Forgot how to be bored

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Tampadarlyn@reddit

The need to fill time is a detriment to mental health. The most relaxing thing I do is walk the beach looking for rocks, not caring if I find any. I stopped wearing a watch last year, determined to take back my time for me, and love when I can just let time go and enjoy my surroundings.

Maybe the question is: Is it really boredom you are seeking? Or are you looking for a release from social doom scrolling and information overload?

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Beats_Satchel@reddit

Yes. Instant dopamine fixes is a thing now. It was not pre-smartphone…

https://netpsychology.org/the-reward-circuit-dopamine-and-digital-addiction/

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RxRxR@reddit

I always brought a book when I know I'll have wait times. The digital age didn't change that.

I can't see my phone without readers anyway, and if I have my readers, I'd rather read a book than look at my phone.

This message was posted from a PC with a large monitor.

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ACorania@reddit

So much better posting from a computer

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ACorania@reddit

Honestly, no.

I always had a book or even just elaborate daydreams of adventure or planning things for games. I've never been able to just think of nothing.

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ContributionDapper84@reddit

But daydreaming boosts creativity more than doom scrolling does, don't you think?

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ACorania@reddit

Not really. At least I haven't seen anything showing that of I day dream I am better at creative tasks after. (It could be the other way where people who are more creative are more likely to day dream).

I also don't think 'kids these days' are way less creative in general.

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TheRealCabbageJack@reddit

I kept pocket editions of books in my pockets (its why I started wearing cargo shorts) so if I wound up in a line I had something to pass the time.

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Sad-Macaroon9067@reddit

This. I always had a small book in my purse, as well as an emergency book in the car. And don't forget about a mini-noteboon and pen, just in case inspiration struck. (Although that actually started in HS when a woman was rescued from her kidnappers after leaving a note in a gas station bathroom. My friends and I swore we'd never go out again without paper and pen. I guess it worked, none of us have been kidnapped. ;-) )

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SteveIDP@reddit

One day I was scrolling something on my phone and it was loading slowly. So my dumb brain suggested that I pull my phone out of my pocket until it cleared up.

My phone. Which was already in my hand.

That was the day I started disconnecting from it all.

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Cattailabroad@reddit

Yeah. I'm there too. I used to read all night into the morning. Now the thought of just sitting there reading a book instead of listening to one while I do something else is panic inducinu.

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sleepy-alligator66@reddit

Spot on.

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Fight_Tyrnny@reddit

I retired a few years back and Im 52 and I still haven't figured it out, I always have to be doing something. I think our generation growing up with computers is the first truly split by technology and the need for constant dopamine. Its pretty sad.

I bought 5 acres of land and it forces me to keep busy as seen here now that garden season is on:

https://youtu.be/E_FqVmA5KzA

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Oldebookworm@reddit

Before phones I did basically the same thing with books. Always carried a book in case of a bit of downtime. I just read on my phone now. I have 1300 books or so on my phone

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HistoryGreat1745@reddit

You sound like me.

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Oldebookworm@reddit

Honestly, digital books are wonderful. I sometimes miss holding a book, the smell etc, but I can change font size and since I’ve worn trifocles since I was 35, being able to change the font size is a game changer

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Intelligent_Salad_70@reddit

I'm totally addicted to my phone.I hate it so much.The hours I spent pottering around or reading when I was a kid.

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deep-sea-savior@reddit

It’s a common topic amongst luddites and people who believe society is going down the tubes. It’s often referred to the slot machine in your pocket, randomly dispensing content that’ll give you that dopamine hit.

Guilty as charged. But I make it a point to be away from my phone as often as possible. Sometimes I leave it at home, other times I leave it in the car. And when I’m home, sometimes I just sit back and “meditate”, which means I usually fall asleep within 5 minutes.

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2_Bagel_Dog@reddit

Tim Kreider, who's early work might qualify him as one of the better GenX writers wrote the passage below in The Busy Trap. I think it serves as a good reminder.

Idleness is not just a vacation, an indulgence or a vice; it is as indispensable to the brain as vitamin D is to the body, and deprived of it we suffer a mental affliction as disfiguring as rickets. The space and quiet that idleness provides is a necessary condition for standing back from life and seeing it whole, for making unexpected connections and waiting for the wild summer lightning strikes of inspiration -- it is, paradoxically, necessary to getting any work done.

