1 00:00:04,440 --> 00:00:09,280 Speaker 1: Hello everybody, and welcome back to the Psychology of Your Twenties, 2 00:00:09,920 --> 00:00:12,280 Speaker 1: the podcast where we talk through some of the big 3 00:00:12,520 --> 00:00:16,880 Speaker 1: life changes and transitions of our twenties and what they 4 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:26,520 Speaker 1: mean for our psychology. Hello everybody, Welcome back to the show. 5 00:00:26,640 --> 00:00:31,360 Speaker 1: Welcome back to the podcast, near listeners, old listeners, wherever 6 00:00:31,400 --> 00:00:34,280 Speaker 1: you are in the world. Thank you for tuning in. 7 00:00:34,400 --> 00:00:39,519 Speaker 1: For another topic. So, something that I've been contemplating a 8 00:00:39,520 --> 00:00:43,960 Speaker 1: lot recently is those periods in our lives, kind of 9 00:00:44,000 --> 00:00:49,440 Speaker 1: those moments sometimes, those seasons where life just seems to 10 00:00:49,479 --> 00:00:52,040 Speaker 1: lose a lot of its color and it becomes quite 11 00:00:52,560 --> 00:00:57,480 Speaker 1: bland and stale. Nothing quite feels as exciting as it 12 00:00:57,600 --> 00:01:01,840 Speaker 1: used to. Everything feels very much not this and just 13 00:01:01,920 --> 00:01:06,760 Speaker 1: kind of boring. Life feels really boring and devoid of 14 00:01:06,800 --> 00:01:10,520 Speaker 1: those experiences and emotions that keep us excited, kind of 15 00:01:10,680 --> 00:01:14,440 Speaker 1: lacking that sense of a future, that there's something to 16 00:01:14,520 --> 00:01:20,360 Speaker 1: be looking forward to or excited about. And I think 17 00:01:20,400 --> 00:01:24,720 Speaker 1: it's a pretty hideous feeling, as speaking from own experience, 18 00:01:24,840 --> 00:01:27,800 Speaker 1: to look around and realize that your life has kind 19 00:01:27,800 --> 00:01:30,240 Speaker 1: of become something that you never wanted it to be, 20 00:01:30,720 --> 00:01:33,639 Speaker 1: To recognize that you are just bored. You are bored 21 00:01:33,720 --> 00:01:36,720 Speaker 1: of your own life. And I don't think that boredom 22 00:01:36,959 --> 00:01:39,479 Speaker 1: is something we need to be afraid of, But when 23 00:01:39,520 --> 00:01:43,760 Speaker 1: it becomes the dominant emotion and you're in this constant 24 00:01:43,800 --> 00:01:48,000 Speaker 1: state where nothing ever changes, I think it's really hard 25 00:01:48,520 --> 00:01:50,760 Speaker 1: to look at your life as if there is a 26 00:01:50,800 --> 00:01:54,720 Speaker 1: certain meaning to it, or to just be happy and 27 00:01:54,840 --> 00:01:58,280 Speaker 1: content with the way you are going about things. I 28 00:01:58,400 --> 00:02:00,600 Speaker 1: had this when I first started working my nine to 29 00:02:00,680 --> 00:02:05,040 Speaker 1: five and my days were just consumed by waking up, 30 00:02:05,520 --> 00:02:09,639 Speaker 1: commuting to work, eating the same lunch, the same breakfast 31 00:02:09,760 --> 00:02:12,919 Speaker 1: each day, leaving at seven pm, and then just being 32 00:02:13,200 --> 00:02:16,400 Speaker 1: too exhausted to even do anything afterwards but watch TV. 33 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:20,360 Speaker 1: And I repeated this routine week after week for almost 34 00:02:20,400 --> 00:02:24,760 Speaker 1: a year, and it was honestly so soul destroying. And 35 00:02:24,840 --> 00:02:28,160 Speaker 1: I just kept remembering this promise that I made to 36 00:02:28,200 --> 00:02:31,240 Speaker 1: myself when I was younger, that I would never have 37 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:34,679 Speaker 1: an office shop, that I would make my life as 38 00:02:34,720 --> 00:02:37,720 Speaker 1: exciting as it could be, And it really hurt to 39 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:40,799 Speaker 1: realize that I was failing that younger version of myself 40 00:02:40,800 --> 00:02:43,839 Speaker 1: that really wanted something more on top of that kind 41 00:02:43,880 --> 00:02:47,960 Speaker 1: of chronic boredom that was seeping into all other areas 42 00:02:47,960 --> 00:02:50,480 Speaker 1: of my life. And you know, work and the full 43 00:02:50,520 --> 00:02:54,519 Speaker 1: time corporate grind are not the only culprit here. I 44 00:02:54,600 --> 00:02:58,639 Speaker 1: think it's an accumulation of a lot of factors that 45 00:02:58,800 --> 00:03:03,280 Speaker 1: push us into these extreme moments of just kind of emptiness. 46 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:06,120 Speaker 1: And I know that was such a pessimistic intro and 47 00:03:06,400 --> 00:03:10,359 Speaker 1: very sorry, but if that is you right now, if 48 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:13,600 Speaker 1: you've lost a bit of your passion and spirit the 49 00:03:13,639 --> 00:03:16,400 Speaker 1: older you've gotten, as you've kind of hit some of 50 00:03:16,440 --> 00:03:20,600 Speaker 1: those less fun responsibilities of adulthood and your early twenties, 51 00:03:21,840 --> 00:03:25,120 Speaker 1: this episode is for you. This episode will hopefully provide 52 00:03:25,120 --> 00:03:30,840 Speaker 1: you with two things. Firstly, a psychological explanation for why 53 00:03:30,880 --> 00:03:34,880 Speaker 1: that is, why does life feel boring? Pointing to a 54 00:03:34,920 --> 00:03:38,880 Speaker 1: lot of external factors but also internal ones. I think 55 00:03:38,920 --> 