Definition of boredom, according to Oxford English Dictionary, is “The state of being bored”[1] and the definition of bored is “Feeling weary and impatient because one is unoccupied or lacks interest in one’s current activity”[2].

Boredom or the feeling “bored” should not exist, we should be able to void it out. These words are invented to define a state that we should, as individuals, not tolerate. I don’t mean finding ways to overcoming it, I mean understanding and completely getting rid of it.

The real me.

There are multiple voices in our heads for different characters; a handful representing me, at least one for everybody I have an opinion about, relatives, friends, colleagues, and a chestful of stand-ins. With all of these voices in my head, characters representing me and others, all that inner chatter and theatrical performance, which one is the real me?

The one watching.

A better definition.

Boredom is, at any point in time looking back and realizing that the real you has not been in control, that you have been mindlessly watching your inner chatter or not even knowing what you have been doing at all. Most of the time boredom comes with feeling sleepiness, as it is a state very close to sleeping, letting your mind drift off, dreaming, or not knowing your state at all.

The current definition of boredom brings with it fixes that are counter productive. We try to prevent boredom with activities that allow the real me not be in control, watching a film (better something that keeps me on edge, otherwise it would be boring), a video game, eating, drinking, smoking, something that gives the feeling that the real me, the watcher inside my mind, is occupied, somehow.

Boredom can only exist when the consciousness of the person checks out and is not present.

Go ahead, try to get bored.

No matter how mundane the task is, do it mindfully and try to get bored.

Pick up a pencil, study it, look at every single dent, tooth mark on it, the shape of the writing tip, the point where graphite and wood meets, the eraser in the back, the metal that holds the eraser, spend 20 minutes looking at the pencil mindfully.

While driving, pay attention to everything that goes on around you, your every move, the pressure you exert on the gas pedal, the feedback that you get on your body from the car when it turns or goes over a bump on the road, the vibration from the engine.

A trigger for practicing mindfulness

It is simply not possible to be bored when the real you is in control. Understanding this is a breakthrough because now boredom can be a trigger for getting back to mindfulness. Noticing boredom can be a form of meditation. Notice boredom, come back to mindfulness, concentrate on your surroundings, focus on the task at hand, the view in front, loose focus, get bored, notice getting bored, come back. Remember, no judgment.

Note: According to Google Books Ngram Viewer, use of the word “boredom” almost did not exist before 1860 and its use over time shows a strange correlation with the word “mindful”. This looks interesting in a graph, which I won’t try to drive a meaning out of.

[1] – https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/boredom
[2] – https://en.oxforddictionaries.com/definition/bored