by E. Rae Fallesen

Created on: January 15, 2008

"I'm so boooooored!" Dreaded words from the mouth of babes. Any parent or babysitter that hears them will immediately cringe resentfully. "I wish -I- could be bored" is what they'll say if they're anything like my mother. Usually humans grow out of boredom once a job makes them realize what a precious and wonderful thing free time can be. Sometimes though, it isn't so easy.

Just to warn you, if you're a bored person and constantly complaining about your state then you're going to come off as lazy, unexciting, uninspiring and even unattractive. If you're always bored and begging for entertainment be prepared to lose friends. All this sounds pretty harsh, but fortunately for you it isn't hard to turn your life around!

Boredom can be alleviated with goals, curiosity and imagination. Any of these three things will make you a more motivated and interesting person. Don't think of your free time as time to kill. Think of it as time to enrich yourself. Picture this article like one of those ads that promises a new you in just one day. Change your attitude about entertainment. If you can't find it, make it.

Personally when I am bored it only takes moments to realize my trouble stems from the recent burn-out of a favorite activity. Sometimes hobbies get old- they no longer fulfill your goals, spark your imagination or mystify your curious nature. When this happens don't be afraid to find something new. Otherwise you really are just killing time.

If you're not ready to jump right to the next level of thinking up your own entertainment, try these things first:

*Video games. These are interactive, unlike television. Making goals to beat past records can keep you interested. If you get something with a nice story line you'll fire up the old imagination.

*Re-arranging the furniture. This is pretty self-explanatory but I'd like to add that even switching the way your kitchen table is positioned can change your daily life. You might come to love a space you never noticed. Developing an eye for good interior spacing is certainly self-improvement.

*Make a time capsule. No I'm actually kidding, but that seemed to be the boredom eliminator of choice for children when I was growing up.

*Find a good book and dissect it. Figure out why you like it and then search for others with similar qualities.

*Become an expert at something obscure. Research on-line. Research at the library. Take notes and then -don't- write a research paper with MLA citations. Learn for the love of learning.

*Take a walk. This is not only good for you, but it will get your head screwed on straight. Walks are a good time to sort feelings, something most modern adults don't do often enough.

*Volunteer to help someone else. If you've got tons of free time and no way to spend it you might as well put yourself to good use.

*Draw a self-portrait. Get selfish. Make a biography of yourself. Figure out what makes you tick. Glorify it all.

*Exercise. Somehow when you physically work it all out you will find the motivation to tackle projects that seemed too daunting to start just hours earlier. Tackling projects you've been avoiding is a great way to alleviate boredom.

*Make a music video to your favorite song. Edit it with you computer. Share it with your friends if you still have any.

*Think about what you'd like to say when someone asks what you did over the weekend. Go out and do it.

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