00:03:42,000 Speaker 1: that to know the problem is to fix the problem, 56 00:03:42,120 --> 00:03:45,760 Speaker 1: or at least understand it better. And so secondly, what 57 00:03:45,800 --> 00:03:47,680 Speaker 1: are we going to do about it? You really do 58 00:03:48,440 --> 00:03:52,720 Speaker 1: deserve a life that you actually enjoy, not one where 59 00:03:52,800 --> 00:03:55,080 Speaker 1: kind of time feels like it's standing still and you're 60 00:03:55,120 --> 00:03:58,320 Speaker 1: just kind of sleep walking through your days. I feel 61 00:03:58,320 --> 00:04:01,480 Speaker 1: like it's quite cliche to say this, but I think 62 00:04:01,560 --> 00:04:05,040 Speaker 1: sometimes we just need a reminder that you truly only 63 00:04:05,080 --> 00:04:07,960 Speaker 1: get one life. You know, I have to really hold 64 00:04:08,000 --> 00:04:10,080 Speaker 1: back from saying yolo there, but you know it's kind 65 00:04:10,080 --> 00:04:13,640 Speaker 1: of cringed to say, but really, on a somewhat serious note, 66 00:04:14,240 --> 00:04:18,080 Speaker 1: this is it. You are not going to get this 67 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:22,320 Speaker 1: time back. And I think a lot of us, myself included, 68 00:04:23,000 --> 00:04:27,080 Speaker 1: sometimes go through periods of perhaps living as if this 69 00:04:27,200 --> 00:04:30,680 Speaker 1: life is a practice round that we can do it 70 00:04:30,720 --> 00:04:34,839 Speaker 1: differently next time, and sadly, based on your beliefs, but 71 00:04:35,200 --> 00:04:38,360 Speaker 1: based on my beliefs, there is no next time. You 72 00:04:38,800 --> 00:04:43,200 Speaker 1: really do owe yourself the full depth of human experiences 73 00:04:43,360 --> 00:04:47,120 Speaker 1: and to break out of this boredom cycle. So let's 74 00:04:47,120 --> 00:04:50,799 Speaker 1: talk about how we can do this. Before we jump 75 00:04:50,839 --> 00:04:55,479 Speaker 1: into the advice, Let's firstly talk about the human experience 76 00:04:55,640 --> 00:05:00,000 Speaker 1: of boredom. We have a tendency to villainize certain amount 77 00:05:00,520 --> 00:05:03,240 Speaker 1: as bad or to be avoided, but each of them 78 00:05:03,760 --> 00:05:08,080 Speaker 1: plays their role. I guess boredom included, and boredom is 79 00:05:08,200 --> 00:05:12,679 Speaker 1: essentially your brain telling you that something needs to change, 80 00:05:13,120 --> 00:05:15,880 Speaker 1: the same way that hunger tells our body to fuel 81 00:05:15,920 --> 00:05:20,920 Speaker 1: itself or loneliness tells us to reconnect. Boredom is our 82 00:05:21,000 --> 00:05:25,640 Speaker 1: brains signal to our body that our current situation or 83 00:05:25,800 --> 00:05:30,560 Speaker 1: environment is not providing us enough engagement or meaning, and 84 00:05:30,600 --> 00:05:34,440 Speaker 1: it's somewhat, you know, draining our innate spirit. And I 85 00:05:34,480 --> 00:05:37,560 Speaker 1: know that's not a psychology term, but kind of. I 86 00:05:37,560 --> 00:05:41,200 Speaker 1: think it explains how it feels. And it typically occurs 87 00:05:41,279 --> 00:05:46,440 Speaker 1: when our energy isn't channeled into an outlet that feels 88 00:05:46,680 --> 00:05:50,840 Speaker 1: personally meaningful to us, like a dead end job or 89 00:05:50,880 --> 00:05:55,000 Speaker 1: a failing relationship. There's an important distinction here between what 90 00:05:55,080 --> 00:06:00,880 Speaker 1: psychologists call trait boredom and state boredom. So bored is 91 00:06:00,960 --> 00:06:05,080 Speaker 1: how susceptible we are as individuals to feeling dissatisfied and 92 00:06:05,200 --> 00:06:09,960 Speaker 1: understimulated by our environment and relationships, regardless of what is 93 00:06:10,000 --> 00:06:13,839 Speaker 1: actually going on. And the theory behind this concept is 94 00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:16,679 Speaker 1: that there are certain people who are high in trade 95 00:06:16,720 --> 00:06:21,880 Speaker 1: boredom that may feel bored even in situations that objectively 96 00:06:22,000 --> 00:06:26,599 Speaker 1: are really exciting, like during while they're traveling or during 97 00:06:26,640 --> 00:06:32,120 Speaker 1: big life events. Basically, their threshold for mental stimulation is 98 00:06:32,760 --> 00:06:37,960 Speaker 1: so high that the events that would excite them would 99 00:06:37,960 --> 00:06:41,520 Speaker 1: make them entertained and happy have to be so intense 100 00:06:41,560 --> 00:06:45,479 Speaker 1: that they are almost cursed by chronic boredom. It may 101 00:06:45,520 --> 00:06:48,560 Speaker 1: also come I guess, from an inability to sustain our 102 00:06:48,600 --> 00:06:52,920 Speaker 1: attention which is fairly typical amongst people with ADHD, who 103 00:06:52,960 --> 00:06:57,480 Speaker 1: often find themselves becoming quite bored with things very quickly, 104 00:06:58,240 --> 00:07:01,520 Speaker 1: not from a place of personal flos but because their 105 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:06,320 Speaker 1: brains literally cannot keep them stimulated and excited by something 106 00:07:06,440 --> 00:07:09,520 Speaker 1: for an extended period of time. We might say that 107 00:07:09,560 --> 00:07:12,280 Speaker 1: they have high trait boredom in the situation. And people 108 00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:15,880 Speaker 1: with this high trait boredom, they are more likely to 109 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:20,400 Speaker 1: take exaggerated or really intensive risks. They're more likely to 110 00:07:20,480 --> 00:07:27,360 Speaker 1: experience anxiety, depression, and even substance abuse at extreme levels. 