Are you ever bored?

[luzula]

I had a conversation about this with a friend the other day, and I thought I'd ask you guys.

Are you ever bored, in the sense that there is nothing going on in your head and you have nothing to think about? This almost never happens to me. Say I'm stuck waiting an hour for the train. Then I most likely read, or write, or do something else, which means I'm not bored. But if I can't do that, I'm very rarely bored anyway, because there's interesting stuff going on inside my head? I have, like, internalized versions of RL and fictional people inside my head that I hold conversations with (or sometimes that hold conversations with each other). Or there are imagined scenarios running through my mind.

Yeah, I have voices in my head, whatever. :P

Anyway, my friend who I was talking to was amazed at my non-boredom. He said he was bored a lot of the time, and that I should be thankful to my brain for being nice to me. And now that it occurs to me, I am indeed thankful for this.

Comments

[jesse_the_k]

COngrats on the non-boredom, also the creativity bubbling in your brain.

I've been having more and more auditory hallucinations, aided and abetted by the most rural lot on my city block (30 mature trees). I consulted my shrink. She said, "as long as the noises aren't threatening, enjoy them."

Practical metric!

[omens]

I tend to just be bored when I'm dissatisfied. The boredom is a symptom of something else going on, I guess? I'm not usually occupied by head-convos so much these days unless I'm absolutely alone, because people are too interesting not to eavesdrop on/make backstory for/wonder about.

[luzula]

I dunno, it's not like I write stories in my head all the time? Most of the people I "talk to" are not actually fictional people, but maybe I'm writing stories about my own life or something?

Er, I was talking to you in my head while I was on the bus just now. You were visiting me at my old place (because that's still home in my head) and we talked about the book I was reading? And then we talked about socialism.

Wow, I sound weird. *facepalm* Anyway, to have this conversation with the actual you instead of the imaginary one: the book I'm reading is China Mountain Zhang, have you read it? I am really enjoying it so far.

Auditory hallucinations, huh. Are they people? Or other kinds of sounds? And yeah, sounds like a practical metric.

[luzula]

I tend to just be bored when I'm dissatisfied. The boredom is a symptom of something else going on, I guess?

Hmm, could be. I know my friend has problems with depression, maybe that could be a factor.

And huh, that's interesting--I don't do the head-conversation thing when I'm around people I know, but when I'm surrounded by strangers (like on the bus), I'm pretty much wrapped up in my own head.

[cahn]

Ever since I started writing fic, I don't get bored, because I am always trying to work out a piece of character or plot :) (Or I'm thinking about shiny things. I think about shiny things a lot, yes, I am a magpie.)

The exception is when I'm doing a mundane task like washing dishes or cleaning the house. I find that it takes enough of my attention that I can't think about other stuff very well, but not enough that I don't get bored. So I tend to have to put on music or video or... something... while I"m doing it.

[luzula]

Ever since I started writing fic, I don't get bored, because I am always trying to work out a piece of character or plot :)

*nods* That's one of the things I do a lot, too, though lately I've been busy processing my own life enough that fictional people's lives have taken a back seat.

Huh, household tasks usually leave my mind pretty free to wander. But I often listen to podfic/audiobooks when I do them.

[sage]

Almost never! For me boredom is either a failure of imagination or a failure of personal investment. If I have an array of awesome options and I'm still feeling bleh about them, then there's probably a bigger self-care issue involved.

Also, I am so with you on imaginary friends. A therapist told me it's something the brain does to help us get our social needs met or to work out problems that can't necessarily be resolved in real life. As long as a person is clear on what's imaginary and can readily engage with things that are real, then there's no harm. (Whereas retreating into the imaginary is dissociative and thus kind of a problem.)

[luzula]

Also, I am so with you on imaginary friends. A therapist told me it's something the brain does to help us get our social needs met or to work out problems that can't necessarily be resolved in real life.

*nods* That makes sense. I don't think I hold conversations with imaginary people who are not characters I write fiction about? But I do talk to (imaginary versions of) RL people that I know, and what you say about using that to work out problems that can't necessarily be resolved in real life makes a lot of sense. Come to think of it, I probably get my social needs met while I'm isolated up in the mountains by being good at talking to people in my head.

As long as a person is clear on what's imaginary and can readily engage with things that are real, then there's no harm.

*nods again* Yeah, that makes sense, too.

