In this brief guide, we will discuss why everything is boring to you and what you can do about it. We will explore the common causes of boredom like just not having anything to do or being overworked, as well as some other, more serious reasons for why everything might seem boring, like depression or attention deficit disorder.
Everything is Boring: What does it mean?
When you feel like everything is boring it can mean just about anything from depression to simply not being interested in what you are doing, and when everything seems boring, it may help to understand why, before you try to do something about it.
The instinct most of us have when everything is boring is simply to not do anything at all, which just increases the feeling of lethargy and fatigue, which in turn can lead to more boredom whenever we do try to do things again.
Feelings of lethargy and fatigue can actually increase the feeling of everything being boring to a large degree, which is because of the simple fact that when we feel this way, we don’t have it in us to concentrate anymore, and when we don’t concentrate, we don’t enjoy things anymore.
Furthermore, in some cases everything can also seem boring because we feel like no emotional response from doing whatever it is we are doing, which essentially leads to a lack of reinforcement to do that thing again, or to keep doing it.
This is a primary reason why being depressed or sad can make everything seem boring, because it basically leads to a reduced feeling of pleasure from whatever it is we are doing and whatever we need to do.
There can also be many other reasons for why everything is boring, and these are discussed in the next few sections, along with possible tips and tricks you can employ when you feel like everything is boring.
Letting yourself go (Emotionally or Mentally)
One reason why you might feel like everything is boring is because you have changed in an emotional, physical or cognitive sense, and maybe you have stopped taking adequate care of yourself in any or all of these arenas, which can often make it feel like everything is boring.
When you stop doing the things that make you feel like yourself you can start to feel like everything is boring and nothing holds your interest like it used to, because you are not yourself, or at least not your best self.
When someone stops taking care of themselves in all aspects of their life, it can start feeling like they are someone else and it can start wearing on them pretty soon, and this feeling can lead to feeling like everything is boring.
Feeling invigorated by something is a key to solving this problem, sometimes, because it can lead to an immediate change in your mood, and it can remind you of who you are, which can in turn make you feel like everything is very much not boring anymore.
It is important to be realistic and optimistic both at the same time in such situations. Unrealistic expectations from self can lead to burnout and exhaustion which can be hiding behind your boredom.
Changes in Emotional Awareness
There is a reason why feeling that everything is boring is considered a key sign of depression, and this is because lack of emotional reactions or awareness can be a big factor in everything being boring, as it leads to not feeling any satisfaction from doing what you are doing.
It has been seen that when someone claims that everything is boring, many times they may lack self-awareness, or they may also be somewhat unable to articulate what it is that they desire or want to do.
When one has a lack of a lack of emotional awareness or they are experiencing any changes in their emotional awareness, they may also feel like everything is boring because they have trouble describing their feelings, which they confuse to be boredom instead of realising that it is coming from negative emotions.
Everything can seem boring when you are experiencing an inability to know what will make you happy, which in turn can lead to even more profound existential boredom, therefore making it into a vicious cycle that you feel like you cannot get out of.
Furthermore, everything can also be boring when you don’t know what you are searching for, which makes you lack the capacity to choose the appropriate goals that will actually make you happy or feel fulfilled.
If you’re facing this, it may be a good idea to seek the help of a therapist or other mental health professional. You can find a therapist at BetterHelp who can help you learn how to cope and address it.
Not paying enough attention to things
People who suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder are a good example of how everything can feel boring when you move from task to task without ever completing any one of them with success, because when attention tends to wander, boredom sets in.
Feeling like everything is boring has been linked to problems with attention fairly often, and the theory behind this is that when we are bored, we never engage our attention, and when we lack attention, we get more bored, and on and on it goes.
If you often feel like you are bored and this keeps you from performing properly, you should explore the idea with your doctor that you may have attentional problems.
