When Pattie Heisser, founder of 50+Fabulous, shared that July was officially Anti-Boredom Month, I set out to do some research. It turns out that it was officially named, in 1985, by Alan Caruba, who recognized boredom as an important, often neglected, sign of depression. He cautions that when someone says that they are bored to death, take it seriously and check it out. Caruba notes that teenagers and retirees are the most often bored populations and often at the highest risk of suicide.
Caruba also informs us that the American Psychological Association lists finding little pleasure in life and losing interest in hobbies, among the signs of depression, but the presence of an extended period of boredom is not mentioned and Caruba says, it should be.
July has been named Anti-Boredom Month, by Caruba, to bring greater awareness to boredom and its consequences. Caruba even founded a Boring Institute to explore all things boring and their antidotes. I clicked on his website and found it no longer available. I imagine he got bored and went in search of new and exciting ventures!
I don’t know about you, but I find, in my life coaching practice and in my own life, that we mid-lifers are another frequently bored group. We have often put our dreams on hold and are drifting through the sameness of our days, with little to interest and excite us.
How can we be bored when we are so darn busy you might ask? Many of us are running ourselves ragged with career and family responsibilities, or just staying busy. We don’t slow down long enough to choose what would really be fun - just for ourselves. We think that we need to change jobs or find new romance. Our stirring of unrest and lack of fulfillment often indicates that we may simply be downright bored with the sameness of our daily routine!
How can we recapture that joie de vivre that we so long for?
- Say yes more to yourself: Read Yes Man Danny Wallace’s irreverent and often very funny and adventurous account of his one year pledge to say yes to most everything. I am reading it now and realizing how much the 20 somethings have to teach us about spontaneity.
- Do it at the grocery store: Strike up conversation in the checkout line with someone you don’t know with an ear to hearing something new and interesting. Try this anywhere you are waiting or in contact with new people. I get at least 75% of my best resources, and juicy ideas just talking to new people as I go through my day.
- Go on an Artist’s Date: I love Julia Cameron’s, author of The Artist's Way: A Spiritual Path to Higher Creativity, weekly artist date. If you are not familiar with Cameron’s concept, just set aside at least one hour each week, to take yourself on a date to anywhere new that sounds fun.
- Become a writer for an hour: Write longhand or on the computer, a stream of consciousness about what everyday, short, small bite things you would love to explore…just for you and just for the pleasure of it, and implement them once a week.
In honor of Anti-Boredom month, I have provided you with one new anti-boredom resource a week. Create your own ideas, vary your routine, have some fun and make Anti-Boredom Month proud!
Gotta go, I am off to the pool, I just know I will get a great idea for next month’s column in the ladies locker room!
