Louie CK said it best when he told his daughter that “I’m bored” is a useless thing to say. We have absolutely too much potential to change the world and to do literally anything that we set our minds to. So, why then, do we consistently hear how bored our friends are, or continue complaining about being bored ourselves?

Boredom can only come from a lack of energy devoted to creative thinking and putting that energy to use through action. That means what bored people should actually say is “I’m too lazy to entertain myself.” Our society feeds this behavior by providing endless and frequent stimuli to keep us thinking about the next meal, the next show, the next movie, the next game… basically just the next pre-planned distraction. The media has become saturated with advertisements and vaguely entertaining programs that keep you hooked into the mainstream with no room for thought or action. Your mind becomes addicted, and eventually you will even notice physical symptoms of addiction if you miss your favorite TV show too many times.

This is a scary concept to consider; our entertainment industry has been breeding the equivalent of zombies, but the word better chosen for those stuck in the stream I think would be ‘consumers.’ The consumerism of America and the greater industrialized world has become an epidemic; one that perpetuates the facade of capitalism that has been placed over our eyes to hide us from the real truth: banks and corporations own all property and are in control of all of our monetary resources. Our economy requires its patrons to endlessly buy the next best product, more food, more clothes, more cars, to keep its coffers full. There is no regard for quality of production or saving the customer money anymore; rather the concept is that each person needs to be converted into a customer for life.

How does all of this relate to being bored? Well, to break free of the cycle of sleep, eat, work, buy, repeat, we need to realize what is keeping us chained to our easily manipulated state of being and then remove that obstruction from our lives. Only then can we start to see ourselves clearly and get in touch with what we truly love to do. Those who live outside of the mainstream are the ones who let their creative energy flow and share their gift with the world. Those who are stuck tend to follow orders and the life plan drawn out for them by their parents, teachers, and employers rather than following their intuition. Which would you rather be? Keep reading to find out how you can break free of the monotony and stop being bored!

Unplug

The first step is to unplug yourself from your technology. Cell phones, laptops, and our televisions keep us glued to our screens of every size. If you aren’t using your technology for a specific task or purpose, then you are really letting it use you and have ceased using critical thought. While we are more connected to the world when we browse the Internet or watch the news, we are actually more disconnected from our own personal world than ever before. Our surroundings and neighbors are ignored, as are our roommates and significant others. If this cycle continues, we will soon have computer chips implanted in our brains and officially become cyborgs, making human life obsolete. Is that the world you hope to live in? I think not.

Get Outside

Getting outside into Nature is perhaps one of the most underutilized techniques for having fun and expanding consciousness that exists here on Earth. People have forgotten what it feels like to connect with the trees and plants and birds and bees and streams and waterfalls. Go for a hike. Walk down to the beach. Go camping. Visit your closest park and climb a tree! It doesn’t matter what you do, breathing fresh air and interacting with other life forms will reconnect you to the living part of yourself; your body, and let you out of your mind a little bit. You won’t need constant stimulation while you’re outside either; there are a million and one things happening all around you! Open your eyes and breathe deep!

Try Something New

When we do the same thing over and over again, we become stagnant. Our jobs, our daily lives force us into routine, which makes it easier to fall into the cycle of becoming addicted to entertainment. It becomes an escape from life and then you forget what it was to be alive. Trying out a new skill, going somewhere new, or trying to meet new people will expand your comfort zone and build confidence, all while keeping you intrigued and excited for what comes next. This allows you to let go of your need to feed yourself constant entertainment and instead forge your own path in life.

Clear Your Mind

The clutter that gets left around in your head when you aren’t using it causes stress and leads to the feeling of boredom. The more you take time to explore your inner thoughts, desires, fears, and passions, the less you feel overwhelmed or conflicted in life. You realize that half your thoughts aren’t even yours, so you let them go, and the rest are at opposition with each other because your brain has to compare and judge everything it considers. Clearing your mind of this clutter will make you able to focus better, while at the same time allowing you to sit peacefully without ever getting bored. The depths of your mind are fathomless, so get to exploring!

Expand Your Horizons

After trying new skills and freeing up space in your mind, expanding your level of consciousness is what lies next ahead for you. What does it mean to expand consciousness? It simply means to expand your horizons; to look at things differently and to see the world from an entirely new perspective. Everyone can do this easily, just by taking time to unplug, connect with Nature and widen their comfort zone whenever they get a chance. The more you do it, the higher you will go, all the while feeling less stress and more ease at life. There isn’t a process to getting there, it’s just about what you devote your thoughts and your time to that will ultimately lead to results for yourself.

Feed Your Creativity

It has been said that the source of all human violence is frustrated sexual (creative) energy. That means that when we stifle our creative output, we are literally bottling up energy that is meant to flow through and then out of us every single day. That bottled up energy causes the feeling of angst and will make it harder to keep your patience let alone your sanity. Find any creative outlet possible and start developing it. Don’t have expectations for your results; just devote time to it and you will eventually start creating what you see in your inner vision. This will eventually lead you to the gift you have been given to share with the world.

Start Giving

Give to others in every way possible. You are sure to eliminate boredom by interacting with others and enriching their lives in some way. Whether it’s through volunteering, community projects, being more helpful at work, selling your art, or just giving some change to someone on the street, you will instantly feel gratified and want to give more. You absolutely cannot feel bored when you are high from making other people’s lives better. So get out there and do it!

This has been one of my simpler posts, but I heard a lot of people talking about how bored they were today, so I pondered the last time I felt that way. I honestly couldn’t remember, because I follow all of these tips every single day to make sure I am never bored, and I wanted to share them with you in hopes that you could start to create your own fun in life and start sharing your own gifts with others. I hope you enjoyed this piece, please pass it on if you did! Thank you so much for reading. Until next time loved ones, Namaste.