Can being bored make you happy?

Have you ever lost access to your phone?

Well, I remember this one time a few years ago.

I got out of the house for some work, and unfortunately, my phone battery was pretty low. I forgot to charge it the night earlier.

Time went by, and I saw the battery percentage quickly drop…20%..17%..15%..9%..5%…2%….1%…..and booooom! BLANK SCREEN.

My phone had died.

Well, at that very moment, I suddenly felt a rush of anxiety down my spine. 

All the nerves in my body began shooting me questions.

• What if there was an emergency?

• How can I make an important call?

• Whose call would I miss?

Wild possibilities were running through my head. But I slowly gathered courage, and responded to my fears.

• ‘Well...I can borrow someone’s phone if I need to.’

• ‘I have memorised all the important numbers.’

• ‘I don't need Google Maps for directions'

• ‘Nothing will happen, Judah.’

This realisation made me peaceful.

And thanks to my current state, I had to accept this.

I got bored...

Well, after a while of doing nothing, I began to feel something I hadn't experienced for a long time - boredom.

You see, every time I felt an itch of restlessness, my hand would reach for my pocket and out came my phone!

Open Insta - see a few reels. Open YouTube - few shorts. WhatsApp - any new messages? Boredom - bye bye!

Now, there was no way to relieve this itch.

I managed to somehow sit through this phase of discomfort.

Meet Mr. Imagination…

After a while, something mysterious happened. My childhood friend, Mr. Imagination - who had been asleep for a while - just jumped up out of nowhere.

He was enthusiastic. He was a kid, ready to help me discover the world again.

He made me notice all the tiny details around me.

• Everyone is in a hurry to go somewhere.

• Middle-aged men like to wear flip-flops everywhere.

• People rarely wear sunglasses in this scorching weather.

The world seemed to be an enigmatic place.

Strangely, these observations were good to notice.

It felt good to be connected with my surroundings after a long long time.

My mind felt like a free bird. Flying away freely from the cage of continuous thoughts.

I began to think about my life. Where I was, where I’m at, and where I’m going. It felt good and satisfying.

This daydreaming went on for a while.

Finally, I reached home. I waved Mr. Imagination goodbye, and thanked him for the uplifting experience. As he drifted away, I felt a tiny speck of desire in my heart to meet him again.

Well, back to normal routine. I charged my phone and got busy with life.

Being bored is good..

I thought about it.

For the longest time, I never allowed myself to get bored.

I always had entertainment right at my fingertips. Years and years of constant stimulation never gave me the chance to experience boredom.

I never gave myself a chance to be drift away into the unknown.

So you see, being bored is not a bad thing.

Yes, you will be irritated. You will be anxious for a while. But let those feelings pass.

Be comfortable sitting in silence. There is a whole new world waiting for you.

So, ‘allow’ yourself to be bored. It’s a good thing. ;)