Technology, Culture, Development and Boredom
Funnily enough, culture has often been related to boredom, because if one considers it carefully, boredom is a rather modern luxury that arises from not having enough to do, as before the advancements we enjoy today, people always had things to do which had to be done without fail because they were necessary for our living.
We are spoiled for choice in the current climate, we have so many movies we can’t choose, so many songs we could never listen to them all, so many books that we could never possibly finish them all, or know even where to start, and the presence of such choice can often lead to a paralysis in decision making capabilities.
While the person is trying to make a decision about which one of the many, many things they can do to entertain themselves, they are constantly bored, and they start to associate that feeling of boredom with the things they have available to them, which makes it feel like everything is boring because they simply cannot choose.
When someone is put in a position of making choices all the time, it can lead to a feeling of not having any choice at all, ironically, which is why one migt find that people who are offered more choices are the ones that feel more bored, and often experience the feeling of “everything is boring”.
Furthermore, it is important to realise that when the Industrial Revolution came around, it changed everything, gave us newer, faster tools to do things, which has only gotten better with time, to the point that we now don’t need to even get up to switch on the lights or play music.
We have automatic everything: garage doors, light switches, speakers, televisions, cooking equipment, computers, and so on, and then after we have automated our life to the fullest, we feel like everything is boring, because why wouldn’t it be?
Automation is great, it saves time and helps us in our daily lives, but it may be better for those whose lives are so incredibly full they simply cannot be bothered with the mundane and menial tasks, for those who don’t have nearly as much to do, it may be pretty harmful, and make it feel like everything is boring because they just don’t have anything to do.
Lacking flow
You may also feel that everything is boring because you are not able to achieve Flow in whatever you are doing, where Flow refers to a state of total concentration and being totally involved in the task you are currently doing, which is at the same time challenging and yet close to one’s capabilities.
In colloquial language Flow may be compared to the phrase “being in the zone” and it is said to occur when someone’s skills match the level of challenge they take on and when a task includes clear goals and immediate feedback.
Too easy tasks are boring; too difficult to make your attention wander and break the flow.
For optimum engagement in a task at hand it needs to match the person’s skill and interest level.
When you engage in such tasks and achieve complete flow things don’t seem quite so boring anymore because you are deeply involved.
Conclusion
In this brief guide, we discussed why everything is boring to you and what you can do about it. We also explored the common causes of boredom like just not having anything to do or being overworked, as well as some other, more serious reasons for why everything might seem boring, like depression or attention deficit disorder.
Everything can be boring sometimes, but when you get to the point where you are just not able to do anything because you are bored by everything, you need to pay attention to that feeling because it may sometimes mean that you are depressed and may need help.
Everything can also be boring when you are going through a difficult time, or when your regular routine has broken down for some reason, and in these cases you might feel like no matter what you do you can’t get interested in things anymore.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs): Everything is Boring
Why do I find things boring?
You might find everything boring because you are experiencing mental fatigue or because you have been engaging in tasks that involve too much repetition and you lack interest in the details of your tasks.
Many times, one might also find everything boring because they are not feeling happy with what they are doing, or perhaps because they are experiencing depression, and they are not able to tell that their emotional state isn’t at its best.
How do I stop being bored of everything?
To stop being bored of everything, you can try the following tips and tricks:
Try to figure out what you actually want to do, if not the current task.
Put off your boredom.
Figure out ways around procrastination.
Try to think straight in terms of what you want to do.
Socialize more, or socialize in place of doing whatever it is you are meant to be doing.
Learn something new.
Remove the distractions in your environment.
Fill holes schedule
What does it mean when you get bored of everything?
When you get bored of everything it might mean that you are suffering from depression but in some cases it may also mean that you are simply tired of the same old things in your life and are looking for something to excite you.
Sometimes, however, being bored of everything and simply waiting for something to come along that you might enjoy doing is not an effective response, and you might need to do something about the situation rather than just wait.
Citations
https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/science-choice/201706/eight-reasons-why-we-get-bored