So I get asked this question a lot.
When I tell people I live alone. You don’t get bored?
When I tell people I like to go on solo vacations. Wow, that must be boringgg!
When I tell people I don’t mind going to movies alone. Huh, I don’t understand! Isn’t that kinda boring?
To that last person: you go to a movie to watch the damn movie, not to talk to people! Aaargh.
Anyway the answer to all of those questions is a resounding NO!!
No, I don’t get bored. In fact, I don’t have the time to get bored!
I mean, how can I when there’s always so much to do and think and learn and experience? I don’t think we humans can actually afford to get bored. Because if we are, then I think we are not using our time in the best way. But it’s unfathomable to me, because almost everyone I know had said that they were terribly bored at least once. And maybe I shouldn’t get too rattled about it as I presume it’s only natural to get bored. And of course, I do understand that I’m the minority here, being an introvert and all. Because I tell you, my mind is never idle. Even if I tried to. And ultimately, even if I have got absolutely nothing else to do (which is a rarity), I always have my brain to fall back on. Because that baby never stops.
And the quote above is so absolutely on the money because it is true. I know for a fact that many people find me boring. Unfunny. Lifeless. And that’s all true from their perspective. Because I’m not an entertainer. Nope, very sorry there.
But in all of my existence, I have never bored myself. True. Because there’s always something. I always seem to find something to keep myself entertained. And I love that about myself. A book to read, a movie to watch, a TV show to catch up on, a story to write, a song to listen to, a concert to go, a thing to learn, a place to visit, a dish to learn to cook, a thought to ponder, something to daydream, a friend to talk to – the universe presents itself with so many interesting things that we’d be doing it injustice by worrying that we’ve got nothing to do.
And if you don’t find people to do those things with you, then so be it. Don’t be scared to be alone. Because you are all you need. Because when you base your life and happiness on someone else, you are taking a risk.
So, that’s my thought for today. Try not to get bored as much. Pick up a hobby. Find a new interest. You are who you are. Not who your friends are.
UDAYOLOGY 
Since introverts recharge their batteries by being alone, they are usually good at finding activities they enjoy doing without having to wait around for someone to do them with. In other words, they are good at finding ways to make themselves happy, rather than depending on someone else to make them happy. Extroverts recharge their batteries by being around other people, so they’re more likely to wait or seek out friends to do activities with, rather than just doing the activity alone. And waiting can get pretty boring. Also, seeking out company can get pretty lonely. So it’s important to understand the difference between being bored and being lonely.
I’m an only child, so I grew up alone. I never ever get bored. 🙂 There aren’t enough hours in the day for all the activities I enjoy doing. If I’m doing something I enjoy, I can have fun regardless of whether I’m alone or with company. But if I want company, it doesn’t matter whether I’m bored or engaged in an activity I enjoy; the space will feel empty either way. That’s how you can tell the difference. Boredom is easily and quickly cured by finding something fun to do — and there is always something worth doing. Loneliness can only be cured by seeking company. And how lonely a person feels when he or she is alone depends on how introverted/ extroverted they are. (Or what kind of day it is.)
When people ask you if you ever get bored, they might really be asking if you ever get lonely. I sometimes get lonely. But I never get bored.
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You raise some very interesting points. Of course I know all about how introverts and extroverts function (because I do have to explain myself all the time, it’s an extroverts’ world after all). But I don’t remember the last time I felt lonely. Is that weird? I dunno. I always thought that as long as you had something to do, you would never feel lonely. But you’ve had more years on this planet, so I guess you do know better! There’s this flash of thought once in a while where I go, “Okay I’m having a great time, but I wish I was doing this with him/her.” Maybe that is me seeking company. But that’s as far as I go.
And yes, the majority of the population are of the opinion that being alone = boring! And we can’t really blame them because that’s how their perception is. My Dad will be like, “But you need more friends!!”. And I’ll be like, “Why?! I already have THREE friends!” 😛 😀
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Well I just googled “ why don’t I ever get bored “ and was glad to find others pondering this phenomenon . I feel the same way. I live alone and yet there is never enough time to do all that I want to do even when not working . I have my imagination and I’m an artist so perhaps , creative people , writers, dancers, etc are less likely to get bored, because they are visually stimulated or moved from what they experience in every day to day life . I just can’t understand people’s need to use their mobile phone apps to play games or do jigsaw puzzles to fill in time ! I’d find that boring I think !
My mind is full of thoughts and never idle . I can honestly say at 56 I have never been bored in my life , impatient yes !and frustrated yes !but not bored .Also i have hardly ever been lonely either ,and I need a lot of alone time in my week . People in my face 24 /7 would drive me insane . I like m6 own company .
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This resonates so strongly.
Recently, an old friend asked me on Facebook, ‘What do you do when you are bored?’
I tried thinking and realised that I haven’t really ever been bored. There is always so many things to do and reading, writing, and day dreaming always come to the rescue when I don’t have any work to do.
