Yes, we all know too well how easily we succumb to short-term pleasures, and now that most of us are stuck at home, the tendencies are only getting worse. Since we can’t get out of the house and keep motivation-sucking alternatives out of sight, the chances of falling into boredom rabbit holes are sky-high. So to address this problem, it’s high time we dudes go over them one by one and reflect on our shortcomings.
#1 Endlessly Scrolling Through Your Phone
Admit it. You’ve spent at least one day during this quarantine season aimlessly scrolling through your phone. And because of all the notifications and posts that keep popping up, you keep consuming and chowing down on these online content like your life depends on it. Therefore, your phone and the online world are a disastrous mix for boredom that destroys all shreds of productivity.
- It Sucks You In: The way it reels you in is with one funny post by a friend, which leads to a collection of memes, and before you know it, you’re going through TikTok compilations of the same song over and over again. And because it’s so easy to find something new, it never fails to keep your mind preoccupied and in a pseudo-busy state.
- One Dopamine Rush After The Other: Secondly, we’re all dry of fulfilling activities, and our dopamine receptors aren’t getting the love they need. However, getting to scroll through another person’s feed or a celebrity’s vlog hits you with one dopamine rush after another. You are essentially making your phone the source of dopamine.
Solution: Get Rid of The Distractions
To keep your head in the game and your hands off your phone, you need to eliminate the distractions that keep drawing you back. Try turning off all of your notifications, and go through your emails at the start of the day to refrain from checking now and then. Keep your mind busy with self-imposed challenges, and replace phone time with something far better.
#2 Turning Into A Couch Potato
Yes, we also feel the dread of laziness that looms over us when stuck at home. Any guy would love the idea of lounging, relaxing, and cracking a cold one. However, once you start lazing around, you become glued to the couch, rendering you incapable of getting anything productive done. Add it to the fact that you can stream and binge through so many films and series, the future isn’t looking too bright.
- Destroys Your Progress: One of the worst adverse effects brought about by couch potato syndrome is that it destroys your gains and removes any progress you started. So if you’ve brought your weight back down and started putting on some muscles, sitting all day and snacking could make these milestones vanish.
- Fosters Laziness: Once you start lounging on the couch, the need for stretching it out and not doing anything for the day doesn’t end there. It gradually gets worse over time as your body gets into the flow of a regular couch potato. Your body starts to foster laziness, and it ends up becoming second nature.
Solution: Start The Morning Strong
The cure is simple; you need to start the day on the right foot so you can keep it that way up until the end. Go for a morning run right at daybreak or maybe even set your workouts right at sunrises to get the blood pumping and the motivation going strong. And for the rest of the day, invest your time trying new hobbies to keep you active.
#3 Overthinking Things
Lastly, one of the worst boredom rabbit holes that get us every single time is overthinking things. Since we have the whole day ahead of us but are stuck at home, this puts us in a false sense of security that we can get things done at a record pace because we’re in our safe space. We start to plan things out, then rearrange them again, until we end up procrastinating and overthinking on the little things.
- Counterproductive: While others like to label it as being “thorough,” overthinking is downright counterproductive. You spend most of the time thinking and blowing things out of proportions without getting anything done. It eats up the time meant for actual work and is replaced by unneeded amounts of overanalysis.
- Stresses You Out: As a result of overthinking, it overtaxes the brain and stresses you out. Your mind starts to juggle and account for factors that don’t make sense and eat up the little energy you had in the first place. What’s worse is that it can lead to anxiety and causes your mental health to decline.
Solution: Don’t Worry Too Much
Much like how a pet moving company takes out the worry of transporting your puppy to a new home, you need to stop worrying and just starting doing stuff. And while it seems like the obvious answer to getting out this boredom rabbit hole, many people fail to realize the significance of taking the first step. So don’t get caught up on the little things and work your way up as things naturally come.
The Bottom Line: Do A Little Each Day
Look, we understand how hard this pandemic has been on everyone. Cabin fever is on the rise, and everyone’s productivity levels have hit an all-time low. But if you’re determined to break out of the boredom that plagues you, remember to do a little each day, and we can guarantee the pieces will start to fall in place.