[jesse_the_k]

Oh I have imaginary convos like that all the time. Unfortunately I'm usually talking with my parents, or other irritating conversants.

My auditory hallucinations stitch together ambient sounds (squirrels, falling acorns, fridge hum, lawnmowers, water-softener motor, helicopters) into music or undecipherable vocals or speaking. Much human speech gets mangled on the way to my brain: someone says, "I want to quick check the weather" and I hear "I want to make milk together." ??? (I've self-diagnosed with an auditory processing disorder: I can understand speech better when I'm lip reading and wearing earplugs to cut ambient noise.)

---

I would be delighted to discuss about CMZ, which I adore. I loved it when it came out; I loved it even more 20 years later when it was the initial title in our Beer & Marmalade feminist etc. SF/Fantasy etc book group. McHugh manages to stuff so much into her worlds — and she focuses on work, which is too often neglected in fiction of any stripe. I particularly love how her characters are not the main actors in society, not the queens nor titans of industry nor superheroine astronauts. I think that's why it's left such a strong imprint on me: I can truly place myself in the landscapes she creates.

There's more to inhale, in particular Mission Child, as well as now-dead but still-worth-reading blog, http://maureenmcq.blogspot.com

[seascribble]

I do that sort of esprit d'escalier thing, where I rework conversations in my head or have follow up conversations to things that went badly. But they're never really very long, and I never really thought of them as having imaginary conversations with the RL people, but I guess that's what they are.

I'm more prone to imagine conversations and scenes playing out between fictional characters--like I'm writing fic, except it's not for any of my current projects or anything that is ever likely to get posted--in my mental downtime. I have a couple of scenarios (usually schmooptastic fluff and idfic ideas?) that usually get trotted out when I'm trying to fall asleep; they tend to change every few weeks.

[brigantine]

*nods* Oh, yeah. Party in my brain most of the time. Either I'm picking at a real-world problem, or a current fic snarl. Often when I'm on the bus I'll make up a story, or bits of one, in my head. Sometimes it leads to something written, mostly it's just my brain keeping itself amused.

If I'm on an adventure I'll often imagine sharing it with my BFF, imagining what she might think about this or that, wishing she were there (she lives out of state most of the year).

The world is shiny. There's always something to look at. :)

[wintercreek]

I am almost never bored, for reasons similar to what you describe: playing out scenarios with real or fictional people, worrying at the wording for things I'm writing, singing to myself, etc, at times when I'm not reading/writing/listening to something. The times when I am bored are times when I'm doing something that requires enough of my attention that I can't let my brain run scenarios/words/music, but not enough of my attention to occupy me completely. For example, tasks that simultaneously require my attention on what's in front of me AND do not allow me to listen to podfic or something.

[mific]

I don't experience boredom either, and I wonder if people who do are maybe calling what's going on by a different name? Maybe the stuff in their heads isn't enjoyable or distracting or they don't/can't use distractions like reading to get by? Most of the people I've talked to who say they're plagued by boredom don't seem all that happy with themselves or their lives.
I use distractions a bit too much I think. There's inevitable stuff in my life that I don't want to dwell on as it's a downer and I can't stop it happening by thinking about it. So I read in all the gaps between doing stuff and engaging with work or people - on my iPhone. It's like another limb, or a comfort blanket(!) If I can't read or futz with stuff on the phone (like when I'm in the bath), I'll deliberately work on a fic outline or hunt for a bunny - it's very rare that I'd just let myself just drift for long. Probably should do mindfulness training - not that I really need to as I learned how to meditate years ago. I just don't. I do sometimes rework interactions and conversations that've happened and talk to that person - occasionally talking to myself in public, which is embarrassing. But only if it was a major thing that's been left unresolved or made me angry. I probably talk to my cat more!

[analise010]

I feel the same way that you do. It's hard for me to stop thinking.

[chemm80]

Same as you. I will say that tendency became more pronounced and effective once I started writing again, upon my entry into fandom.

[mergatrude]

It's lovely to have an audience on hand for me to work out stuff with. I spent a lot of time talking to Hugh Dillon in my car a few years ago. *g*

And yes, if I feel bored or listless it's usually a sign of depression or illness.