111 00:07:27,760 --> 00:07:30,360 Speaker 1: And I think that makes a lot of sense from 112 00:07:30,400 --> 00:07:34,240 Speaker 1: a logical standpoint. If the rest of the world cannot 113 00:07:34,280 --> 00:07:37,760 Speaker 1: give you the enjoyment that you need, maybe turning to 114 00:07:37,880 --> 00:07:42,240 Speaker 1: artificial enhancers like drugs or alcohol is kind of the 115 00:07:42,280 --> 00:07:46,360 Speaker 1: only viable solution in that moment. Luckily, for us, the 116 00:07:46,480 --> 00:07:49,160 Speaker 1: vast majority of people do not have high trait boredom. 117 00:07:49,560 --> 00:07:52,400 Speaker 1: You and me, the average person. We are more likely 118 00:07:52,520 --> 00:07:56,240 Speaker 1: to experience what is known as state boredom. So this 119 00:07:56,280 --> 00:07:59,960 Speaker 1: is when we feel bored in a specific situation based 120 00:07:59,960 --> 00:08:03,760 Speaker 1: on our current environment. And basically the theory suggest that 121 00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:07,920 Speaker 1: boredom in these instances arises as a product of what 122 00:08:07,960 --> 00:08:11,720 Speaker 1: we call situational meaninglessness. We look at what we're doing 123 00:08:11,800 --> 00:08:15,840 Speaker 1: and we cannot find the why behind why we're doing it. 124 00:08:16,240 --> 00:08:18,360 Speaker 1: You know, sitting in a class when you're not learning 125 00:08:18,400 --> 00:08:22,360 Speaker 1: anything particularly relevant, or in some eight hour seminar for 126 00:08:22,480 --> 00:08:26,800 Speaker 1: a job you don't love. Being in that situation feels 127 00:08:26,840 --> 00:08:30,080 Speaker 1: like it lacks purpose for the plans that you have 128 00:08:30,160 --> 00:08:34,880 Speaker 1: for your life, and this essentially queues boredom, triggers boredom, 129 00:08:35,240 --> 00:08:38,079 Speaker 1: which is telling our brain that something needs to change. 130 00:08:38,160 --> 00:08:41,400 Speaker 1: So in those moments, it's a combination of low mental 131 00:08:41,400 --> 00:08:45,160 Speaker 1: arousal and feeling unpleasant, and we want to avoid that. 132 00:08:45,240 --> 00:08:48,920 Speaker 1: So our brain is saying, this is not making me happy. 133 00:08:49,040 --> 00:08:51,679 Speaker 1: I don't want to be here, This is not fun 134 00:08:51,720 --> 00:08:54,960 Speaker 1: for me. And not only is it not fun, but 135 00:08:55,040 --> 00:08:58,480 Speaker 1: it's not particularly aligned with what we kind of had 136 00:08:58,480 --> 00:09:02,360 Speaker 1: in mind for our lives. It's this phenomenon known as 137 00:09:02,760 --> 00:09:10,000 Speaker 1: chronic dissatisfaction, that restless feeling of yearning or wishing for 138 00:09:10,040 --> 00:09:14,120 Speaker 1: something more without even knowing what it is, but knowing 139 00:09:14,200 --> 00:09:17,400 Speaker 1: that we are not happy. When this occurs, when life 140 00:09:17,480 --> 00:09:21,240 Speaker 1: just feels really boring and we feel trapped by our 141 00:09:21,280 --> 00:09:25,320 Speaker 1: current circumstances, this can actually operate as what we would 142 00:09:25,320 --> 00:09:28,120 Speaker 1: call a catalyst for change. So it's kind of this 143 00:09:28,240 --> 00:09:31,480 Speaker 1: symbolic kick to get us going, to get us back 144 00:09:31,480 --> 00:09:35,360 Speaker 1: on the horse, to reclaim the agency we have over 145 00:09:35,400 --> 00:09:39,600 Speaker 1: our lives and decisions. And that's probably the state that 146 00:09:39,640 --> 00:09:42,120 Speaker 1: you are in right now. If you are here listening 147 00:09:42,200 --> 00:09:45,520 Speaker 1: to this episode, you may have ignored some of those 148 00:09:45,520 --> 00:09:49,040 Speaker 1: initial cues for too long or begun to feel a 149 00:09:49,080 --> 00:09:53,440 Speaker 1: bit overwhelmingly comfortable, which is a nice enough feeling. But 150 00:09:53,559 --> 00:09:57,520 Speaker 1: the reality of human existence is that our brains need 151 00:09:57,559 --> 00:10:01,720 Speaker 1: a certain level of cognitive stimulation, not only to grow, 152 00:10:01,840 --> 00:10:04,720 Speaker 1: but to keep us happy. Our brains also need a 153 00:10:04,840 --> 00:10:08,560 Speaker 1: challenge or something to work towards, otherwise they become static, 154 00:10:09,160 --> 00:10:12,760 Speaker 1: and in that state, we use these same neural pathways 155 00:10:12,960 --> 00:10:16,679 Speaker 1: over and over again. We do the same things. We 156 00:10:16,720 --> 00:10:19,240 Speaker 1: are not pushing our brain to engage in what we 157 00:10:19,280 --> 00:10:23,800 Speaker 1: would call synaptic or neuralplasticity, whereby we strengthen and weaken 158 00:10:23,920 --> 00:10:28,920 Speaker 1: certain synaptic pathways depending on what our environment requires. So 159 00:10:28,960 --> 00:10:32,800 Speaker 1: when we don't provide ourselves with new experiences, our brains 160 00:10:32,840 --> 00:10:37,040 Speaker 1: become less alert, they become less engaged, they become less curious, 161 00:10:37,559 --> 00:10:42,040 Speaker 1: and that results in that sense of flatness and even 162 00:10:42,040 --> 00:10:45,120 Speaker 1: in some cases we spoke about before kind of a 163 00:10:45,160 --> 00:10:51,560 Speaker 1: reliance on external pleasures substances to keep us happy. And 164 00:10:51,600 --> 00:10:56,439 Speaker 1: there was a very famous study that has showed this correlation, 165 00:10:56,600 --> 00:11:02,959 Speaker 1: this relationship using rats. This experiment conducted in the nineteen seventies. 