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ArtistJames1313@reddit

I want to say it was Veritasium who talked about how important boredom is on their YT channel recently.

I've been looking a lot into this myself and I do think it's incredibly important to unplug and be bored. It's a hard habit to kick, just like any other, but I think it's possibly one of the greatest threats of our current time.

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lfohnoudidnt@reddit

Yeah same. What's really a trip is trying to read a book.. ugh. But after some will power and disconnecting from socials and the internet for about a week I've been able to reset things in my mind. And I'm able to get through at least a couple Pages before bedtime now. It is possible but it's not easy. Of course I have this little thought in the back of my mind just to disconnect everything and go back to the 90s way of electronics.

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Top_Jaguar_5924@reddit

I intentionally give myself time to just be. I drink coffee in the morning with my dog- no phone, no TV, just quiet. Subway- I do bring a book, but usually just look around. Walking the streets of NYC- no devices just taking it in.

These are choices. We all have the choice to be that person who doesn’t grab for their phone the second the elevator doors close.

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tanhauser_gates_@reddit

I was never bored. i am always doing something.

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JimmyJohn_5150@reddit

I conciously do what you mention, avoid going for the phone/ ipad, etc. In cmost cases like sitting in an airport or waiting room or in line for something I have no problem. Sitting at home alone, its tougher.

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ONROSREPUS@reddit

I unplug every night at 3:30 and don't plug back in until 7am the next morning. I don't have a smart phone and rarely ever use a computer at home.

People addictions to phones are what cigarettes' use to be in the 80's. My wife can't even put her phone down for 2-3 hours.

Two of our salesmen have two phones. one work one personal. I call it there two pack a day habit.

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spiderfighter1@reddit (OP)

My wife is addicted. On the phone before getting out of bed, immediately at home after work and while laying in bed at night. Most evenings, I'm watch TV and she is in a different room just scrolling away for hours.

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ONROSREPUS@reddit

Sounds like we have pretty similar wives. This is how my wife is during the 5 day work week she does put the phone down a lot more on weekends but still had to pick it up and check it frequently. We don't have have kids so I don't understand it.

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spiderfighter1@reddit (OP)

It's frustrating and can impact a relationship for sure but that's a whole other topic.

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PurpleTangerine78@reddit

Yup. Listen to Bo Burnham’s song, Welcome to the Internet. “A little bit of everything all of the time…”

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Fritzo2162@reddit

Yeah, I'm the same way, and I think it really took a toll on my creativity.

When I COULD be bored, I'd come up with ideas, work on projects, and make advancements. Now there are too many ways to prevent boredom and all of those potential benefits are never realized.

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locakitty@reddit

I started using Libby. If I'm reaching for the phone at least let me read a magazine or book. Most days I'm just flipping through cooking mags. I also set a timer on Reddit. It's the only social media I use. I've gotten my time down to 7 hours a week.

I also like to sit on the back porch and disassociate.

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gravitythrone@reddit

Realistically, we smoked and chewed and had sex and drank and smoked weed more than my kid’s generation does. I think it was because summers were long and boring. All of the above have some potentially really bad outcomes. So does scrolling on your phone but I’m not prepared to say one is better than the other.

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mustardmadman@reddit

Sex and drugs were more fun than Reddit and Facebook

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HarveyMushman72@reddit

Getting those things meant you had to put in work to get them, which was part of the fun.

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mustardmadman@reddit

Even as a kid I was never bored. I always have had a slew of hobbies and loved being busy. Now in my late 40s…. Nothing has changed

However, phone definitely are an issue for society………. As I use one to type this 😂

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beltedgalaxy@reddit

This is a real issue. It is impacting the ability of people to engage in deep thought, or even to read something more than a few paragraphs long. Thankfully I love to read and have (probably too many) hobbies. Find something you enjoy (reading, playing an instrument, gardening, painting, etc) and start devoting time to it. You will find yourself with less "dead" time that you fill with a brain rot activity.

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---TC---@reddit

I feel you and I make a conscious effort to not pick up the phone.

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Last-Relationship166@reddit

Pick up a book...seriously. Do this instead of grabbing your phone. Force your brain to focus on a story or piece of nonfiction for an extended period of time. I've always been an avid bibliophile...but this stupid phone tech has sapped some of my ability to focus on books. I'm working on retraining myself...The same goes for simply listening to an album for its entirety.

