Be Bored

It’s a lost art.

Being bored used to be “default” mode.

There was a LOT of down time in life.

For millenia.

Now we have every exciting thing humans have ever done right at our fingertips. All of the squirrel suit jumping, the funniest people on the planet, the cutest of cats. Right there, all the time.

Now we don’t have to be bored. But what’s the hidden cost?

I was listing to the radio the other day (yes, the terrestrial analog radio), and I heard that the extreme lack of boredom is leading to much higher rates of depression and anxiety.

Uhh… what? Why are those linked.

Turns out, being on your phone for any reason at all activates the “executive attention network” portion of your brain, which is the part you use to focus on very important tasks.

Then when your brain is not actively attentive to a task, it slips back into “default mode network” – where it was designed to spend most of its time. This is where you let your mind wander. You’re bored, and okay with it. You slip easily between using your conscious mind (thoughts) and subconscious mind (feelings). This is where you “trust your gut”. This is where most of your decisions are made… emotionally, not extremely logical and task-forward.

You’re made to spend a lot of time in Default mode, with sprints in Attention mode.

But we now have a device that is designed to keep us in Attention mode. Attention is currency, and the stakes are too high to not manipulate you. But you can always opt out.

Put the phone down.

Step outside for a minute.

Go for a walk.

Listen to the wind.

Go fishing.

Step back into Default mode and let your mind wander. Experience the purest antidote to anxiety that there is, by settling into what your brain really wants – breaks between Active mode sprints.

Go for a walk, and be bored.

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