Understanding the Feeling of “Boredom” and How to Change It
Do you often find yourself feeling bored or unmotivated?
When boredom hits, many people instinctively reach for their phones, scroll through social media, or watch short videos. For a moment, it seems like the boredom disappears but soon after, they feel even more tired, empty, and disconnected.
This cycle repeats day after day. The more we stimulate our brains with quick entertainment, the harder it becomes to sit with silence or focus on meaningful tasks. Eventually, people feel a need to “do something” just to fill the uncomfortable gap that boredom creates and so they stay up late, scroll more, and feel worse.
From a psychological perspective, boredom is not just a simple feeling. Research shows it can trigger addictive behaviors, reduce motivation, and even affect mental well-being. But understanding boredom correctly is the key to breaking this cycle.
What Is Boredom? A Psychological Perspective
Boredom might seem like “having nothing to do,” but it’s deeper than that.
In fact, psychologist Danckert (2005) defines boredom as:
“An unpleasant emotional state marked by low stimulation and low physiological arousal.”
This means boredom is not just about the environment, it also involves your internal experience.
Two Types of Boredom
1. Internal (Subjective) Boredom
Caused by internal factors such as:
Lack of goals
Lack of meaning
Low self-worth
This leads to feelings of emptiness, confusion, and loss of direction.
2. Environmental (Objective) Boredom
Caused by the environment, such as:
Monotonous surroundings
Repetitive information
Low external stimulation
Even enjoyable things can become boring if repeated endlessly.
Why Do We Feel Bored?
Boredom appears when there is a mismatch between what our inner world needs and what our outer world offers.
1. Internal Disharmony
• Low cognitive or emotional activation
You can’t concentrate. Things feel meaningless. You’re physically present but mentally absent.
• Loss of agency
When you feel you don’t control your life or lack clear goals, emptiness grows.
• The cycle of desire
Tolstoy wrote:
“Boredom is the desire for desire.”
We feel bored when:
We don’t want what we have
We want what we cannot reach
This creates confusion, helplessness, and emotional discomfort.
2. Misalignment Between Self and Environment
• A repetitive or unstimulating environment
For example:
Staying alone too long
Doing work that feels monotonous
Repeating the same “scroll–tap–swipe” pattern on your phone
• Information imbalance
Both extremes create boredom:
Information overload: absorbing a lot, understanding nothing
Information scarcity: repetitive content, no novelty
How to Break the Cycle of Boredom
You can’t eliminate boredom forever but you can transform your relationship with it.
1. Identify the Real Cause
Your first step is understanding what triggers your boredom:
Is it internal (lack of goals, meaning, direction)?
Is it environmental (monotony, overstimulation, repetitive tasks)?
For example, joining a competition where others have a much higher skill level may cause you to lose motivation and feel out of control—leading to boredom.
2. Take Controllable, Meaningful Action
To change your mental state, start with what you can control.
If you’re stuck in a cycle of short videos:
Step away from the phone
Move your body
Take a walk
Talk to a friend
Engage in a simple physical task
You can also:
Create a study plan
Set small training goals
Build a daily routine
Clear goals reduce the chances of falling into passive boredom.
If boredom persists for a long time, consider seeking help from:
Family
Friends
A mental health professional
3. Create Conditions for “Flow”
Psychologist Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi introduced the concept of Flow, a state where you are deeply engaged in a meaningful and appropriately challenging task.
Flow feels like:
Mất khái niệm về thời gian
High focus
Deep satisfaction
To cultivate flow:
Choose activities with increasing difficulty
Set specific goals
Remove distractions
Stay curious and open to new experiences
Curiosity is one of the most powerful antidotes to boredom.
Conclusion
Boredom is not a flaw. It’s not a sign of laziness or lack of discipline.
It is a natural emotional signal that tells you something important:
👉 You need new goals.
👉 You need meaningful engagement.
👉 You need alignment between your inner world and your environment.
If we learn to understand and face boredom instead of escaping it, the feeling transforms from a discomfort into an opportunity, an opening for growth, creativity, exploration, and personal change.