166 00:11:03,040 --> 00:11:06,400 Speaker 1: It was called rat Park, which is first of all, 167 00:11:06,600 --> 00:11:10,160 Speaker 1: just a super cute name to start off with, but essentially, 168 00:11:10,320 --> 00:11:15,080 Speaker 1: these researchers they created three different homes or environments for 169 00:11:15,360 --> 00:11:18,440 Speaker 1: these little rats, and one was full of enrichment. It 170 00:11:18,520 --> 00:11:22,280 Speaker 1: had toys and slides and other rats they could play with, 171 00:11:22,840 --> 00:11:26,560 Speaker 1: and the next condition had other rats but less enrichment, 172 00:11:26,960 --> 00:11:30,960 Speaker 1: and the final setting involved just one rat alone in 173 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:35,320 Speaker 1: a cage by itself, with nothing to entertain it. The 174 00:11:35,400 --> 00:11:38,160 Speaker 1: experimenters then gave the rats two water bottles, two kinds 175 00:11:38,160 --> 00:11:41,800 Speaker 1: of sources of hydration. One of the water bottles just 176 00:11:41,840 --> 00:11:45,120 Speaker 1: contained water and the other one was water laced with 177 00:11:45,360 --> 00:11:50,520 Speaker 1: cocaine and heroine. The rats, who had enrichment and they 178 00:11:50,520 --> 00:11:53,560 Speaker 1: had their little rat friends to play with, they didn't 179 00:11:53,640 --> 00:11:56,280 Speaker 1: really go for the cocaine water. It was like free drugs, 180 00:11:56,320 --> 00:11:59,320 Speaker 1: and they just were not interested. They were happy with 181 00:11:59,600 --> 00:12:02,960 Speaker 1: just playing water. But the rats who were alone and 182 00:12:03,000 --> 00:12:06,439 Speaker 1: who were bored and who had nothing to entertain themselves 183 00:12:07,040 --> 00:12:10,880 Speaker 1: exclusively drank the cocaine water to the point that they 184 00:12:11,240 --> 00:12:15,920 Speaker 1: became ill and even died despite having the plane water available. 185 00:12:16,280 --> 00:12:20,280 Speaker 1: And basically, what this study concluded is that our drive 186 00:12:20,440 --> 00:12:24,640 Speaker 1: to avoid boredom is so strong that we will go 187 00:12:24,800 --> 00:12:28,480 Speaker 1: as far as to perhaps harm ourselves with things like alcohol, 188 00:12:28,679 --> 00:12:32,559 Speaker 1: substances junk food just to give us a little bit 189 00:12:32,559 --> 00:12:35,920 Speaker 1: of enrichment. We need to be challenged, we need to 190 00:12:35,960 --> 00:12:39,880 Speaker 1: be entertained more than we need a lot of other things. 191 00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:43,480 Speaker 1: And so our brain is going to respond in a 192 00:12:43,520 --> 00:12:47,320 Speaker 1: few ways, not just regarding substance usage, but other ways 193 00:12:47,360 --> 00:12:51,040 Speaker 1: when it feels this impending sense of boredom. The first 194 00:12:51,200 --> 00:12:55,800 Speaker 1: is triggering that deep dissatisfaction we've spoken about, because it 195 00:12:55,880 --> 00:12:59,400 Speaker 1: hopes that that will trigger certain behavioral decisions as a 196 00:12:59,400 --> 00:13:03,600 Speaker 1: way to ev these feelings, like changing something about our environment, 197 00:13:03,920 --> 00:13:08,000 Speaker 1: putting ourselves out there doing more quote unquote fun things 198 00:13:08,520 --> 00:13:13,360 Speaker 1: so that we achieve that emotional kind of equilibrium homeostasis. 199 00:13:13,559 --> 00:13:17,760 Speaker 1: But the second interaction, which we've spoken about briefly, is 200 00:13:17,840 --> 00:13:21,200 Speaker 1: really interesting. So according to the study published in the 201 00:13:21,400 --> 00:13:26,920 Speaker 1: Cognition and Emotion Journal in twenty twenty one. Experiencing prolonged 202 00:13:27,240 --> 00:13:30,520 Speaker 1: state boredom actually results in what we would call an 203 00:13:30,520 --> 00:13:36,200 Speaker 1: optimistic perception of risk, an increased risk taking behavior. So, 204 00:13:36,800 --> 00:13:41,080 Speaker 1: as this article explains, the evolutionary function of boredom is 205 00:13:41,120 --> 00:13:45,439 Speaker 1: to motivate us to pursue an alternative experience, and sometimes 206 00:13:45,920 --> 00:13:49,040 Speaker 1: we swing way too far in the opposite direction to 207 00:13:49,120 --> 00:13:52,560 Speaker 1: compensate for feeling so shitty and so stuck for so long. 208 00:13:53,120 --> 00:13:56,640 Speaker 1: So they found that participants in this study who self 209 00:13:56,679 --> 00:14:00,000 Speaker 1: reported that they were currently quite bored in their lives, 210 00:14:00,840 --> 00:14:04,000 Speaker 1: they took a lot more risks. It's why we find 211 00:14:04,040 --> 00:14:08,559 Speaker 1: ourselves when we are feeling this way, wanting to spontaneously 212 00:14:08,880 --> 00:14:12,320 Speaker 1: change our hair or book some elaborate holiday, or get 213 00:14:12,320 --> 00:14:16,000 Speaker 1: a tattoo, or break up with our partners. Our brains 214 00:14:16,080 --> 00:14:20,240 Speaker 1: are just trying to recalibrate in that moment. But that 215 00:14:20,320 --> 00:14:25,480 Speaker 1: doesn't always leave us in the most sustainable position. You know, 216 00:14:25,560 --> 00:14:28,040 Speaker 1: you just have a new hair color or a new tattoo, 217 00:14:28,760 --> 00:14:32,440 Speaker 1: not a new outlook. So it's a temporary fix for 218 00:14:32,600 --> 00:14:37,120 Speaker 1: what is a deeper emotional and mental issue, not feeling 219 00:14:37,200 --> 00:14:40,360 Speaker 1: able to direct your efforts to the things in life 220 00:14:40,400 --> 00:14:45,240 Speaker 1: that will keep you fulfilled and happy. Perhaps you know 221 00:14:45,280 --> 00:14:49,000 Speaker 1: you've been spending too much time in your routine, or 222 00:14:49,240 --> 00:14:54,600 Speaker 1: there are certain environmental triggers like those behind seasonal effective disorder. 