Do you ever get bored? Now and then, I will get bored and become very jittery, and as a result, I will visit our fridge a lot. Some of us get bored more often than others. Why do we get bored when there are so many things to do? Boredom is an emotion or signal that we are doing something that doesn’t give us satisfaction and a feeling of excitement.
Did you know that there are five types of boredom? I always thought boredom was just boredom. But it is not that straightforward.
“Is life not a thousand times too short for us to bore ourselves?”– Friedrich Nietzsche
Signs of boredom
*You might be experiencing a lack of interest in activities and surrounding
*Activities don’t give you satisfaction, feeling of excitement, or thrill
*You might struggle to stay motivated for longer than short periods and focus on tasks
*Difficulty resting, relaxing, being nervous, stressed, anxious
*Feeling lethargy, emptiness, frustration, restlessness, jittery
Signs of boredom are very similar to signs of depression and can often be mistaken and lead to depression. We have to be cautious in reading these signs. The difference between them is that with depression, you have a continuous low mood, feeling unhappy, empty, and tired all the time. You don’t want to do any activities; if you do, you usually perform poorly. When you are bored, your mind is not stimulated enough to be interested in your surroundings and activities, and that causes you will be unmotivated to do things.
“You need to let the little things that would ordinarily bore you suddenly thrill you.” -Andy Warhol
How to combat boredom:
*Try some new hobbies or activities
*Ignite your creativity (colouring, drawing, painting, writing)
*Do some meditation, relaxation, go for a walk, try exercising
*Set new goals and challenges and pursue them
*Call old friend, make a new friend,
*Do some volunteering
Do the dogs get bored?
Yes, they do! They are not very different from us. In the past, dogs were used to working alongside us, which gave them stimulation. Nowadays, many of them spend lots of time on their own while we are at work. Doggie’s boredom can lead to behavioural problems and an unhappy and depressed dog. A bored dog will find ways to entertain himself when we are not around. He will become destructive and chew on shoes and furniture, destroy things, dig, bark, scratch, anything to pass the time.
Ways how to help our doggies with boredom:
*Give them long-lasting chews
*Kong filled with some treat. keep changing the treats to make them more interesting
*Licky mats, snuffle mats, and food puzzles
*Treat/scent trails, destruction boxes
*Introduce a new toy
*Go for regular walks and make sure your dog has plenty of exercises
*Do obedience training as it will provide mental stimulation
*Get your doggie a brother or sister for company
Bea xx