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Maverick-Mav@reddit

I remember reading the back of the same box of cereal over and over during breakfast, rereading cracked magazine, etc. Waiting in lines sucked.

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spiderfighter1@reddit (OP)

Oh yeah! I used to like looking at the cereal box

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DefaultAll@reddit

One nice thing to do is if you wake up before the alarm, don’t grab you phone, just lie there and let your mind wander.

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krneki534@reddit

This is what kills attention span

Me? I forget where I have my phone, because I don't care about it.

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1200____1200@reddit

lol, you have 1000 contributions on Reddit on a month old account. You appear to be pretty good at finding this phone you don't care about

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krneki534@reddit

PC only

The only device that allows me to control the net flow and display info on my screen that I allow.

A sysadmin thing

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HistoryGreat1745@reddit

Nah, I never went anywhere without a book, and I'd read literally anything that was available when I had to wait. If I was really stuck, I'd look for a big word, eg optometrist, and see how many little words I could make of it. So technology hasn't changed that side of things for me. What it did change is how I went to sleep. I am always listening to podcasts while drifting off, and wake up several times in the night to replay parts I missed while asleep. That's a habit that I definitely have to quit

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Redebo@reddit

I used to read the backs of shampoo bottles while taking a shit.

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fthrgasp@reddit

yay? not just me. 😂

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Ok-Conversation-7292@reddit

Lol, me too!

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SacredTension@reddit

100% yes I feel this way. Being bored is good for our brains! I have sa8d this same exact post to myself many times. You are not alone my friend! I hope things swing back! Less phone use the better.

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raisedbypoubelle@reddit

I practice each day. Taking time to stare off and zone out. In the grocery store line, wherever. You can get it back 😌

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lubbockin@reddit

breathe deep and unfocus my thoughts.

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Cool-Impression007@reddit

Absolutely, I have noticed the same thing! I even found I was struggling to focus on reading a book( something I used to do voraciously) as I would stop for no reason and pick up my phone. I now try to leave my phone in another room so I don’t have the distraction.

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Realistic-Adagio7823@reddit

I switched to reading books on my phone which was a game changer! Tracking daily reading and end of year book count is very rewarding!!

Replaced 90% of my doomscrolling!

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Ms-Anthrop@reddit

Ive always been a people watcher, so I was never really bored. If people weren't around id watch animals.

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swordrat720@reddit

Same thing, if you think about it……

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East-Garden-4557@reddit

I don't consider having some quiet time being bored. Relaxing isn't being bored. Reading isn't being bored. Appreciating the details of the world around you isn't being bored. Just because you aren't doing something active, or using technology, or doing a planned activity, doesn't mean you are experiencing boredom.
I can sit in my back yard quietly and just listen to and watch the birds and the insects. I can sit there watching the light in between the leaves as the branches blow in the breeze. I can look at the garden and think about the progress the plants have made since I out then there. I can think about my future plans for the garden. None of that is active, or achieving a practical goal, but I am not bored.

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2PlasticLobsters@reddit

You should read Stolen Focus, it's basically about how different aspects of our society are inducing a state like ADHD in a large segment of the population.

Ironically, I started out with ADHD, but have less phone addiction than average. I use mine mostly to take my mind off sensory overstimulation, like in the grocery store line where the lights are too bright, there's a screaming child 4 feet away, and I'm surrounded by impulse-purchase racks.

After a bit of that, I'm thrilled to be bored.

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Pristine-Ad-8002@reddit

I could have written this because I’ve honestly been thinking the same thing. I reach for my phone way, way too often. I like to watch others when I’m waiting at the doctors office or wherever and almost everyone is scrolling their phone. I know I spend way too many hours a day doomscrolling.

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raeadaler@reddit

Stare at clouds until you don’t see anything that reminds you of something else.

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ExtraAd7611@reddit

I've also forgotten how to make human eye contact.

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SweetsMurphy@reddit

Go get a Nerf ball or similar and start tossing it to yourself again. Can't hurt.

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EnjoyingTheRide-0606@reddit

Boredom is necessary to stave off anxiety. It helps boost comfort in one’s own skin. When I am in waiting rooms I stay off my phone. I look at the surroundings, furnishings, other people, squirrels and birds outside.