223 00:14:55,200 --> 00:14:57,760 Speaker 1: There are a lot of reasons, but also a lot 224 00:14:57,760 --> 00:15:00,720 Speaker 1: of ways that we can counteract that. So if you 225 00:15:00,800 --> 00:15:04,240 Speaker 1: are someone who is feeling like life is just incredibly 226 00:15:04,280 --> 00:15:07,080 Speaker 1: boring right now, I want to provide you with some 227 00:15:07,400 --> 00:15:11,480 Speaker 1: tips to get over that, some tips to feel better 228 00:15:11,800 --> 00:15:15,880 Speaker 1: about the kind of miracle and beauty of life. We're 229 00:15:15,920 --> 00:15:18,480 Speaker 1: going to talk about all of that and more after 230 00:15:18,560 --> 00:15:29,960 Speaker 1: this shortbreak. Just because life feels boring doesn't mean that 231 00:15:30,000 --> 00:15:33,360 Speaker 1: it's always going to be that way. It's worth noting 232 00:15:33,400 --> 00:15:36,800 Speaker 1: that we are all going to experience the occasional moment 233 00:15:37,400 --> 00:15:41,800 Speaker 1: or period of dissatisfaction, especially since I don't think any 234 00:15:41,880 --> 00:15:45,760 Speaker 1: one thing a job, a hobby, a holiday, a partner 235 00:15:46,480 --> 00:15:50,000 Speaker 1: can keep us happy forever, and so we need boredom 236 00:15:50,120 --> 00:15:52,280 Speaker 1: to kind of tell us when it's time to change, 237 00:15:52,320 --> 00:15:56,600 Speaker 1: when it's time to keep evolving. And if we listen 238 00:15:57,000 --> 00:16:00,200 Speaker 1: to that boredom, if we don't let it suffocate us 239 00:16:00,280 --> 00:16:03,160 Speaker 1: but motivate us. I also think that it can be 240 00:16:03,360 --> 00:16:06,680 Speaker 1: quite transformative. So I want to talk about some of 241 00:16:06,720 --> 00:16:09,680 Speaker 1: the key factors that cause life to feel boring, but 242 00:16:09,800 --> 00:16:12,840 Speaker 1: also what exactly we can do about it to kind 243 00:16:12,880 --> 00:16:18,120 Speaker 1: of counterbalance or counteract their influence. Firstly, being so stuck 244 00:16:18,160 --> 00:16:20,720 Speaker 1: in our routine that we don't have any new or 245 00:16:20,800 --> 00:16:27,600 Speaker 1: novel experiences is a massive contributor. Routine is great for 246 00:16:27,720 --> 00:16:32,280 Speaker 1: creating structure, reducing stress, allowing us to do the things 247 00:16:32,360 --> 00:16:35,800 Speaker 1: we want and need to do, but when it is 248 00:16:35,920 --> 00:16:39,880 Speaker 1: too highly stringent, it can actually confine our lives. It 249 00:16:39,960 --> 00:16:44,800 Speaker 1: leaves little room or possibility for spontaneity. We've spoken about 250 00:16:44,800 --> 00:16:47,200 Speaker 1: this before on the podcast the benefit of what we 251 00:16:47,280 --> 00:16:51,720 Speaker 1: call an anti routine. The premise is that you actually 252 00:16:52,360 --> 00:16:56,040 Speaker 1: need to give yourself time to do things that are 253 00:16:56,080 --> 00:17:00,720 Speaker 1: unexpected and to expose yourself to new experiences. You cannot 254 00:17:00,720 --> 00:17:04,480 Speaker 1: plan out every single moment of your life, every single 255 00:17:04,520 --> 00:17:06,919 Speaker 1: moment of your day. It might make you feel like 256 00:17:07,440 --> 00:17:10,560 Speaker 1: you have more control, but it could also be contributing 257 00:17:10,600 --> 00:17:15,639 Speaker 1: to some deeper emotional experiences. If life is feeling boring, 258 00:17:16,400 --> 00:17:18,800 Speaker 1: break out of your routine for a moment and try 259 00:17:18,800 --> 00:17:22,960 Speaker 1: and just do one new, unexpected thing a week, whether 260 00:17:23,040 --> 00:17:26,200 Speaker 1: that is trying a new gym class or a new restaurant, 261 00:17:26,760 --> 00:17:29,720 Speaker 1: just starting a new project, literally just eating something new, 262 00:17:29,840 --> 00:17:33,640 Speaker 1: or listening to different music or a different podcast. All 263 00:17:33,680 --> 00:17:37,399 Speaker 1: of those things provides our brain with the novelty that 264 00:17:37,480 --> 00:17:42,840 Speaker 1: it needs to feel less bored and research into brain health, cognition, 265 00:17:43,040 --> 00:17:48,639 Speaker 1: longevity it suggests that regular experiences of novelty like the 266 00:17:48,680 --> 00:17:52,160 Speaker 1: ones we've just spoken about, are essential to a long, 267 00:17:52,400 --> 00:17:56,240 Speaker 1: happy life, but also for reducing that boredom, that sense 268 00:17:56,359 --> 00:18:00,480 Speaker 1: of being stuck. Here's the psychology behind this theory. Our 269 00:18:00,560 --> 00:18:04,720 Speaker 1: brains need stimulation and new experiences, and