Put down your phone and engage in boredom – how philosophy can help with digital overload

Yeah, I really do not like how the article makes it seem like being fully comfortable with boredom is something that anyone can sit down and immediately do, rather than being a skill.

As someone with a small amount of skill in this: similar to the situation that you have described, I find that sometimes, when giving myself space to be "bored", I discover that my mind insist that I think about something that is really bothering me. In such times, I have found it is best to just let the thoughts go on, like cuing up an audiobook and letting it play. Usually (though not always), what eventually happens is that audiobook finishes and the thoughts end, providing me with a great relief. Paradoxically, though, this only works if I am not trying to bring this outcome about, but only creating the conditions under which can occur; exerting control just disrupts the process and prevents my mind from settling. I have gotten to the point where I can do this kind of thing because I have practiced taking a general approach of playfulness and curiosity with respect to my own mind, but I won't lie and deny that there have been times when the process has been uncomfortable, especially at times when I have not been sure what I should be doing.

Just to be clear, I am not going to judge you at all for spending your time reading fanfic instead of learning to be comfortably bored. After all, we all have our hobbies—mine just happens to be esoteric spirituality, if you can't tell! 😀 However, I would point out that you cannot be reading fanfic all of the time, so being able to be at peace when there is not something actively distracting you can be useful, and this skill is attainable to whatever degree you want if you decide it is worth the trouble.

3 comments

Tried it, now I'm thinking in detail about the inevitable end of the world brought on by enviornmental destruction instead of reading a lovely fanfic. Is this what relaxation feels like?
- Yeah, I really do not like how the article makes it seem like being fully comfortable with boredom is something that anyone can sit down and immediately do, rather than being a skill.
  As someone with a small amount of skill in this: similar to the situation that you have described, I find that sometimes, when giving myself space to be "bored", I discover that my mind insist that I think about something that is really bothering me. In such times, I have found it is best to just let the thoughts go on, like cuing up an audiobook and letting it play. Usually (though not always), what eventually happens is that audiobook finishes and the thoughts end, providing me with a great relief. Paradoxically, though, this only works if I am not trying to bring this outcome about, but only creating the conditions under which can occur; exerting control just disrupts the process and prevents my mind from settling. I have gotten to the point where I can do this kind of thing because I have practiced taking a general approach of playfulness and curiosity with respect to my own mind, but I won't lie and deny that there have been times when the process has been uncomfortable, especially at times when I have not been sure what I should be doing.
  Just to be clear, I am not going to judge you at all for spending your time reading fanfic instead of learning to be comfortably bored. After all, we all have our hobbies—mine just happens to be esoteric spirituality, if you can't tell! 😀 However, I would point out that you cannot be reading fanfic all of the time, so being able to be at peace when there is not something actively distracting you can be useful, and this skill is attainable to whatever degree you want if you decide it is worth the trouble.
- Digital detox is a thing.