Hello,
This is Amanda de Cristina and welcome to a discussion on how to fight boredom as We venture off into several weeks of quarantine during the COVID-19 pandemic This past week.
I noticed this theme of boredom popping up in my personal and professional lives as We entered another week of being in quarantine.
I Heard a lot of similar comments from my clients in which they had reports of feeling very lethargic Unmotivated and just plain blah.
I Believe we're all going through a phase in this quarantine in which being stuck in the same environment for so long Has produced these types of feelings?
Clients have said that they often feel like they're just going through the motions of doing things but are not fully engaged They find one task to complete that distracts them for a bit and then after it's finished They say what's next?
What am I going to do with the rest of my day?
And so this sense of boredom that that creeps up within us that tells us that we need to keep busy is Really a disconnect from the very nature of life itself The truth of our existence is that we are here and we are alive now in the present moment We live most of our days in the same routines and so this tricks our minds into thinking Every day will always be the same.
It will always be like today We forget that the nature of life is unknown and so therefore we have no idea that we will be Even here tomorrow or later on today When we bring this idea to the forefront of our mind We begin to live with a heightened sense of awareness to the fact that we're going to die And that we are alive right now and that's something to celebrate We don't need a day full of packed activities Of working,
Running errands,
Shopping,
Cooking Cleaning,
Going here and there in order to let us know that we are living Those errands and tasks that we busy ourselves often just keep us distracted And so we bring very little awareness to the idea of our aliveness Now at this time when much of our busyness has been halted We are being pushed to sit with ourselves and to just be You would think this would be an easy task for us but for our brains that have been plugged in And wired up on caffeine,
Action movies,
IPhones,
Video games and so on This is actually a very daunting task for most When those things no longer provide us with the escape from the busyness of our daily activities This boredom starts to creep into our skin But it's also a chance for us to welcome back this increased awareness of our aliveness So that we can connect with our inner self And this increased awareness of our aliveness so that we can connect to a greater presence That is always around us The next time you eat something,
Look at what you're eating before you gobble it down Smell it,
Feel it and then put it in your mouth and close your eyes and savor it Allow yourself to be fully engaged with every single bite When you are in the presence of your loved one,
Just sit back and observe them in front of you You don't even need to talk to them,
Just watch them,
Watch them move and talk and laugh Become aware of the fact that you will not always be in front of them Close your eyes and listen to the sounds around you,
Sounds that are nearby and far off Feel the air on your skin,
Notice the outline of your body And when social distancing ends,
As you hold your beloved friends and family in your arms again Say to yourself,
My loved one is alive and in my arms right now Over time,
These mindful practices will bring a greater sense of awareness to the life you are living In your body,
In this time and space and eventually you won't even remember how it felt to be bored by life The divine in me honors the divine in all of you May you be well,
Happy,
Safe and free of boredom during this time and forever Namaste
