How to be Bored

At the moment, a significant fraction of the UK population is facing an unprecedented problem: time. As our normal workplaces are closed, and there are restrictions on leaving the house, we’re facing a lot of unstructured time.

It’s important to note that there are others facing other problems: some people are contending with punishing financial insecurity, others with much more punishing restrictions on their liberty due to their underlying health conditions; still others are having to balance a full time job with full time childcare and teaching!

In many ways, those simply facing boredom are lucky, but it’s not without its challenges. We’re trained to be occupied, to be rewarded by our work, and we naturally enjoy the social backdrop of work. Absent those things, we need to learn how to survive boredom.

Old Ambitions

 With all this time stretching out ahead of us, it might be the right time to readdress some old ambitions that work and commuting have previously denied you the energy for.

Lots of people feel they have a novel in them, but too few put pen to paper – this could be the ideal time. Similarly, you might have lost contact with a creative pastime like painting – digging out your old supplies might help you to express yourself and provide an outlet for stress and frustration.

Self Care

 Don’t drive yourself too hard to achieve during this time – it could be that the stress and distress of living through a global pandemic make it hard to focus on long term projects. The only achievements you need to worry about are keeping physically and mentally healthy.

Finding time to exercise and an outlet for your stresses and fears are an important consideration. Connect with friends to avoid isolation and confide how you’re feeling – it’s an important pressure valve for your emotions.

Distraction

 The best thing to do might be to look for distractions. This could be a good time to begin a new hobby. If you look into the creative subscription boxes UK companies are beginning to offer, you could find the answer you need.

A crafting hobby means working with your hands, acquiring a new skill, and producing items you can use to decorate your home or pass on as unique, personal gifts. Whether you favour knitting, embroidery, weaving or papercrafts, getting into a crafting hobby could be the perfect therapeutic distraction to pass the time and bolster your mental health at this difficult time!