Boredom or peace?
Here are my thoughts for the Bear Blog Carnival February: Boredom.
When I think of boredom, I think of having NOTHING to do. That rarely happens in my case. There is always something I can be doing. For me, being bored in today’s day and age is very difficult, so I try to seek it out. But am I really seeking boredom? The first thing that popped in my head when I thought about how I “seek boredom” is normally when I go for walks, I listen to podcasts or audiobooks. But lately while walking, I listen to nothing. Just my thoughts and walking. Now obviously I would not classify walking and thinking as being bored. This goes along with my point though. I do not think I truly seek boredom. I think I seek peace. Life in today’s world is a constant battle for attention, from other people via social media, to ads, and targeted sales. Seeking a quiet space in my thoughts is not boredom, it is required for my mental sanity.
Awhile ago, I went from spending way too much time on technology, to deleting everything that could even be considered social media from my phone. Initially, I thought I was bored, but then my mind found things to occupy the newly found time I had on my hands. I started journaling. I spent more time with my family. I found new hobbies, and rekindled love for old ones. The point I am trying to make is, I feel as though I cannot truly be bored. I just find something else to occupy my time, something that feels more fulfilling, or more worthwhile. Maybe I get bored initially, but it’s not like I can sit on the couch and stare at a wall forever. I am not one to say my hobbies are better than anyone else’s. I’m not even trying to say that my new hobbies are better than my old ones. The new ones just make me feel better. Sometimes I have to push through a bit of “lack of stimulation” to no longer feel bored, but to me it’s worth it.
When I spend copious amounts of time on technology; watching YouTube, scrolling news and video feeds, or playing a lot of games, I categorized it in my brain as living “fast.” I don’t know how I got to this, but it makes my head feel like it is sort of spinning, and things are moving fast? I don’t know. So anyways, I have put hobbies into the categories of fast, and slow. This is what works for me. Playing FPS games that are designed to be as addictive as possible and to constantly have you in a state of fight or flight? Fast. Reading a book? Slow. Scrolling news articles or videos that make it seem as though the world is ending? Fast. Building mini block sets (which have been much cooler, cheaper, and overall, more enjoyable than Legos FOR ME?) Slow! This is also not to say that I never play a video game, or binge watch a television show. Just when my head starts feeling “fast” or “spinny”, to maybe focus on doing some slow hobbies to occupy my time. But in the end, whether I am taking part in fast or slow hobbies, I feel as though I am not bored either way. One is more mentally stimulating than the other, at least initially. But just because I am less mentally stimulated, doesn’t mean I am bored, it just means my TikTok brain must adapt to my slower hobbies. And it does!
The goal of this post is not to hate on anyone’s hobbies, way of life, or how they spend their time. That is not my business, it has no effect on me, and quite frankly, I simply don’t really care how you spend your time. Opinions change over time, as I am sure mine will. But for now, I will continue seeking boredom (aka peace).