It’s okay to be bored. Really, really bored with nothing to do. Not reading or listening or moving. Being quiet and still.
For months, I’ve had a note to write a column about it’s okay for children to be bored, but after research, I realize being bored is for everyone – young and old.
Boredom is usually thought of as a negative, as defined in Webster’s dictionary: feeling weary because one is unoccupied or lacks interest in a current activity.
But, think of boredom as a positive: giving the brain a rest. We know our bodies need rest to function well. Brains need rest, too. Professionals who study the brain encourage making time to sit and avoid all external stimuli. Time to think or to clear all thoughts.
Don’t expect boredom to be easy. We have daily to-do lists and we usually plan what to do next. For me, there are cookies to bake, books to read, words to write, stitches to sew, cards to play, people to visit, and adventures with Grands.
Last week, I sat in my van in an empty school parking lot for twenty minutes while one of my Grands practiced soccer – a perfect time to rest my brain. But I didn’t. I picked up my phone, checked text messages, read the headline news, and scrolled Facebook. Another waiting time, I walked the perimeter of the school building while listening to a podcast.
And we don’t appreciate children being bored. ‘There’s nothing to do’ was a signal for my mom to list chores: dust furniture, take out the trash, pull weeds, clean windows.
I read an article by a child psychologist who recommends that parents keep a box of creative materials, such as markers, colorful paper, small boxes, glue, and card games, for when children say they’re bored. Yet, in the same article, she recommended that children be allowed time to do nothing.
My response to my children’s boredom was simple: Go outside. If a small shovel is available, most children dig. If there’s a tree, they climb. If there’s a ball, they play. But when my kids lay spread-eagle on our trampoline looking at the sky, I didn’t realize they were resting their brains, I just thought it was good down time.
There is a cultural stigma to boredom. Maybe that’s why parents fill every minute of their children’s day with activities. It’s important that kids be bored to simply think or to mindlessly do nothing. Owning one’s thoughts builds confidence and self-esteem.
Give kids and yourself permission to be bored. Boredom fosters creativity and problem solving. One authority suggested that we often come up with good ideas while taking a shower – while alone and our minds tend to wander.
An article from https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/ states ‘Don’t be afraid of boredom. It’s a normal part of life. Try not to dismiss or dislike it. Instead, try to view is as an opportunity to restore your brain and develop solutions to problems.’
Welcome boredom. Rest your brain.
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Susan Writes 