F. Scott Fitzgerald, arguably one of the greatest novelists of all time, once said, “boredom is not an end product: it is, comparatively, rather an early stage in life and art.
“You’ve got to go by or past or through boredom, as though a filter, before the clear product emerges.”
Of course, Fitzgerald was born over a century ago. It was easier to be bored then than it is now; wherever we go, we have something to distract us and keep our minds occupied, whether it’s the tiny computers in our pockets or the headphones in our ears.
However, our battle against boredom isn’t in our best interests. For years, experts having been singing the praises of tedium. Dr. Sandi Mann of the University of Central Lancashire recently conducted a study which found that daydreaming can improve creative ability.
“I do strongly believe that we shouldn’t be afraid of boredom and that we all — adults, children, workers, non-workers — need a little bit of boredom in our lives,” Dr. Mann told Science Omega.
Being bored is tougher than it sounds, though. We live in a culture dominated by convenience, obsessed with stimulation and terrified of inactivity. Internet addiction is becoming more and more of a serious issue, and excessive use of technology and social media outlets have been linked with depression, anxiety and poor sleeping habits.
The vast majority of us don’t even think about it. It’s remarkable how quickly we’ve normalized and adapted to our excessive use of computers, smart phones and tablets. I often find myself mindlessly browsing Facebook and Twitter, hypnotized by a tirade of meaningless status updates and links to pictures of cats.
The worst part is that many of us who try our best to step outside of this meaningless rigamarole find ourselves wracked with anxiety and stress: What am I missing? Whose birthday am I forgetting?
FOMO is the shorthand that psychologists have given to this phenomenon: it stands for “fear of missing out,” and given that the vast majority of university students tend to frequent at least one social media outlet, a Facebook account or a Tumblr blog has become all but necessary to stay involved in the social sphere.
Thus, boredom has been all but eradicated in our day-to-day lives, replaced by the restless anxiety of keeping track of an endless array of party invitations, cultural events, and celebrity scandals. But taking a moment to pause and daydream can work wonders for your creativity and your mental capacity.
When was the last time you wrote a journal entry, or read a novel that you weren’t assigned? When was the last time you took a walk without a gadget in your hand, and let your mind wander? As students, our daily routines are restrictive enough without us sleepwalking through them; it’s the least we can do to open our eyes and try to make the most of the moments we have to ourselves, as seldom as they are.
I know it seems cliche to urge you to “stop and smell the roses.” After all, the roses on your iPad are likely in higher definition and probably neatly organized in a folder, too.
But with the end of the semester looming on the horizon and the promise of a month off about to become a reality, remember to unplug and unwind.