[luzula]

I thought you would have read it! Ha, obviously good characterization on my part of the imaginary you in my head. : )

I'm only about a third of the way through, and Zhang is still in the Arctic (and thanks, author, for catering to my thing for the Arctic--can't wait to read the bits on Mars, too). But yeah, this is the best book I've read in months! The setting feels so real and lived-in, and as you say, I love that the characters are no the main actors in society. My main criterion for enjoying a book is caring about the characters, and I am really doing that here. Will send this book to my crush up in the north--it's just the kind of book he'd love. And yeah, will definitely get hold of Mission Child.

I am envious of your book group! I joined a book group at work, but there's an anti-SF/F snob in the group. Bleh. We'll see if I enjoy it anyway.

[luzula]

Yeah, I do the reworking/follow-up thing as well, but I guess I do more elaborate stuff as well.

As for fic-writing in my head, I usually do it a fair amount, though lately I've been more preoccupied with working through my own issues, so fic has taken a back seat. Also, I have this thing that sometimes happens if I'm lucky when a new story idea is just taking shape in my head: it'll unfold itself really vividly and engagingly in my head, and I can't concentrate on anything else, and it's the best story ever. *g* Which of course lasts until I start actually writing it.

[luzula]

Heh, party in your brain, that's one way of putting it. Your brain sounds a lot like mine. *g*

[luzula]

Yeah, sounds similar to what I do. Hmm, singing to myself, I used to do that a lot more, but not for the last years. I always enjoy it when I do it, though.

[luzula]

I don't experience boredom either, and I wonder if people who do are maybe calling what's going on by a different name? Maybe the stuff in their heads isn't enjoyable or distracting or they don't/can't use distractions like reading to get by? Most of the people I've talked to who say they're plagued by boredom don't seem all that happy with themselves or their lives.

Hmm, yeah, this sounds plausible.

Yeah, I used distractions (reading and podfic/audiobooks) a lot in the past half year before I broke up with my boyfriend. And now, I haven't even been able to listen to podfic since then, because my brain has been busy processing stuff. Reading is beginning to come back, though I still do it less.

[luzula]

Ha, yes. That would be a challenge for me, too. : )

[luzula]

Hmm, that's interesting--I don't remember if there was a shift for me when I started writing.

[luzula]

I spent a lot of time talking to Hugh Dillon in my car a few years ago. *g*

Awww, I find that charming. ♥

And yeah, that makes sense with the depression/illness thing.

[glynisj]

How odd. I just wrote a post about this very thing. It's only been in the past 4 months or so that I've experienced boredom. I can usually find something to do that will capture my interest, even if is just for a brief time. However, as of about June, I've wondered if I can find something, anything that will spark some life in me. I guess this happens to most at some point during their life. Struggles do happen.

[desireearmfeldt]

Re: tradeoff between using brain to consume fiction and using it to process real life -- I often go the other direction, turning to fiction when I've got something on my mind that I can't disengage from but that thinking about isn't productive/doesn't feel going. I'm bad at deliberately choosing what to think about, but fiction in book/movie/TV form can usually engage my brain and push whatever else to the back burner. (Though not always.)

[luzula]

I'm sorry about the boredom! I dunno, I've certainly experienced being unhappy, but that usually involves sort of the opposite of boredom for me, because it means that I have bad things happening to me that need processing, and then those will take up my brainspace.

Anyway, I hope you find something to spark your brain soon.

[desireearmfeldt]

I mostly only get bored when either:

a) I am doing something that requires just enough of my attention that I can't concentrate on something else, but not enough to actually occupy my mind (for instance, lap-swimming -- for some reason having to turn at the ends disrupts whatever else I'm thinking about)

or

b) I'm physically sick or otherwise brain-fogged, such that my ability to focus is impaired, so I'm trying to have interesting thoughts or do a productive task but I'm just not up to it.

Or, I suppose,

c) I am doing something that's dull but that I need to pay attention to, so that I am trying not to allow my mind to wander. This doesn't actually happen to me often, though.

[julia-here.livejournal.com]

I have, like, internalized versions of RL and fictional people inside my head that I hold conversations with (or sometimes that hold conversations with each other). Or there are imagined scenarios running through my mind.

I think that's to do with being a writer.

I rarely get bored anymore; I do get anxious if I'm stuck somewhere with nothing to do and no way to get out of the situation and work left undone at home, but that is why I carry small notebooks and a writing instrument everywhere. What I get anxious about is forgetting some important but rare datum and writing it down solves that problem.

Julia, never bored at home because if nothing else I can always clean closets.

[julia-here.livejournal.com]

Desiree, hi, love your stories, by the way.