You can learn a lot about the vibe of a doctor’s office by the pulse in the waiting room. I once attended regular appts at a pain clinic. They did nerve tests and 2 ablation procedures over 3 years. The waiting room was always full of sick people, most seemed addicted to opiates. I am so happy to move on from that place! Always rushed to wait. All appts were minimum 1 hour wait for 4 mins with a doctor.

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Didthatyesterday2@reddit

When the weather is nice, I sit outside in a chair. Totally bored staring at the sky. That's my place.

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MajYoshi@reddit

Pull out a low camping chair you can chill in, put it at the top of the drive, grab a beer, and relax and just 'be' while the world does its thing around you.

Yeah, man. Yeah..

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swordrat720@reddit

I’ve got a screened in deck, just sitting, especially when it’s raining, is the best. No phone, a beer, and just listening to the rain hitting the leaves. Nature’s white noise machine.

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MajYoshi@reddit

Then I raise a glass and share with you this very moment that I might one day again be dying a long, evening rain.

From my place to yours, cheers!

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Didthatyesterday2@reddit

Hell yeah! I use a zero gravity chair.

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swordrat720@reddit

I do the same thing. Leave my phone in the house, maybe grab a beer, and just sit. Look at the trees, the sky, the animals running around. Just sit for awhile.

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Didthatyesterday2@reddit

It's great! Especially if you are alone.

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swordrat720@reddit

Most definitely. My kids are grown and out of the house. My wife says I’m going shopping with my sister? I’m sitting on my ass doing nothing. I’ll have the phone nearby, so I can hear it ring, but I’m sitting. Doing nothing.

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Didthatyesterday2@reddit

Perfect life.

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Not_High_Maintenance@reddit

Smart phones are changing our brains to need short and quick information.

I’m sure this is why I have ADHD that only began about five years ago.

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Optimal-Ad-7074@reddit

the word "need" annoys me in this context.

I've been "needing" Cheetos for three or four months. sure, it's a very strong want, but my definition of need is "actual repercussions if not met".

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spiderfighter1@reddit (OP)

I have wondered if I developed DHD as well

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Optimal-Ad-7074@reddit

my phone stays at home when I'm out, unless I think I might need to call a tow truck. I've never subscribed to "data" and I do not do public networks. if I'm not online through my at-home network, my phone's wifi is off.

basically I still live like it's 1990 out there. I like being able to think my own thoughts. I probably get into more random little interactions with other people than most of us do nowadays.

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StartKindly9881@reddit

Happily retired at 61. Boredom is good.

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FrozenOnPluto@reddit

Am too busy to actually be bored, usually, but if I have a moment of downtime.. I can doomscroll or read or watch a show or whatever, but I'm also, because old fart, able to just sit and mull things over; You know those times your'e stuck in a waitingf room or church or airport or whatever and just stuck with nothing to do.. I can just sit there and exist in my own thoughts. 'Kids today!' will freak the shit out in that situation :P

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LessIsMore74@reddit

What you describe as being bored I think maybe was just alone time. Sitting and reading a comic, throwing a ball up in the air. Still doing something. Contemplative. Yeah, letting the mind wander. That's definitely missing a lot of times in a day where we go from screen to screen. Increasingly over the past year, it's been easier to leave my phone alone and focus on some other stuff. It is, after I first check the news sites to make sure there's not an asteroid hurtling toward us.I always have books that I want to spend time reading. I think the urge to look at our phone used to be an urge to go somewhere and do something. So maybe that's why we are seldom bored, or seldom contemplative? Our phone is always there to take our mind off our boredom. But I'm getting to a point where there's things I want to do and I am just beginning to feel that running out of time feeling, or at least, that life is short. And I feel more urgency to do things I'd like to do. But at the same time, we can't be down on ourselves for just wanting to rest or reflect. At this point in life, we've done a lot.

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Disastrous-Style-461@reddit

I remember laying in the hammock swaying in the hammock in the backyard staring up at the leaves on the trees. I remember my dog honey jumping up in my lap and swinging with me- and falling asleep until dinner.

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JudgeJuryEx78@reddit

I remember going to meet someone, and if they showed up after you, you just had to sit there and wait. If they were late, you had to just sit there even longer.

