The Ultimate Guide to Boredom: COVID-19 Edition

Whether you consider it a blessing or a curse, we've all encountered an irritating phase of boredom, especially since the breakout of the COVID-19 pandemic. Not ideal. Too much of anything can be burdensome in its own way, including too much free time. We're all used to such busy lives, packed with work and extra-curriculars that there's no way we could've prepared for what hit us.

Why's boredom so terrible though? I mean, having practically an unlimited amount of free time to do whatever you want, however you want it, doesn't sound too terrible now does it? It sounds like paradise if you ask me right off the bat. But I think many of us right now would strongly argue against. Think of it as swimming in an ocean. You swim hard when the current is high and relax when it settles back down. But what happens when the current stops completely? You have no goal anymore to beat it or make it across any hurdles. You're alone. Lost. Worried. If you don’t swim, you'll drown, but can you really be bothered anymore? That's what boredom during an unlimited amount of free time could feel like. Not so luxurious now, eh?

People can be boring, but even houses can be boring. Think about bungalows...they only have one story to tell. I hope you laughed there. I didn't want to make this boring. Oh the irony. Funny how everything ties together. Anyways back on topic. Things we might do to 'kill' our boredom are usually associated with starting a new TV show, reading a book or going to eat a snack [in other words: going to raid the whole kitchen-shhh]. One thing these 'activities' have in common is that they are passive forms of entertainment; an instinct we immediately resort to when we're not occupied. It's a temporary distraction and doesn't really solve the underlying problem because once it's over, we're back to being bored.

So how exactly do we tackle boredom in the long run? Easy, don't make it a short run. If you make an huge list of everything you've ever wanted to do, but never had time for, I guarantee that your boredom levels for the rest of quarantine will plummet. Call it your 'Boredom List'. The top few items on my list would look a little like this:

1. Read: Articles and non-fiction - Keep up to date w/ news

2. Learn Spanish (Duolingo is fab) - Keep it going at 10 minutes a day

3. Exercise: Don't sit around all day like a couch potato; at least half an hour

4. Practice my Baking

If you've noticed, your 'Boredom Defence List' shouldn't be like a to do list. To do lists are temporary and can be stressful to keep up with or are generally unrealistic as a whole. I've made countless to do lists or schedules on days I feel like being productive but end up ditching the whole thing and simply sitting with my phone all day because I just can't be bothered. (Hope I'm not the only one with days like this). But, with your 'Boredom Defence List', you don't have to worry about getting things done within the day. There's no deadline to pressure you to finish things up as with school. That's the great thing about this list. You can do what you want, whenever you want to. You'll never run out of things to do since the items on your list should be non-exhaustive. I won't ever realistically be able to say I'm done with reading articles; there are just far too many in the world. Nor can I say that I've finished exercising; for the day maybe yes, but what about tomorrow? The day after? Next week? You see what I mean? This 'Boredom Defence List' should keep you going as long as you need!

- Afrin