The lap-turn thing is a manifestation of "threshhold effect;" (for which I cannot of course find a reference right now) where your brain dumps items in executive memory when going through a door, around a corner, or otherwise transitioning from one activity to another. It leads most commonly to what gets called "hereafter syndrome" where you walk from one room to another and suddenly can't remember what you're here after.

Julia, I'd worry about it being a sign of senility if I hadn't been noted for that confusion since childhood

[luzula]

I do recognize b), yeah, from when I have the flu or something. With c), I think my solution is to listen to music at the same time, because I can usually do that while I'm focusing on a dull task. And the music will occupy the parts of my mind that would otherwise be bored.

[luzula]

I dunno, I wasn't always a writer? Though maybe I always had the potential to become one.

Most of the conversations in my head are with people I know IRL, not fictional characters. But then, maybe I'm writing stories in my head about my own life?

[desireearmfeldt]

Re music: one way in which the world is divided into two sets of people is those who find talk distracting and music non-distracting, versus those who find music distracting and talk non-distracting.

For example, I can't use the verbal part of my brain for any other purpose if there's a conversation or talk radio or TV in the background, but I use music the way you describe, to occupy the leftover bits of my brain while I do stuff. And the more verbal concentration my main task requires, the less verbally-interesting the music can be: instrumental < lyrics in a language I can't understand or lyrics too blurry to understand < lyrics I know well < lyrics I know less well < lyrics I've never heard before < actual talk.

But I've had housemates in the past for whom TV was background noise that didn't stop them from conversing or sometimes even reading and writing, while music was something that demanded attentive listening.

[desireearmfeldt]

There's a downside to holding conversations with in-your-head versions of real people, of course -- not only are they not actually present for the conversation, but (if you're me) it's hard to *not* do the wheel-spinning rehashing-of-a-hypothetical-fight thing. Which one might like to turn off. :)

[desireearmfeldt]

Aw, thanks! :)

That's an interesting connection I hadn't thought of.... I was thinking of swimming laps in contrast to riding a bicycle (which for me means, in traffic). On the bicycle, I do occasionally have my wandering thought process interrupted by having to concentrate on what's going on around me, but the interruptions are further apart than the turn-at-the-wall interruption of lap-swimming. It's weird, though, because even bicyling along a very familiar route requires more baseline attention than swimming in a pool. So I'd think there'd be more to spare, but no...

[luzula]

I suppose I'm in your category (I can't stand background TV/radio), but I don't really like background music, either, though I can tone it out. When I listen to music, I prefer to be able to pay attention to it (even if only with the part of my mind not occupied with a boring task). Also, I don't like writing fiction with music on.

[luzula]

Heh. Well, of course, it's not always good to create your own version of a person in your head (although I do like to think I know the difference). I suppose this is in part what we do when we're in love?

I dunno, I almost never fight with people, so that's not an issue for me. But I do rehash things I wish I'd done otherwise.

[eve_n_furter]

Never. I haven't been bored since I was a teenager and even then I don't think I really was bored, I just think I did what the other teens said they did.

I always, always have a ton of interesting things I want to do, investigate, learn, see, know... I have introverted periods, but even then I do things constantly, just not very social things.

I don't wish to be bored either. I think it's a luxury to have a whole storage of "want to" and new and unfinished projects in mind. Means I'll never get bored and "matlei" (do you have that expression in Swedish?) either. I don't want to live forever, but I could easily do 200 years. XDDD

[luzula]

Yeah, it's not like we're ever going to run out of things to do/learn/create/etc. I feel like that as well. *nods*

[eve_n_furter]

"one way in which the world is divided into two sets of people is those who find talk distracting and music non-distracting, versus those who find music distracting and talk non-distracting."

That is a really interesting idea. Had to discuss it with my better half, and it seems he tolerates music and I tolerate talk. Actually, I do routine work faster and with less errors when I listen to interesting podfic/audio books. Can't listen to radio, because if there's a song on that doesn't match my work rhythm, I get instantly pulled out of my "rapid work" trance.

And theories like this is yet another reason to never get bored. :D

[lyr]

I am never bored. There is a whole world of stuff to do and see and learn and create and think about and, and, and... There is honestly not enough time for all the stuff I would like to cram into the day. There are so many shiny things!

[desireearmfeldt]

And theories like this is yet another reason to never get bored. :D

Heh. Amen!