(Unless you brought a book, which I frequently did).

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Mephisto40K@reddit

“Boredom” is a good thing because it helps our brains sort stuff out Like de-fragging a disc drive

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lionbacker54@reddit

I came on here to make this exact same point. I would’ve said it much less eloquently though.

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Maleficent-Adagio150@reddit

This is how I’ll start referring to meditation. De-fragging my disc drive. Thanks!

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TurboLicious1855@reddit

I'm trying to slow way down and part of it is this device!!! I feel the same way.

Now on the weekend, I'm the old woman on the porch, talking to stray cats and watching parking bingo. Our neighborhood is hell for parking and I love watching people try so very hard to get that teeny tiny spot only to realize, it's a fire plug. Hehehehe. Join me some weekend. We'll get bored together. Although the bingo is pretty fun.

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spiderfighter1@reddit (OP)

Parking bingo does sound fun

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1043b@reddit

It's the distraction of my phone when I'm perseverating that I'm grateful for. The times when all I can think about is something negative, or something that happened I wish I had handled better. Something perhaps I really can't do anything about.

It helps prevent the constant I could have, should have, would have, that tends to circle around in my brain. I really struggled with distancing myself from those thoughts when I was younger. Now distractions are at the tap of a very flat button, and I can get on with something better. However it's definitely a crutch

On the other hand it does enable my procrastination for things I can do something about, and maybe some boredom would help with that...

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tiggonfire@reddit

"Perseverating" is a new word for me. I do this too. Thank you for this word!

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Fudloe@reddit

Go to see a "remained" movie. 90 minutes of mindless boredom. Only cost you the price of a ticket. (And now that we're old, grab the senior discount at a matinee!)

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SuspiciousMeat6696@reddit

We learned the hard way. Never tell my parents we were bored, they'd give us chores to do.

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vf-guy@reddit

I always hated being bored. Now I nap. Never bored!

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SamhainHighwind@reddit

Been noticing this myself and it really bothers me. 😞

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BadLuckIsMyLuck@reddit

Wow! You nailed it for me. It gives me pause to think about going with out my phone or iPad for a while, thanks.

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Supernatural_Canary@reddit

As a latch-key kid who didn’t have siblings until I was in high school and who changed schools almost every year because my parents were renters, I grew up having to constantly find or invent my own forms of entertainment.

The result? I’m not sure I even know what it means to be bored. Don’t think I ever did.

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joeykey@reddit

Not me. I’ll be in some bullshit line and be like “oh wait fuck I have my phone!! Sweet! Get ready Reddit, here comes Key!!”

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Jolly_Werewolf_7356@reddit

You were bored enough to post this.

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spiderfighter1@reddit (OP)

gif

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kat2211@reddit

I don't really associate boredom with not doing anything. I have ADHD and if my brain is working, then I might look like I'm doing nothing, just sitting there staring into space, and you might very well assume I'm bored, but I actually feel fully and contentedly occupied.

I do agree about the lack of empty spaces though. I love to go for walks, and it seems like everyone I pass is either talking on their phone or listening to something on their hheadphones.It

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Outrageous_Stress_51@reddit

i remember meeting the most interesting people in airport bars. (i’m one of those that needs to get to airport super early cause i hate the stress of being late)… but pull up a seat. order a beer or cocktail and like… just meet very cool people.

I’m 52 now and for the last 5-10 years everyone just staring down at their phones. or laptops. or both. with earbuds in….

it’s all so sad to me.

and yes then there i am doing the same cause i feel so uncomfortable just sitting there staring at nothing and no one

I love Reddit. And also… damn you Reddit.

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spiderfighter1@reddit (OP)

I use to always wear earbuds while at work but I've recently stopped. I feel more connected with what is around me. More in the moment, if that makes sense

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sas317@reddit

I'm friggin bored at work, so I still know what boredom is. And scrolling thru my phone is also boring, so yes, I know what boredom is.

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Ribbitygirl@reddit

Sometimes I’m so bored, I feel like there’s nothing left on the internet to look at.

I still love people watching and staring off into space letting my mind wander. I think it’s good for our brains to have that break and to notice the world. Sometimes I’m a little sad for younger people who’ve never done that, but their world will be different than ours.