the reason for 270 00:18:04,760 --> 00:18:08,560 Speaker 1: this preference is really simple. Novelty makes us happy. It 271 00:18:08,680 --> 00:18:12,080 Speaker 1: just makes us happy. And brain research has shown that 272 00:18:12,480 --> 00:18:15,679 Speaker 1: we get such a rush of dopamine every time we 273 00:18:15,800 --> 00:18:18,960 Speaker 1: see something new, we experiencing something new of any kind. 274 00:18:19,640 --> 00:18:22,879 Speaker 1: They published this study in this journal called Neuron, and 275 00:18:23,400 --> 00:18:27,040 Speaker 1: in this study, they showed participants a series of images 276 00:18:27,119 --> 00:18:33,199 Speaker 1: that were mostly very basic, simple commonplace things like you know, 277 00:18:34,240 --> 00:18:39,840 Speaker 1: ordinary landscapes like a field, a couch, basic faces, like 278 00:18:40,080 --> 00:18:45,120 Speaker 1: very boring, simple images, and then they randomly threw in 279 00:18:45,480 --> 00:18:49,360 Speaker 1: like an odd ball image, something that was really unexpected, 280 00:18:49,400 --> 00:18:51,720 Speaker 1: really out of the ordinary. And what they did was 281 00:18:51,760 --> 00:18:55,760 Speaker 1: they watched their brain activity to see what areas of 282 00:18:55,800 --> 00:18:59,320 Speaker 1: the brain was activated when they saw these odd ball images. 283 00:19:00,000 --> 00:19:02,720 Speaker 1: And what they found was that the pleasure centers of 284 00:19:02,800 --> 00:19:07,200 Speaker 1: the brain, mainly located in the mid brain, were activated 285 00:19:07,720 --> 00:19:12,399 Speaker 1: extremely more so when the participants saw this new, fresh 286 00:19:12,440 --> 00:19:15,440 Speaker 1: image compared to when they just were staring at the basic, 287 00:19:15,760 --> 00:19:20,440 Speaker 1: ordinary landscapes. What this is telling us is that when 288 00:19:20,480 --> 00:19:24,520 Speaker 1: we restrict ourselves to the ordinary and constant routine and structure, 289 00:19:25,359 --> 00:19:28,199 Speaker 1: we receive less of that dope, mean and excitement. So 290 00:19:28,640 --> 00:19:31,720 Speaker 1: you need to push beyond your comfort zone every now 291 00:19:31,720 --> 00:19:36,359 Speaker 1: and again. Book the trip, do something spontaneous, shake things 292 00:19:36,400 --> 00:19:40,959 Speaker 1: up a bit, embrace the anti routine, and you'll feel 293 00:19:41,000 --> 00:19:44,399 Speaker 1: a lot better. Secondly, another reason we can feel bored 294 00:19:44,400 --> 00:19:47,639 Speaker 1: by life is kind of counterintuitive, and it's because of 295 00:19:47,800 --> 00:19:53,280 Speaker 1: overstimulation and excessive social media usage. Now this occurs because 296 00:19:53,280 --> 00:19:58,840 Speaker 1: of two reasons. Firstly, when we consume so much social media, 297 00:19:58,920 --> 00:20:02,480 Speaker 1: we spend so much of our lives online, our brains 298 00:20:02,520 --> 00:20:07,320 Speaker 1: can no longer focus its attention onto just one thing. Secondly, 299 00:20:07,359 --> 00:20:11,040 Speaker 1: it's the impact of social comparison. Let's start with the 300 00:20:11,040 --> 00:20:15,000 Speaker 1: first one. There have been an abundance of research papers 301 00:20:15,000 --> 00:20:20,440 Speaker 1: in recent years into the impact of fast media, particularly 302 00:20:20,480 --> 00:20:25,880 Speaker 1: social media, on our ability to get genuine enjoyment from life. 303 00:20:26,440 --> 00:20:30,600 Speaker 1: Our brains were not built for receiving this much information, 304 00:20:31,359 --> 00:20:36,200 Speaker 1: and nowadays they have been completely exposed to this whole 305 00:20:36,240 --> 00:20:41,680 Speaker 1: new way of receiving information and of receiving messages from 306 00:20:41,680 --> 00:20:44,320 Speaker 1: the world around us, and so they have almost been 307 00:20:44,359 --> 00:20:49,040 Speaker 1: altered by the instant gratification created by thirty second ten 308 00:20:49,080 --> 00:20:53,119 Speaker 1: second videos and tiktoks and videos and online content with 309 00:20:53,720 --> 00:20:57,560 Speaker 1: flashing lights that are going to immediately give our brain 310 00:20:57,720 --> 00:21:00,800 Speaker 1: a bit of a dopamine hit. Nowadays is we can 311 00:21:00,840 --> 00:21:05,119 Speaker 1: find ourselves sitting on the couch aimlessly scrolling for what 312 00:21:05,200 --> 00:21:08,880 Speaker 1: could be ours, rather than actually engaging in our environment 313 00:21:08,960 --> 00:21:11,880 Speaker 1: and in our lives. And as one article put it, 314 00:21:12,280 --> 00:21:15,040 Speaker 1: a lot of our experience with the Internet is based on, 315 00:21:15,240 --> 00:21:18,840 Speaker 1: as we said before, instant gratification, and as a result, 316 00:21:19,280 --> 00:21:22,359 Speaker 1: our attention span is shortening and we are used to 317 00:21:23,040 --> 00:21:27,840 Speaker 1: receiving that spike of dopamine instantly from our phones. That 318 00:21:27,920 --> 00:21:31,159 Speaker 1: makes the rest of our lives where we might not 319 00:21:31,240 --> 00:21:34,080 Speaker 1: get that stimulation right away, where it's just a little 320 00:21:34,119 --> 00:21:37,840 Speaker 1: bit less colorful because it's not artificial, it feels boring. 