Too Many Choices

Boredom

Boredom is something we desperately try to avoid, because it’s uncomfortable. For me it can either manifest into anxiety (worry about negative spiraling), depression, or just tiredness. 

A bad habit I have, that’s relatively common, is going on my phone while in the bathroom. It’s difficult to really pin point when this actually became a bad habit because I didn’t get a smart phone until high school, so all those years before I was able to go without. But now, I get anxious about passing of time. I know the solution could just be wearing a watch, but then I also am aware I’m really just trying to avoid boredom. I’m trying to keep myself occupied to avoid anxious thoughts. 

Boredom leads to creativity… this makes sense to me because I never felt like a creative person, I felt like I never truly had to use my imagination because I had no other option… well maybe as a kid for like an assignment but not like as an adult so much… like think of the last time you drew something or wrote  a made up story. It’s something that we don’t do unless we have to or we are a “creative person.” It’s something you have to intentionally seek, when this day and age it’s so much easier to just go on our phones and have endless entertainment options at our disposal. 

I feel like we all have intentions of limiting our screen time, but the actual effectiveness is a different story. You have to find what works for you. For me, leaving my phone in a different room is helpful, out of sight out of mind. My iPad does get most of the same notifications, but I notice I do doom scroll less on my iPad, so I’d rather rack up screen time on my iPad where I’m more likely to watch long form content, write, read or study. Or, have a close friend take your phone away from you like a parent would, lol. Sometimes it does reach that point for me! Just remember the phones are robbing us of our time, making us more anxious, and more mindless and in turn making us less creative and able to think for ourselves. 

Also, how does this relate to choice? The phone gives us endless choices for what to consume. If I had less accessibility to something so distracting, I could be more focused on my goals. I could gradually improve my attention span, my ability to create and focus on one task for an extended period of time! Phones are the epitome of how choice can lead us to feeling more overwhelmed and impatient. Having so much of a time-suck has so many detriments to our mental health and self-esteem.