The deeper I dive into this topic, the more I realize just how fragile our minds’ attention can be while at rest – it’s so easy to underestimate its power when we allow ourselves to goof off all day. Of course there will always be those days or times in life that end up without anything happening, but when we make it a habit to plan ahead, even during our downtime, then life starts to improve itself in all sorts of unseen ways.
Allow yourself the chance, if it is available to you, to follow through on all of your dreams and wildest fantasies; take trips out of town or into the country; see that person who has always sparked your interest; eat food that tastes better than anything else you can imagine; read books that change you in the best possible way; learn about things that truly matter in this world; watch real people living in real moments – whatever it is for YOU.
Some exciting things to do when you are bored include: Nature Hike, Recite Shel Silverstein Poetry, Add New Paint Texture to your walls, Reorganize Bookshelf.
Puzzles and games like Sudoku can also be good.
One of my favorite things is just to sit for awhile in a field or the woods listening until I feel ready to return home again. Stillness is very restful and natural and beautiful even after an intense day at work or doing other activities that claim a lot of energy out of me.
Lots of people find meditating helps them when they’re feeling really low moods too! Lots of opportunities there 🙂
Go for a walk.
Sit outside with some iced tea and read a book.
Pick out some clothes from your closet that don’t make you happy but have been hanging in there for weeks/months/years, fold them back up nicely and donate them to charity.
Go to bed early because sleep is important? 😉
Jump rope! It’s fun, it’s easy, and kids really enjoy it too. Everyone can do it! I personally love jumping on the double headed ones where you turn around to jump over the ropes (you just need one jump rope!). It’s great if you want some acrobatics or groups of people to play with too – all age groups find jumping rope fun! The only problem is that you probably don’t have one in your closet waiting to be worn or put on display so it might require a trip to the store.
There are a few options. For starters, one can focus on the feeling of being bored and being creative with what thoughts come to mind. It’s also possible to just stay in bed, read a book or watch TV and give oneself time to think about what one does want to do when they feel like they want something more exciting. Other than that, there are plenty of online platforms people could use for themselves such as reddit’s /r/aww subreddit where it is possible to find an abundance of cute animal pictures with text talking about the animal nearby along with other cheerful diversions. Of course, if none of these seem very appealing, then boredom might not be worth struggling through after all.
- Solve puzzles. Puzzles activate the same areas of the brain being activated by challenges in real life- and for some people, it can be a much more effective way to feel accomplished than playing video games alone (or maybe not at all). There are puzzle books or online sites that host lots of both male- and female oriented puzzles suitable for elementary school children through adults.
- Learn to paint with acrylics or oils or watercolors in a well lit room where there is plenty of space around you on the floor for easels, canvases, and other equipment (even if you have just purchased these items). Getting into an activity will help release pent up energy and engage your sense of accomplishment – plus give a safe outlet for a little bit of stress.
- Develop your own webcomic or build a website about things you enjoy doing, whether it’s solving puzzles, making art, writing stories, cooking healthy foods with certain ingredients that can be found at the supermarket, or anything else that is positive and constructive. Websites are great because they host lots of different kinds of media related to your interests – even if they’re not completely original! There is space for collaboration on these sites and websites typically allow people to comment on each others’ work which makes them more interactive than other forms of solo entertainment like reading books by yourself (or watching TV alone). You can use websites like Tumblr and DeviantArt for this purpose (although make sure you build your own by searching for a free site hosting service; self-hosting will be more professional and give you greater freedom of expression).
- Practice singing, dancing (but only if you like dancing, otherwise this might make you feel extremely uncomfortable and embarrassed!), or playing an instrument (especially if you enjoy all three of these things!). If you cannot afford lessons, YouTube is full of tutorials on how to do all of these activities for free! You can also find free online music in genres that are interesting to you – look up radio stations in your area via TuneIn radio to see what kinds of tracks are being played in the area.
- Play jigsaw puzzles with friends or family members – it will help improve communication among loved ones if everyone can put away their smartphones or tablets and focus on working together to finish a puzzle.
- Do ceramic painting, woodworking, sewing, lamp-working (making glass beads), play an instrument with others who are also interested in learning it for the first time, do yoga/taichi/qigong/etc. at home, build your own treehouse or tree fort out of scrap wood you find around your house – anything that gets you outdoors doing things! Old school fun is always fun! Even playing cards at home can be interesting because there are so many ways you can play card games – if playing cards is too clichéd for you; try using tarot cards instead (or your own deck). You could even try 3D street painting or chalk art.
- Organize a party with your friends! You can also plan parties for people you don’t know, but make sure that they are actually interested in the topics you’re proposing (e.g., organizing a diverse group of individuals to come together and listen to music genres different from their own). These activities are more inclusive than some other kinds of gatherings because there’s no obligation to be had – it’s all about having fun.