321 00:21:38,480 --> 00:21:44,040 Speaker 1: And additionally, being able to sustain our attention also is important, 322 00:21:44,280 --> 00:21:47,360 Speaker 1: so that not being something that we can do as 323 00:21:47,400 --> 00:21:50,120 Speaker 1: well as we used to be able to. That's going 324 00:21:50,160 --> 00:21:53,320 Speaker 1: to increase bottom levels because it means that we can 325 00:21:53,359 --> 00:21:57,560 Speaker 1: no longer actually focus on pursuing our ideas, our goals, 326 00:21:57,600 --> 00:22:00,000 Speaker 1: and our visions for our lives because we get to 327 00:22:00,040 --> 00:22:05,840 Speaker 1: distracted so easily. That is the first explanation. The second 328 00:22:06,400 --> 00:22:09,800 Speaker 1: has to do a social comparison. Here is the fallacy 329 00:22:09,800 --> 00:22:15,000 Speaker 1: of platforms like Instagram. They will convince you that everyone 330 00:22:15,119 --> 00:22:18,439 Speaker 1: is doing better than you, is happier than you, is 331 00:22:18,480 --> 00:22:21,520 Speaker 1: having the fucking time of their life, and you might 332 00:22:21,600 --> 00:22:25,520 Speaker 1: see that, and it's going to completely change your appraisal, 333 00:22:25,600 --> 00:22:29,600 Speaker 1: your perspective on your own happiness levels if you're not careful, 334 00:22:30,560 --> 00:22:35,840 Speaker 1: not everyone can travel Europe for their entire lives or 335 00:22:35,960 --> 00:22:39,679 Speaker 1: is constantly having the experiences that you might wish you 336 00:22:39,720 --> 00:22:43,479 Speaker 1: were having. And when we don't have that oversight, that 337 00:22:43,560 --> 00:22:47,719 Speaker 1: reality check, it can make it feel like our lives 338 00:22:47,760 --> 00:22:52,520 Speaker 1: are comparatively quite boring, even if we have every reason 339 00:22:52,680 --> 00:22:55,600 Speaker 1: to be super happy. Here's how we can break away 340 00:22:56,080 --> 00:22:59,080 Speaker 1: from that infiltration that is making you feel like your 341 00:22:59,119 --> 00:23:03,639 Speaker 1: life lacks some meaning. Firstly, go and search us some 342 00:23:03,680 --> 00:23:08,560 Speaker 1: real dopamine here, something that exists beyond the screen, beyond 343 00:23:08,600 --> 00:23:12,480 Speaker 1: the instant gratification of social media, or better yet, kind 344 00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:16,760 Speaker 1: of challenge yourself to a dopamine detox to offer a 345 00:23:16,760 --> 00:23:20,520 Speaker 1: bit of a circuit break or an opportunity to rewire 346 00:23:20,560 --> 00:23:25,800 Speaker 1: your attention and how your brain processes enjoyment. So a 347 00:23:25,880 --> 00:23:32,480 Speaker 1: dopamin detox entails essentially fasting or giving up certain dopamine 348 00:23:32,640 --> 00:23:38,120 Speaker 1: producing activities like social media, junk food, things like that, 349 00:23:38,280 --> 00:23:41,840 Speaker 1: anything that's a pleasure with the hope of decreasing your 350 00:23:41,880 --> 00:23:46,960 Speaker 1: reward sensitivity. So the idea is that by allowing ourselves 351 00:23:47,040 --> 00:23:51,760 Speaker 1: to feel bored or to feel lonely, we find pleasure 352 00:23:52,240 --> 00:23:57,360 Speaker 1: more so in very simple and more natural activities, and 353 00:23:57,400 --> 00:24:01,360 Speaker 1: that allows us to regain control over our lives and 354 00:24:01,680 --> 00:24:06,200 Speaker 1: be better able to address certain compulsive behaviors that might 355 00:24:06,200 --> 00:24:10,560 Speaker 1: be interfering with our happiness. Now, I will say there 356 00:24:10,560 --> 00:24:15,080 Speaker 1: hasn't been much research into the long term efficacy of 357 00:24:15,119 --> 00:24:19,720 Speaker 1: this practice, but some people really celebrate it anecdotally as 358 00:24:20,480 --> 00:24:24,120 Speaker 1: it being the thing that got them to stop wasting 359 00:24:24,119 --> 00:24:27,280 Speaker 1: their life consuming things like social media, and it made 360 00:24:27,359 --> 00:24:30,760 Speaker 1: them feel a lot less unsatisfied with the overall state 361 00:24:30,800 --> 00:24:34,440 Speaker 1: of their lives because they got to experience and spend 362 00:24:34,520 --> 00:24:39,200 Speaker 1: more time actually enjoying those small joys, noticing the mundane, 363 00:24:39,800 --> 00:24:43,560 Speaker 1: kind of focusing on what it is that is their 364 00:24:43,600 --> 00:24:48,080 Speaker 1: sense of purpose. Also, you know, as a bonus, detaching 365 00:24:48,119 --> 00:24:52,040 Speaker 1: ourselves from social media also reduces a lot of those 366 00:24:52,080 --> 00:24:57,280 Speaker 1: opportunities for social comparison and kind of allows us to 367 00:24:57,320 --> 00:25:01,239 Speaker 1: put the version of ourself forward we actually like, not 368 00:25:01,320 --> 00:25:05,480 Speaker 1: one that has been curated or altered or changed to 369 00:25:05,520 --> 00:25:09,920 Speaker 1: fit some certain expectation. So the third reason life might 370 00:25:10,000 --> 00:25:14,159 Speaker 1: feel quite boring is because of something more clinical like 371 00:25:14,320 --> 00:25:20,560 Speaker 1: depression or even seasonal effective disorder. Depression is a real 372 00:25:20,640 --> 00:25:24,800 Speaker 1: possibility if you aren't just bored, but you do not 373 00:25:25,000 --> 00:25:29,720 Speaker 1: find joy in anything that you do, in particular the 374 00:25:29,800 --> 00:25:33,280 Speaker 1: things that used to make you so happy and used 375 00:25:33,320 --> 00:25:36,480 Speaker 1: to make you feel so alive. We did a whole 376 00:25:36,520 --> 00:25:40,040 Speaker 1: episode on depression and