I’m so glad that I’m not alone 🙂
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yay! I KNOW WE EXIST! 😀
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I relate so much to this post. I live alone too and I had actually moved to a place where I knew nobody. Every time I told that to someone their reaction would be like “Poor you!” While I was having so much fun exploring and just enjoying the lone time. Nobody to feel obligated to talk to or spend time with. If I did need people , everyone is just a click away. Incase of real interaction , how hard is it to just go to a bar, musuem, hike, ice cream shop and do people watching or strike up a friendly conversation. And yes.. who talks at movies? I did love having all the popcorn for myself 😛 or incase of concerts I would just go find a spot with nobody around and just enjoy the music. 🙂
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Yes yes, a hundred times yes! 🙂 That’s exactly what I’m talking about. It’s an extroverts world so people always equate lone time with loneliness. I guess it’s unfathomable to them how somebody can be alone and be pretty happy! And people also seem to think that we’re anti-social but that’s totally not true. We like people, and we don’t mind if there’s no people too. 🙂 I mean, how hard is that to understand!
And I’m sure that you are having a wonderful time! Because I’m living alone too, and it is kinda liberating actually. Earlier, I could never drag any of my friends to the museum or an art gallery, but now I can do all of those things! And yes, popcorn all for myself! (because Uday doesn’t share food :P)
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Hehe.. Janani doesn’t share food too! 😛
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Awesomee post. And being an only child I spend so much of my time alone but don’t exactly feel bored. Ive felt like sometimes I don’t have a direction to spend my interest in, but then I step back and focus. I realise Ive got a hugeeee list of to-read , to-watch, to-do list 😀
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I have a brother and a sister, so it really too me time to begin to be comfortable doing things that they didn’t wanna do. I used to play cricket in the evenings a lot when I was in school, but now I wish I’d used that time differently. Believe it or not, I read my first book when I was in my 8th standard!! That’s like too pathetic! But yesss, now I don’t think I can ever run out of things to do. I mean, you should look at my to-read, to-watch list. 😛 I’ve filled enough for multiple generations!
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I’m EXACTLY like that! My Mom scolds me a lot on how I never get enough rest, and I’m always busy doing something. I don’t rest, I never sit idle, I’m always finding stuff to do.. ALONE! I don’t even waste time texting people. I sometimes feel like that being so distant from human connection is sorta abnormal, but that’s the only time when I’m the happiest. I’m weird, I know 😦
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Hey did you forget? We’re the exact same people 😉 My Mom used to be the same you know, “Get off the internet, get off the phone, throw that book aside, can’t you just be NORMAL???’ I feel guilty when I don’t keep in touch with friends as much as I should be doing, because I’ll be in my happy place and I usually would not want anything to disturb that. Sounds selfish, I know. But I can’t seem to change it.
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I actually LIKE being alone. I just don’t understand why some people crave human beings’ company, even if they don’t really like that person. When I ask them, they tell me they were bored. How can you get bored? There are so many books to read, so many movies to watch, so much to do!
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I LOVE being alone. Alone and loneliness are very different things which people hardly understand. My mom really tried to talk me out of my solo trip as she was like, “But who will you talk to???” But yea, I’m not an extrovert so I have no idea how their brain rolls.
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True that. I kinda like keeping to myself. One day introverts will rule the world, haha. 😀
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Yes WE WILL! 😀
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Yaay, us! 😀
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AGREED! Every word.
This quote is made for awesomesauce people like us. =D
“My alone feels so good, I’ll only have you if you’re sweeter than my solitude.”
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A wonderful quote indeed! 😀
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Loved the post; especially this part: “..the universe presents itself with so many interesting things that we would be doing it injustice by worrying that we have got nothing to do.”
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Thanks you Chris. 🙂
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People are weird. I LOVE my alone time. Heaven. I can walk around with my hair in this ugly bun, stuff my face with Pringles and shop all day. And that’s true inner peace. My Zen mode. No, I don’t get bored either.
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You go, girl! That’s what I’m talking about! 🙂
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A crazy thing just happened I was getting bored and I thought of signing in to my blog to check out some posts and I read this and it has inspired me to not waste time on getting bored and just do something! :’) thanks!
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🙂 You’re most welcome! It’s a good thing that you have decided to open WordPress because this is indeed a great place for one’s daily dose of inspiration, creativity, and learning!
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Finally someone else I can relate to. I’m exactly like you in that I don’t get bored and I struggle with the very concept. I’ve even told my friends almost exactly the same thing you expressed: “…how can I when there’s always so much to do and think and learn and experience?”
What does annoy me is that it seems to make my friends worry about me when I hole myself up at home for days on end. Don’t I get lonely? Nope! Maybe I’m depressed? Not at all. I’m just too busy reading, writing, researching, and learning.
Glad to know I’m not the only person who feels this way.
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Aha! Always awesome to meet people who feel the same. 😀 It’s like everybody has decided that the only way to have ‘fun’ is to hang out with buddies or do some social activities or what not!! I can have too much fun at home in my pyjamas just reading a book and savoring a nice cup of coffee lol!
I was just thinking today that some people worry how to spend their free time. I worry that I don’t have enough time to do the stuff I wanna do. 😉
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Reblogged this on @iWaldito and commented:
Amazing post
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(*grins*) I can see it’s been six years since this was posted. I was just wondering what it says about me that I have never been bored, nor lonely. Not much, I’m guessing. Still, maybe we would be the sort ideally suited to space exploration, say, Mars, for example. Only, I do like my planet of origin an awful lot: Earth, in case you’re wondering. (*grins*) And, oh, I grin a lot. In fact, I find that there are more people like me terribly amusing, and zer interesante. Best to all ‘y’all out there. Cheers. Here’s to another six wonderful years of wondering.
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