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9 Ways to Cope with Boredom without Using a Screen

As we begin 2018, we all have hopes for a successful, productive year.  New projects, promotions, enhanced resumes, and tight agendas are all in our dreams.  Are we planning to waste time on Netflix, social media, and playing video games?  Nope!  But will we?  Probably.

Killing time with a screen is very common in 21st century American society.  It is a trap that we all fall into at times, and it is painfully difficult to get out of.  When we find ourselves with nothing to do, there is a whole in us, and we rush to fill it before we feel its full effect(boredom).  We use our phones, TV's, and computers as fillers to keep boredom at bay, and entertainment comes to us, rather than allowing us to come find it.  As I'm sure we all know, this is not a healthy, or even satisfying coping method.  So how can we avoid it?

First off, we need something that involves us more.  Human beings are not made to sit and do nothing.  We are meant to do work.  Obviously, there are times when we have no work to do or we need a break from our work, but the reality is that we are always either working or resting.  You get home from a long day at the office, and you sit down and watch a movie.  You are resting.  You get hungry, so you start making dinner.  You are now working.  Excessive hours of sleep, Netflix, and social media are unhealthy, because we are resting more than we need to.  When we have the rest we need, it's time to occupy ourselves with simple tasks.  These are all work, but they renew and refresh us in a way that rest does not.  They include:

  1. Journaling.  Write about something fun you did, and virtually re-live the experience.
  2. Baking.  Make something for dinner, dessert, or for the upcoming week.
  3. Reading.  Dig up that book you were reading and never finished, and tell yourself you'll read one chapter.  By the end of that one chapter, hopefully it will be interesting enough to continue.
  4. Working Out.  Get that blood flowing and burn some calories!  The satisfaction of being a little bit healthier than you were thirty minutes ago will be helpful if boredom rears its ugly head again.
  5. A Walk or Bike Ride.  Put your comfortable street clothes on, and get out with nature for at least an hour.  Away from the world, away from the chaos, away from noise and screens.  Just enjoy the peace and silence!
  6. Prayer.  Offer the time to God, and talk to him.  Get out your Rosary, Bible, meditation book, or just have a simple conversation.  Tell Him what's new(even though He already knows) and what's on your heart.
  7. Planning.  Book a flight or gas up the car for your next big trip.  Make a packing list and a travel itinerary.  If there is going to be down-time, figure out what games or books you will bring to avoid boredom.
  8. "Call a Friend"  If there's someone you haven't talked to in awhile, now's the time!  Call them up and see how they're doing, let them know what's going on in your life, and maybe find a time to hang out.
  9. Puzzles and Bored Games.  These can be done with any number of friends and/or family members from 2 to 20.
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