The Art of Being Bored

Growing up, I always needed to be entertained by something. Whether it was the tv, talking with someone or playing make believe with my Barbies and Tonka trucks, I needed something to keep me from being bored. Even when I had plenty of things to do, I would still find myself feeling bored and in need of entertainment.

Fast forward to my adult life. This same attitude has carried on and in some ways gotten worse. I have a constant need to be doing something. Whether its going for a walk, exploring, cooking, reading, watching tv, I always have a need to be doing something. It's even worse when I'm at home. I usually feel like I need to multi-task. The picture below is a common scene from my living room (well, a few days ago from my bedroom, but shhhh! I was supposed to be napping).

I have a tv show playing on my computer, with knitting needles and cookbooks at the ready. Sometimes instead of knitting, it will be jewelry making supplies. Other times, its other books or magazines I like to flip through. But the underlying issue is that I always feel a need to be doing something.

This makes it hard to do some of the basic everyday things, like falling asleep or napping. I woke up very exhausted this morning, like I hadn't slept at all, and I know I should be napping, but my mind is going going going. I've tried multiple times to lay down and sleep, but I feel restless.

I also feel a need to learn how to concentrate on one thing at a time. I find I also have this problem at work. I tend to start one thing and then remember another thing I have to do so I start the other thing, then I go back to the first thing and I remember something else, and the cycle just keeps going. It's rather inefficient. I've learned to make a list of the things I'm going to do for the day, and it helps, but I still have problems with getting distracted.

I guess I need to learn to focus on one thing at a time, and enjoy one thing at a time.

Does anyone have any tips?

Have a great day!