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Romanmir@reddit

Yeah, as gamer, I just started making this connection recently too. Unemployment isn’t helping.

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DAGB_69@reddit

I'm 56 and quite happy that boredom isn't something I face. Too many distractions in the digital world.

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PeterPunksNip@reddit

Before the internet, I always had music. Since I was gifted a Walkman at 11, I just listened to music on the go everywhere (I was often alone). Same at home. Radio, records, cassettes, this and good comics and books, and I was never bored .

I still hate silence, and sometimes I can't sleep because it's too still.

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ridinderty@reddit

You Need to be bored, here's why

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truejabber@reddit

Came here to post this.

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Naive_Product_5916@reddit

Once in a while, it happens that I actually get bored with even my phone and yeah, I don't know what to do with myself.

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Bobby_Globule@reddit

Yeah, I have a recent thing like that going on.

Sick of TV.

Sick of reddit.

Sick of sports betting.

My brain is too shot to stay focused on a book to finish it.

So I force myself to sit there and be in the boredom. It's like a meditation. Basically I wait for my wife to say something and then I engage with her, talk goofy nonsense with her.

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Aernak@reddit

I love being bored. Honestly, it surprises me how many people have to be busy and doing things all the time. I crave quiet. I am so insanely happy just chilling. I love music but sometimes I just drive to work and back in silence. I’m lying in the bathtub right now as a matter of fact, smoking weed and listening to the birds outside, and it’s lovely.

I was off work for 8 weeks last summer recovering from a surgery and I literally just laid on my porch and listened to the birds for most of it - plus some Zelda & a few Netflix shows. It wasn’t a full digital detox but it was enough that I completely re-claimed myself. I took the time to learn some meditation. I also read a few books (haven’t read into decades), did some baking, and puttered in my garden.

I honestly think it’s game-changing to spend some quiet time to yourself every day. Chill music like Dirtwire is nice. Silence is nice. Meditation or binaural beats are nice. Oh and weed is nice lol.

Life can get too chaotic. That’s not a great way to spend it IMO.

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LayerNo3634@reddit

I thought I put the phone down, then went on a cruise and completely unplugged. It felt good. I was calmer, more patient, and happier (and not just because of vacation). On excursions, I wanted to take a picture and realized my phone was buried in the bottom of my beach bag and hadn't been touched all day. While on the ship, my phone stayed in the room. 7 days completely unplugged. The 1st week home, I used my phone very little. Then use crept back...time to unplug again.

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One_Toe1452@reddit

My wife is a teacher and noticed this years ago in regard to the kids’ learning processes. Without boredom, there’s no time for creative thinking or consideration. It’s an important part of life.

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FailureFulcrim@reddit

This post wasn't what I expected from the title. I'm never bored because I rarely have time to myself. I'm lucky to have family around, but they also always need something. I typically don't have half an hour to myself except in the rare case that everyone is out.

Yea, I embrace boredom but it's never boredom.

This is the extent of my social media, 15-20 minutes when I get home from work. I don't look at facebook at all or access reddit on my phone.

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DMFD_x_Gamer@reddit

We didnt know we hated it back then. There were no alternatives. You were either doing something or you weren't. And God forbid we said out loud that we were bored. Mom & Dad always had something for us to clean if we were "bored".

Now, at 54, I enjoy it when it seldom shows itself.

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DominicPalladino@reddit

I installed software on my phone to block the social media sites. Made me realize all the more how many times I reach for the phone.

Did the same on the computer I watch movies on. Again, was surprised by how often I couldn't even watch a movie without clicking over to other websites.

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PahzTakesPhotos@reddit

If I'm in a waiting room, I'll have my phone out because I have a word puzzle game on it (VA hospitals are notorious for running behind schedule for regular appointments). But I don't usually do anything if I'm just standing in a line. I also don't do anything with my phone while I'm driving.

I also have a lot of patience for sitting still because of taking photos. Macro photography needs to be as still as possible. If I'm doing any kind of backyard wildlife thing, I have to sit still so as not to scare them away (usually birds).

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Lopsided_Tomatillo27@reddit

Yes. I got a sense of it a month or so ago when I sat down to pee and it turned into something else. I’d left my phone because I wasn’t expecting to be long. As I contemplated the shower, the window, and the wall, it brought back memories of being bored in my youth. It felt nostalgic, in a way. But I also remembered that being bored kinda sucks. We tolerated it back then because we had to.

