Be Brave Friday is Back!
Being Brave Enough to Be Bored
A long time ago (think three years maybe?), I used to do a thing on social media (and sometimes here) called BE BRAVE FRIDAY.
For me, being brave often meant just trying to grow in ways that I was afraid of:
hearing my own voice (like on a podcast)
sharing my art (the painting kind)
talking about super-personal things
showing my face (because I’m not a ‘looker’)
But being brave, obviously, can be all sorts of things. For some of us it’s running into a burning building, asking someone on a date, going after a big dream/goal, asking for a raise, asking for people to be paid subscribers (cough, this is me), or just believing in ourselves.
A lot of times, being brave becomes a part of life because of tragedy, war, and circumstance. Your nation may be at war. Your community may catch fire. Or it is a way of life because we’re part of a group that is oppressed by our society, right?
That’s not the type of bravery I’m talking about—that big type of courage that it takes to live life when people or circumstances seem to all be conspiring against you.
I’m talking about little bits of personal growth, of expanding our boundaries, of leveling up if we’re into that.
And it’s okay to not be into that. That’s brave, too.
But on Fridays again, I’m going to refocus here (not on social media consistently because everything is a poop show there) on being brave.
This week, here is my brave thing. . . .
FIGHTING THE DOPAMINE HIT OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND BEING BRAVE ENOUGH TO BE BORED.
Gasp! I know! I know! Facebook, Twitter, BlueSky, Insta, Pinterest, Threads, TikTok, YouTube, etc ... etc … etc … It’s how we all stay connected. How can I give that up?
Well, I’m not completely.
I’m going to commit to some empty time . . . or emptier time.
Why?
Because epiphanies happen in that quiet moment so often. Problems are solved in the shower or on a run or driving a car, in the quiet moments before sleep when you’re brain isn’t in that constant scroll.
So, what am I going to do? How am I going to fight the lure of the scroll, of social media or news feeds?
I‘m going to make myself have nothing time.
How can we make ourselves have nothing time?
Walk around without listening to anything on headphones. This is very hard for me because I get a lot of joy from music and movement and headphones.
When I am waiting in line (like at the grocery store), I am not going to look at my phone. I am going to accept that every moment doesn’t have to be full.
When I do random housework, I am not going to listen to a podcast. I’m just going to let my brain go where it will go. Or I’m going to let it be beautifully empty as I put away dishes.
When I have a hint of boredom, I’m not going to go pick up my phone or anything like that. I’m just going to sit in it for a hot second—or a hot minute? Is there such a thing as a hot minute?
If all that’s too hard, I’m going to doodle or free write for three minutes. I’m going to set a timer. I’m going to do it on paper (not on the screen). Gasp! Right?
Here’s what it’s about.
When we allow ourselves to not hustle, to be low-key for a hot second, to take a pause away from the busy-ness? That’s when our brains often get super cool ideas.
But to do that? We have to be brave enough to be bored.
Being bored is good for you.
“Neuroscientist Alicia Walf, a researcher in the Department of Cognitive Science at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, says it’s critical for brain health to let yourself be bored from time to time,” Bryan Robinson, Ph.D, writes for Forbes. “Being bored, she says, improves social connections. Social neuroscientists have found that the brain has a default network mode that is on when we’re disengaged from doing. Boredom can actually foster creative ideas, refilling your dwindling reservoir, replenishing your work mojo and providing an incubation period for embryonic work ideas to hatch. In those moments that might seem boring, empty and needless, strategies and solutions that have been there all along in some embryonic form are given space and come to life. And your brain gets a much needed rest when we’re not working it too hard. Famous writers have said their most creative ideas come to them when they’re moving furniture, taking a shower or pulling weeds. These eureka moments are called insight.”
Thoughts?
Are there ways that you all embrace boredom? Do you call it boredom even? How do you pull yourself away from the dopamine rush, the need to be entertained?
Did you know that we can chat in the comments? We totally can. Don’t be afraid to say hi!
Hi Carrie, thank you for this meaningful insight. Sometimes I find myself sitting at home, letting all the natural light into the room as possible, with no TV on, a long delay in asking Google to play something and find it’s been well over an hour with absolute quiet and stillness in the room. Full transparency, these have been work from home moments where my laptop is open to complete offsite tasks for my business, but I have found my mind is much clearer. Sometimes I just sit in that stillness and do nothing. This is when those insights really develop. It never occurred to me to think of this as embracing boredom. Boredom has been engineered in many of us (hello, me!) to be a “bad” thing or lazy. This article reassures it is not. It’s actually contributing to self care and productivity in a new way. I look forward to more of your Be Brave Friday series. Thank you for sharing your light and creativity with all of us. Always cheering you on:)
Well said. Being mindful is also a way to have aha moments. Mundane/bored tasks can then become sacred or enlightening moments. While emptying the dish washer be mindful of the color of the plate, the weigh of the glass or dish or silverware. Do the items you touch stir memories or creative thoughts? I am happy you are bringing back Be Brave Friday.