The Gift of Boredom: How Stillness Sparks Creativity
In a society where constantly being on the go and productive is celebrated, it can be a challenge when things slow down and we start to notice ourselves feeling bored.But what is boredom, really? And could it actually be an invitation — a doorway into creativity?
What even is boredom?
Boredom is the experience we notice when we have “nothing to do.” It can be both a physical experience felt in our body similar to what can be described as a laziness or even relaxed where the sensations in our body is almost one we cannot identify - there is a general sense of space (which can sometimes even feel like an emptiness). Boredom can also be experienced in the mind when there is a lack of stimulation or perceived activity - similar to our body in that experience of emptiness.
The parallel between boredom and creativity
When we find ourselves feeling bored there is the general experience of feeling like there is nothing to do. Think back to when you were a child: you’re home from school, finished your homework and after school activities and are waiting for dinner to be ready. In this time in between you may remember yourself feeling bored - like there was nothing to do. This may have lead you to tell your mom/caregiver or whoever was home that you felt bored - which was usually followed by a response along the lines of “go find something to do.”
And so you did..
What maybe began as boredom would quickly turn into a state of flow and creativity. Grabbing some art materials to draw or color, or making up a game with your sibling to play in the living room, or grabbing your dolls/action figures to start to play with them. What started as an overwhelming amount of time until dinner quickly became “5 more minutes” because you became so enthralled in your creative process and play.
It has brought me to the question: without boredom, would we ever make time for our creativity and a sense of play?
What to do when you find yourself feeling bored
Take a moment to pause and identify the experience in your body. Maybe even say to yourself: “I feel bored.”
Ask yourself: what do I want to do with this information?
Do I want to do something about it? Am I okay just sitting in my experience of boredom? How do I feel by just noticing this?
Invite in a sense of flow. When I feel bored, I like to give myself some time to sit with it (and no, not scrolling on the phone) but maybe just by staring into space until I feel a ping of some sort. The ping may be an impulse (thought, feeling, sensation) to do something.
If you don’t feel a ping, set a 5 minute timer to stay with the experience. If nothing comes then try again the next time.
Act on it. If you feel that ping urging you to do something - go for it! Maybe it’s a movement practice, a creative one, to go read a book, etc.
The experience of feeling bored is a true gift if we allow ourselves the time to be present to it and notice the ways in which it can be a true spark of our creativity. I hope you find the space to take your time next time you feel bored to see what magic may come of it.
