How Can We Wope with Boredom?

It arrives without warning and settles in with a heavy thud into a deafening silence. But who is it? Boredom. The one we try to escape by frantically scrolling or binge-watching shows. Or by saying, “I’m just going to check the fridge” for the third time in ten minutes. Even the cat sighs… What if we faced this free time head-on—time that doesn’t yet know what it wants to become? Gently and without any pressure to be productive, of course. So, what should you do when you’re bored? Ideas for embracing these slightly empty moments are right here.

Why Do We Get Bored?

The 5 Main Types of Boredom

To figure out what to do about boredom, it’s best to start by understanding it. Because no, not all boredom is the same! That’s what German researchers demonstrated in the article Types of Boredom, published in a scientific psychology journal.

They identify five main types of boredom:

• Indifferent boredom: we’re bored, but honestly, it’s nothing we can’t handle! It’s the lazy kind of boredom you get on rainy Sundays that drag on and on, and during naps that go on forever. Staring out the window becomes a perfectly acceptable activity.
  
  
• Calibrating boredom: something’s off, but you can’t figure out what. You check your phone every four minutes, pacing back and forth… in a square.
  
  
• Searching boredom: Well, it’s official—we flat-out refuse to be bored! We’re actively looking for ways to shake it off. Even untangling cables can suddenly seem exciting.
  
  
• Reactive boredom: you want to escape a situation you’re stuck in (a never-ending meeting, Sunday dinner, etc.) and you start to get irritable. You almost start thinking about becoming a hermit in a cabin deep in the woods.
  
  
• Apathetic boredom: you’re bored, and it’s a real drag—a total drag… Low energy, an inner emptiness, feeling competely lost: you’re slowly melting into the couch. A few more hours and you’ll turn into a hologram.
  
  

The Benefits of Boredom

“ Boredom is the affliction of happy people.” Thank you, Jules Renard, for this excellent insight, because yes, boredom is not the same as trouble. When the mind is preoccupied, it doesn’t have the luxury of being bored. Yet we do speak of dying of boredom, of passing the time , or of killing time… So should we fight against boredom? Is it, after all, an enemy to be fought?

We’ve gotten into the habit of filling our days to the brim. Of optimizing every moment. Of filling every silence, every wait, every commute. As if an empty moment were necessarily a problem to be solved. And yet, the brain is far from at rest during these periods. It activates what neuroscientists call the “default mode network” (DMN).

Put simply, the brain disconnects from the outside world to wander elsewhere: into memories, ideas, and introspection. Like imagining a plan to open a café-bookstore somewhere in the French countryside with three goats and an old coffee machine… And honestly? There are far worse ways to pass the time.

👉 See also: 6 Stress-Relieving Activities to Unwind

How to Beat Boredom?

Ideas for Activities with Screens

All right, if you really want to beat boredom, we can put together a list of 5 super fun activities for you: 

• Watch a 3-hour-and-40-minute documentary on the migratory patterns of northern shrimp;
  
  
• Do a power yoga session on YouTube (even though you’re already huffing and puffing just trying to touch your toes);
  
  
• Follow a tutorial to learn the rules of cricket and then watch a match that lasts five days;
  
  
• Sort through the 3,899 photos on your phone to create an album with a maximum of 12 photos;
  
  
• Trying to learn Mandarin overnight (even though, after seven years of French classes at school, all we remember is “bonjour” and “croissant”).

Ideas for Screen-Free Activities

And here’s a fun list of 6 screen-free activity ideas for when you’re bored—plus a little digital break to boot:

• Building pallet furniture without actually having any pallets;
  
  
• Knitting a scarf with vines;
  
  
• Learning the art of taxidermy;
  
  
• Painting a self-portrait with highlighters (even though your stick figure hasn't improved since kindergarten);
  
  
• Building a coffee table with whatever you have on hand—and realizing you don't have anything on hand;
  
  
• Restoring a Louis XV chair found on the sidewalk (Who would leave a Louis XV chair on the sidewalk?).
  

Blah, blah, blah. But you don’t need us for that—the internet is already overflowing with lists like this. So instead, we’re going to suggest some simple, realistic activities to do when you’re bored at home. Pick the one that suits your mood!

5 Great Ideas for When You're Bored at Home

Useful Activity

Yes, you probably have that infamous drawer full of things whose purpose you don’t know, but that you don’t dare throw away, just in case they’re part of some essential set. You know, the one with four batteries (used or not—who knows?), a padlock without a key (or vice versa), a keychain flashlight that’s never lit up anything, and a mysterious cable that must date back to the Minitel era?

Sorting, tidying, organizing… We didn’t say we had nothing to do—we said we were bored! Yes, but bringing a little order to your daily mess can do you a world of good. The solution to getting started? Add a rule to the game, like a 10-minute time limit, for example, or try the Minimalism Game. Now that’s a great challenge.

Creative Activity

Feeling like doing something creative? Since the lockdown, journaling has been enjoying a bit of a boom. According to a study by the Ministry of Culture, 7% of people in France were keeping a journal in 2020. Everyone has their own method: diaries, personal notes, or free-form writing to get things off their chest.

Here are a few tips to get you started:

• Write a short story based on a randomly chosen word;
• Make a list of things you'd like to do someday;
• Write down your current thoughts;
• Just write… whatever comes to mind.
  
  

👉 See also: 13 Creative Hobbies for Adults

Relaxing Activity

It often starts with, “I’m just doing the edges.” Two hours later, you find yourself talking to yourself in front of a piece : “WHERE ON EARTH HAVE YOU BEEN?” Your hands move, your mind calms down, and suddenly, finding that one little piece becomes your top priority.

Puzzles have a special quality: they keep your mind engaged without overwhelming it. They can even put you in a state of flow, where boredom simply disappears. Worried you might lose patience? Start with mini-puzzles for adults!

👉 See also: Puzzles: A Gift That Slows Down Time

Useless (yet essential) Activity

Aren’t you tired of trying to make every minute count? So instead, we suggest you just watch time go by… without getting bored or feeling guilty. Observe, imagine, daydream… Welcome to slow living!

Just look out the window or watch the people sitting on a café terrace. The man with the yellow tote bag walking his three dogs? Will he pull out his poop bag in time? The suspense is real. It’s neither useful, productive, nor efficient. And that’s exactly what makes it so good.

The Art of Doing Nothing

Feeling bored when you’re alone—or even with someone else? That’s life! What if, for once, we didn’t try to chase that boredom away? Don’t try to fill the void. Don’t run from it. Just… be there. That might be the hardest part. But in a world that constantly pushes us to go faster, it’s a real luxury.

👉 See also: The Benefits of Puzzle Games for Adults

Sources :

Boredom, sustained attention, and the default mode network