This summer, you need to be bored
Bored students sitting at a picnic table (The Puma Prensa / Ruby Costa)
By Ruby Costa, Co-Executive Editor
Though the idea of summer sounds appealing—no school, homework, or responsibilities, and the neverending opportunity for adventure—the reality of this break off from school often looks very different.
Many teenagers will spend the majority of summer break absorbed in their phones and online social lives. It's very easy to fall into a cycle of screen time addiction when you have little to no other activities filling up your time. Even if you are taking JC classes, summer school, or will be working shifts at your summer job, a cell phone can be a simple escape from stress on your time off.
Teen cellphone use is on the rise, but vision problems, sleep disturbances, and mental health disorders are no joke. Especially concerning is the decrease of attention spans in children and teens, otherwise known as the inability to be bored.
Boredom is, generally, an unpleasant feeling. Though, like many things in life, boredom isn’t inherently bad just because it is often unenjoyable. People need to be bored. More than that, they need to relearn how to feel bored in a world with constant, immediate stimulation.
The feeling of boredom prompts your brain to think, engage with your surroundings, and come up with creative ideas and solutions. In children especially, it works the brain and forces individuals to unlearn their dependency on technology and quick shots of dopamine. For teenagers, being able to think through problems is essential, whether these are in a math class or between friends. When bored, the brain is “often coming up with solutions to problems that have been in the back of the mind,” like when you think of the perfect comeback for an argument that you had hours ago in the shower (Mayo Clinic).
Being bored also benefits the health of your brain, one of the single most important organs in your body. When you are not currently engaged in an activity, your brain is in a default or resting state, and during this time, “several interconnected brain regions are active.” These regions work together in unison to form what is “referred to as the default mode network.” Crucial activities occur such as “consolidating memories,” “reflecting on lessons learned,” “reminisc[ing] about the past, and daydream[ing] about the future” (Mayo Clinic).
There is another crucial aspect to boredom, however, aside from the feelings itself. It is also important what you do to cure that boredom. Forcing yourself to be bored but then fixing that boredom with your phone essentially voids any progress you may have made in your attention span. It is important to take advantage of your boredom and do something new with it, whether this is to start a new hobby, visit a new place, or engage with a new piece of media— reading, especially, will do wonders for your brain and attention span.
Though fostering a healthy relationship with boredom should ideally start in childhood, it's not too late for phone-dependent teens.
This summer is the perfect time to jumpstart your boredom venture, especially if it is your last summer before you start college or enter the adult workforce. It would be tragic to think back on the memories of the last summer of your childhood, only to recall the time you spent on your phone, locked away in your room.
These adventures don’t need to be grand or expensive. You simply need to put yourself out of your comfort zone, and allow your brain to entertain itself. If you need ideas, try:
Experiences that will benefit your college applications such as work experience, community service, JC classes, or joining organizations
Go on a hike, raft on the river, or visit the beach
Hang out with family or friends (try boardgames, group hikes, or a dinner out)
Pick up new hobbies (try to find a hobby with what you have already lying around the house)
Catch a movie (watching a cult classic at Roxy Stadium 14 can be a unique experience)
Or, just allow yourself to lie in your bed, on the porch, or in the grass outside. Take some time to yourself with nothing but your mind for company. The best thoughts come to you when you have nothing else to fill your head. (If that's a little bit too much silence for you, put on some music in the background).
It's never the wrong time to try to limit your reliance on technology and help your brain, so try out something new and have a boring summer.