I used to have a problem with feeling fatigued on a constant basis for no apparent reason. And this was even if I get more than seven hours of sleep the previous night. This is an extremely frustrating situation to be in.
You can blame it on other people but that doesn’t work. People may attribute it to laziness and you may even start believing them. Maybe you get so fed up that you schedule an appointment with your doctor. But what happens when the doctor takes you through a battery of tests and still finds nothing wrong with you? What happens when exercise or diet doesn’t seem to bring a significant change in your energy level? Where do you turn? Is it really all in your mind then?
Guess what: it probably IS in your mind.
Boredom is an important factor to consider when it comes to fatigue. Boredom can and does produce effects of tiredness. It’s important to note that boredom doesn’t mean you have nothing to do. It could actually mean that you are busy doing mundane tasks that aren’t stimulating you. Jane Matthews terms it as ‘busy being bored‘ which I think is a brilliant way to put it.
Does this mean we have to constantly battle against boredom? Not necessarily. I personally don’t think there is a problem with being bored. Boredom isn’t just a state of mind; sometimes it’s a fact of life. Even the most adventurous person is bound to find themselves having periods of inertia when they are completely bored out of their minds. It’s during these moments of inertia where we get extremely comfortable with where we are (whether we’re happy about it or not). Some people may get especially resistant to change while others are more likely to push themselves out of their comfort zone. What is the distinguishing factor here?
It seems like people who tolerate boredom tend to be eternally in a rut. People who see boredom as a disease risk getting into destructive behaviors. Balance is key here. Constantly pushing yourself past the limit is not only a highly unstable way to live, but most people aren’t going to do that anyway. Asking a fatigued person to do a 180 on their lives overnight is not effective.
That said, overcoming boredom and fatigue isn’t easy. It won’t happen overnight and you probably won’t see any major changes for weeks. But you do have to commit yourself to change and work at it every day. Here are some other articles over at the Someday Syndrome blog that may be of help:
Bored with being bored? – by Jane Matthews
Breaking your inertia habit – by Dragos Roua
Boredom as an emotional state – by Melinda Brennan
Kicking the boredom habit – by Jane Matthews
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Boredom, I will admit, is treated like a disease sometiems in my life….whenever I'm bored, I'm always thinking that there are other things that I could be doing, or something I could be learning, or something I'm forgetting. With a neverending feeling that there is always work that needs to be done, who could blame an individual such as myself that cant sit and watch TV for 4 hours and hot feel guilty. On the other hand, some of the best ideas I've ever had were created in times of boredom. Decision making, planning, or just a creative thing to do often times surprise me when I am trapped in a moment with nothing to do. So they key, as mentioned before, is balance. And the first step to balance is accepting that sometimes you'll have nothing to do, other times you may have too much to do….I know that sounds weird after just saying the key is balance, but life is like that….unpredictably and spontaneous…and sometimes….repeatative and slow….hmmm If balancing bordom and going 100mph in life were a roller coaster, what would the name of that ride be?
Definitely, I agree that boredom isn't something to combat all the time. I personally have never been the type of person to push myself 24/7 … I need my downtime! People who go to either extreme (being bored all the time or pushing themselves all the time) are wearing themselves out.
I can relate: some of my better ideas and thoughts came when I was ready to bash my head on a wall from boredom