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Phobos1982@reddit

I try to resist busting out the phone.

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therinwhitten@reddit

I refuse to pull out my phone during lines, as much as I would like to. Unless I have something to actually do, I try and refrain on purpose to keep my brain from getting over stimulated.

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shay2791@reddit

I started reading in silence again almost 2 years ago. I take either my Kindle or a physical book with me if I know I will have waiting time. I am working on not going to my phone when nothing is going on. I really miss the days before devices.

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mostlycatsandquilts@reddit

Yes!

I have actual books (not on a device) and I get so excited when I see someone else w a book too!

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Plastic-Sentence9429@reddit

I'll go and sit outside. 15 minutes or so, best after dark. Just sit and notthink.

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mostlycatsandquilts@reddit

This sounds perfect!

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temerairevm@reddit

I think about this all the time. Like in the car sitting at stoplights, or waiting at the vets office or in line or whatever.

I mean I’m not 100% sure it was healthier because I can be a bit of a ruminator. But it probably is.

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ElJefe0218@reddit

I love being bored. Sitting in a waiting room and staring blankly at a spot on the floor for 30 minutes letting my brain take a break feels great. Reminds me of being a kid and having absolutely nothing to do but sit and stare. It's my time to meditate.

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SomePeopleCallMeJJ@reddit

I've taken to balancing on one foot. For example, when waiting in line at the grocery store, instead of getting out my phone, I'll just pick a foot and see how long I can stand on it. Nothing too dramatic/acrobatic-looking. Just a slight lift up of the other foot. Mindfulness benefits aside, it's good to work on balance as we age anyway, as it helps prevent falls.

At home, I keep the phone in one particular spot, in one room. It does not live next to me on the couch in front of the TV, so no temptation there. And it doesn't go into the bedroom either. (No TV in the bedroom either, BTW.)

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Responsible-Middle35@reddit

Try installing a smart bulb that doesn't want to connect. It says it may take a few mins. Then it's staring at a moving icon for 20 mins so far.
Wtf takes minutes to connect to wifi? This is so boring I'm ready to throw these bulbs except they were 25 bucks. BORING

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No_Hovercraft_821@reddit

When i have a moment the boredom threatens I jump on here.

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GrayBeardBoardGamer@reddit

this is my move too. Fortunately no other platform has its hooks in me.

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Bexarnaked@reddit

I keep books and crafts within reach for the occasional boring time, like when it’s his turn to have the remote!

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jk_pens@reddit

My adhd tween complains about being bored a lot and he has every device under the sun. I tell him learning to tolerate boredom is a useful skill and encourage him to zone out.

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mountainsun9@reddit

If you struggle with how to be bored, I suggest your first few sessions you stream some from this https://www.hos.com/albums/recent yes this is that radio show that started in I think 79

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adriennenned@reddit

Kids today get bored though. Even kids with phones. Makes me wonder if it’s more of an age/maturity thing.

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BucketOBits@reddit

Same. I’ve really struggled with this.

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mjh8212@reddit

Growing up I was never bored I always had my nose in a book. Becoming disabled I was scared when I couldn’t work anymore. I was home all day bored. Fell down the doom scroll binging crappy tv. I did this many years. Finally around 3 years ago I got a kindle and kindle unlimited for my birthday no tv on during the day just a book. Now that I have the right glasses I can read physical books again. I have a lot of books I mostly collect books that are a series. I’ve found some games on my phone that are relaxing as well. Turn on tv when husband comes homes and use my phone to just scroll through things.

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croissant_and_cafe@reddit

I try to plug my phone in another room and leave it there. I’ll sit outside in the yard and think through things. This is an anxiety/insomnia management thing for me. If I don’t have downtime to think, my mind starts racing as my head hits the pillow.

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BrilliantWeb@reddit

Part of the reason I love road trips is the chance to zone out and let my mind wander. I'll drive for hours in silence. Best therapy for me.

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Maleficent-Adagio150@reddit

Yeah I learned how to sit in silence and breathe. It makes it easier to sit or stand and just breathe while out and about. It’s quite pleasant. Highly recommend. It also changed the way I respond to the people I encounter while out. More peaceful and paused less harried and stressed.