Boredom was a temporary symptom for me when I stopped over drinking.
Why? Because for so many years drinking was my entertainment at the end of the day. It filled the gap of the lulls in life.
I had forgotten how to just be bored and be with ME.
For all of you that have children, have you ever found yourself telling them it's healthy to be bored? I have. AND, I TRULY believe that it's true. I just wasn't taking my own advice.
When our minds have room to think, that is when the creativity starts.
When we are consuming our entertainment via TV, internet, social media, YouTube, Netflix, shopping, eating, drinking, etc. we don't give our minds the gift of space.
So, rather than thinking of boredom as a curse
think of it as a gift.
I created a toolbox of fun for myself to help me when I was bored. Everything I was forgetting to do that invigorated fun went into this "toolbox". I made a list and I'd advise you to do so, too.
I (and I'd take a guess that most of ya'll do too) spend too much time figuring out what we are doing wrong instead of focusing on what we are doing right (and that is so exhausting). I'll tell you this, that is normal for your brain to do so. Our brain is wired to seek out threats and dangers for our survival. Unfortunately, that doesn't work so well for us anymore in this modern day and age. There aren't the same dangers to face as we did back in cave dwelling days. It's a habit that we have delegated to our automatic brain and it just plain ol' isn't serving us anymore.
Take some time, right now, to make a list of all the fun and free things you'd like to do. Not only write them down but make it a priority to do a few things on your list a few times a week. Doing so will help you get back into feeling your emotions throughout your entire body.
Here are a few of my fun tools in my "toolbox":
Dance- turn on some music and move your body. I do this mostly alone when everyone is at school or work.
Swing- (we have swings in our backyard).
Meditate.
Yoga.
Stand Up Paddle with friends.
Make lunch plans or walking plans with a different friend each week.
Walk on the pier with my family.
Instead of date night at a restaurant go do an activity (biking, hiking, games, bowling. It's romantic and it's like we are dating all over again).
Write a letter to a relative and put it in snail mail.
Lay down outside in the grass or lounge chair and just stare at the sky, listen to the birds and make shapes out of the clouds.
Gratitude journal.
A night of no electricity. Only candles.
Cook a new recipe.
Bake a new dessert.
Reigniting fun that comes from within you is SO much more gratifying than finding "fun" outside of ourselves. The greatest news is that when fulfillment of fun comes from within you the rewards are long term and long lasting.
You won't be searching for fun to happen to you through alcohol. We all know by now that alcohol isn't as much fun as its cracked up to be.
There is more suffering the day after drinking than the day after fun that's comes from YOU.
✅ P.S. Need a simple to follow step-by-step process to drink less? Check out my signature programs HERE.
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