- If you find yourself feeling bored often, use this opportunity to learn more about yourself by journaling about what makes you feel hopeless, helpless, disinterested, confused, etc., then brainstorm ways that you could overcome these feelings or give yourself greater satisfaction in life. You could also use these times to read books and study your favorite subject more in depth – it may give you new ideas about where you might want to head in life!
- Learn how to cook with online recipes, cooking tutorials on YouTube or other video sharing websites, and cookbooks at the local library so that you can save money by not always ordering food from a restaurant when hunger strikes. Even if you do get takeout/delivery sometimes, it’s nice to be able to make something else for yourself every once in a while. Cooking is relaxing because there are lots of different processes involved rather than just one specific action ; cooking forces you to multi-task within the many steps it takes to prepare a dish whereas playing video games is usually high-paced and repetitive.
- Make your own website or blog – this can be used to show off your artistic abilities, write about whatever you want, post tutorials on how to do things (including blogging itself!), share recipes/DIYs/informational videos, etc., play interactive games with other people in your area who are interested in the same topics as you are, meet new interesting individuals who share similar interests via comments/message boards/etc., build up a fan base before putting any work out into the world so that when you are ready to have it published , it will already have an established group of fans who want to read what you’ve written or look at your artwork , sell items that way, etc.
- Do volunteer work at the local hospital, library, animal shelter/rescue organization, school, or elder care center to get out of your house and meet new people while also helping others – it’s a win-win situation! The satisfaction you derive from helping others will give you more motivation to do other things that are positive for yourself in turn. Volunteering is an excellent way to show gratitude for what you have by giving back to society . You can sign up online to find these kinds of events near your area.
- Get out of your house and explore nature! There are hundreds of hiking trails in most parts of the US, so all you really have to do is pick one that interests you and go for it. If hiking isn’t your thing, try exploring a city or town by walking around and seeing what you discover. There are likely many things within walking distance of your house that would be fun to check out – this could include local events , interesting buildings/plaques/statues , the beach (I’m biased because I live in California), etc., plus there’s always something new when you haven’t seen it before (which makes traveling worth it).
Take a bike tour of your city/town. Hit up your local library. Join a chess club at a coffee shop or bar. Read an old paper book from the public library by somebody like Agatha Christie, Charles Dickens, James Joyce, Fyodor Dostoyevsky, William Faulkner etc
Go for a walk in the woods and spook yourself out. Ride your bicycle – slowly around in circles generate some excitement (thanks Newton!). Watch an art documentary on Netflix! Fix your bike tire when it goes flat after you rode too fast (of course kidding – stay healthy with caution). Decorate your room with vintage postcards and prints once you feel bored again 😉 . Compliment one person today. Take a cooking class on how to cook your favorite dish.
Visit an art museum. Go for a walk in the park and take some photos of sculptures or trees/flowers/birds. On your way there, listen to music you like (or don’t like but are curious about anyway). Visit an old mill or planetarium or something that is run down and see if you can fix something.
-Go for a walk. Having something to focus on other than your boredom will take the edge off. It’s exercise, it’s refreshing, and it’s bonding with one or more fellow humans in an act of love that transcends all language barriers.
-Start small. Whether you work on a long list of errands or do something creative, break your to-do list down into small chunks of time.
-Make a list. Make a “to do” list or a bucket list for friends you can call on out of the blue to make plans with you. Knowing you have people waiting for your call will give you more incentive to keep moving forward during your boredom.
-Go somewhere new. Even just driving to downtown is better than sitting around the house feeling bored and lonely.
-Take on a project that will build your self esteem—like finally filing all those papers or organizing your closet. Looking at piles of paperwork does not inspire feelings of happiness, but seeing everything nicely filed in alphabetical order will help you feel more in control of your life.
-Solve a challenging mental puzzle or read a book that makes you think or laugh out loud,
You could also try some of the things you were doing when you had no time for boredom.
Reading, cooking, listening to music, daydreaming, writing in a journal, spending time with friends and family members are all high up on the list of fun things to do when you are bored.
-listen to classical music
-build things out of matches
-write your own emoticons on the faces of inanimate objects. When you are walking and see an inanimate object with a face, take a picture or draw it for them. The next time you walk by, there will be something new smiling back at you!
-watch cartoons
-relax.
- Watch a show or movie.
- Sleep
- Play with your pet outside.
- Go for a walk, or jog, in your neighborhood.
- Pick up on old hobbies to re-kindle boredom!
- Go through other favorite activities like movies, cooking and so on…
- Take an exercise class.
- Pick up a book.
- Neighborhood walk.
- Make art, like sketch or dance!
- Do anything that excites you 🙂
