The Joy Of Being Bored

There is great joy in doing very little. Which seems a strange thing to say given the presence of the pandemic, and the fact that many of us have had enough of enforced downtime. But that pause, that reflection; eating and sleeping more without that frantic need to be busy we’d become so accustomed to might have been a good thing…

Was it a little boring towards the end? Sure. But now that we can go out and about again, I miss certain things about it. I loved that we all had to stop. And how comparison culture was rendered indifferent because we were all in the same situation. How we couldn’t plan, but had to just take one day at a time. I felt calmer than I had in years when cocooning; being ‘bored’ helped me embrace the now and ceased some of my anxieties. I could just be.

Of course, we can’t in any way dismiss the effects on mental health the pandemic has had. We are social creatures; too much time indoors, away from those we love is not good for anyone. A recent New York Times article spoke of the link between boredom and deteriorating mental health, but what struck me the most was the concept of boredom itself.

If you are bored – you generally don’t feel like doing anything. The Dutch have their own term for this, which I’ve come to associate with boredom in a positive way: niksen. It literally means to do nothing, to be idle or doing something without any use. Only the difference here is that it’s used as a wellbeing concept and a way to manage stress. It’s also used as a tool to manage burnout.

Practising niksen could be as simple as looking at your surroundings or listening to music — the whole point though, is that it’s done without purpose. Akin to letting your mind wander so that you rest and recuperate, the essential thing to remember is that it should not be done in order to achieve something or be productive. Think simply sitting in a chair or looking out of the window.

It differs from mindfulness, which is about being present in the moment. Niksen, on the other hand, is more about carving out time to just be, rather than focusing on the details of an action. There’s not necessarily a one-size-fits-all approach; it’s about finding a way of relaxing that works for you. Maybe you’ll have an audiobook or podcast on in the background, maybe you’ll write in your journal or maybe you’ll just sit alone with your thoughts.

It can, according to Dutch researchers, also help you come up with new ideas; when your mind is free from multitasking, our brains are still processing information and can use the available processing power to solve pending problems – which can boost creativity. This could manifest in having a breakthrough solution to a problem whilst on a walk, or have a great business idea reveal itself while daydreaming.

Allowing yourself these pockets of time can reset and restore your balance – isn’t it time we stopped feeling guilty about ‘doing nothing’, because let’s face it, we don’t get to do nothing very often. Embrace it, enjoy it and you’ll feel all the happier for it.

Jennifer McShane, September 2020

What do you do when you need to clear your mind? Tell us in the comments below…