the links to feeling stagnant. But 377 00:25:40,240 --> 00:25:43,480 Speaker 1: seasonal effective disorder, I think, is one that requires some 378 00:25:43,520 --> 00:25:48,080 Speaker 1: special attention in this episode, especially as the winter months 379 00:25:48,119 --> 00:25:50,760 Speaker 1: are coming in fast for a lot of you, all 380 00:25:50,760 --> 00:25:55,639 Speaker 1: in the northern hemisphere. So seasonal effective disorder or depression 381 00:25:55,760 --> 00:25:59,359 Speaker 1: or the winter blues it occurs when the days become shorter, 382 00:25:59,480 --> 00:26:03,199 Speaker 1: the sun sets sooner, the cold kind of starts to 383 00:26:03,240 --> 00:26:07,240 Speaker 1: creep in, and it naturally causes our mood to plummet 384 00:26:07,800 --> 00:26:10,439 Speaker 1: kind of locks our social schedule and the amount of 385 00:26:10,600 --> 00:26:14,720 Speaker 1: time we have to do things that really refresh the soul, 386 00:26:15,040 --> 00:26:18,560 Speaker 1: like go outside, like actually see our friends feel human. 387 00:26:19,359 --> 00:26:22,639 Speaker 1: And it may explain why the sense that life is 388 00:26:22,680 --> 00:26:26,880 Speaker 1: boring can be very seasonal and really, you know, after 389 00:26:26,920 --> 00:26:30,000 Speaker 1: the fun of the summer and the spring months has faded, 390 00:26:30,560 --> 00:26:33,439 Speaker 1: we can find ourselves kind of trapped in this sense 391 00:26:33,560 --> 00:26:39,359 Speaker 1: of life feeling quite meaningless. My best advice is to 392 00:26:39,440 --> 00:26:42,360 Speaker 1: make sure that you actually have things in the future 393 00:26:42,440 --> 00:26:45,560 Speaker 1: to keep you excited about. That was like my main 394 00:26:45,680 --> 00:26:48,040 Speaker 1: hack when I lived in Canberra, where it got freezing 395 00:26:48,080 --> 00:26:51,520 Speaker 1: cold and the sun was genuinely only up for eight hours. 396 00:26:52,080 --> 00:26:54,240 Speaker 1: I kind of always made sure that there was something 397 00:26:54,280 --> 00:26:56,720 Speaker 1: planned in the next two months, three months in the 398 00:26:56,800 --> 00:27:00,000 Speaker 1: summer months. That gave me something to actually look for 399 00:27:00,240 --> 00:27:02,560 Speaker 1: two It was kind of a light at the end 400 00:27:02,560 --> 00:27:05,119 Speaker 1: of the tunnel, a reminder that life is not boring, 401 00:27:05,680 --> 00:27:08,320 Speaker 1: It is just cold. It is just phrasing. I am 402 00:27:08,400 --> 00:27:11,639 Speaker 1: just sad, and there will be more time to create 403 00:27:11,680 --> 00:27:15,080 Speaker 1: those fun moments and experiences for myself. I want to 404 00:27:15,119 --> 00:27:19,760 Speaker 1: talk about four final tips I have for this feeling, 405 00:27:20,400 --> 00:27:23,639 Speaker 1: for getting out of this rut, the sense that life 406 00:27:23,840 --> 00:27:27,359 Speaker 1: is boring. Number one, you need to get out of 407 00:27:27,359 --> 00:27:31,720 Speaker 1: your sweatpants or your coffee clothes at least once a day. Now. 408 00:27:31,800 --> 00:27:34,600 Speaker 1: I know this this hard, especially if you work from 409 00:27:34,600 --> 00:27:37,199 Speaker 1: home a lot like I do. But what I was 410 00:27:37,280 --> 00:27:40,720 Speaker 1: finding is that every day I kind of spent in 411 00:27:40,760 --> 00:27:44,720 Speaker 1: the house in my pajamas, never getting out for even 412 00:27:44,800 --> 00:27:48,000 Speaker 1: the occasional walk or coffee with a friend or some sunshine. 413 00:27:48,680 --> 00:27:52,200 Speaker 1: I just ended the day feeling a lot worse than 414 00:27:52,240 --> 00:27:55,359 Speaker 1: the days that I did do those things. Just the 415 00:27:55,480 --> 00:27:59,600 Speaker 1: simple act of getting up, putting on an outfit, and 416 00:27:59,680 --> 00:28:04,240 Speaker 1: leaving the house, it gives you just daily exposure to 417 00:28:04,280 --> 00:28:08,080 Speaker 1: small things that are stimulating and interesting. Secondly, I would 418 00:28:08,119 --> 00:28:11,280 Speaker 1: say say yes to everything, even if you think it's 419 00:28:11,280 --> 00:28:14,120 Speaker 1: going to make you uncomfortable, or even if you think 420 00:28:14,119 --> 00:28:16,679 Speaker 1: it's a little bit odd. Say yes to you know, 421 00:28:16,720 --> 00:28:19,359 Speaker 1: the party where you don't know anyone, to the work trip, 422 00:28:19,920 --> 00:28:22,879 Speaker 1: to just new opportunities. Because I think saying yes is 423 00:28:22,960 --> 00:28:26,000 Speaker 1: a skill, and it also allows you to take action 424 00:28:26,160 --> 00:28:28,880 Speaker 1: to make a change in your life to be more 425 00:28:28,960 --> 00:28:32,240 Speaker 1: open to new experiences and to risks and to memories. 426 00:28:32,760 --> 00:28:36,679 Speaker 1: Sometimes the easiest thing we can do is the most convenient, 427 00:28:37,000 --> 00:28:39,280 Speaker 1: and the most convenient thing is to say no. But 428 00:28:39,600 --> 00:28:42,160 Speaker 1: saying yes kind of says to the world, says to 429 00:28:42,160 --> 00:28:46,080 Speaker 1: the universe like I'm open to exciting things. I'm open 430 00:28:46,120 --> 00:28:50,040 Speaker 1: to surprises. I'm kind of open to a challenge. Thirdly, 431 00:28:50,360 --> 00:28:53,360 Speaker 1: do something for others. I know this feels like quite 432 00:28:53,400 --> 00:28:57,480 Speaker 1: a strange antidote for boredom, but sometimes we really do 433 00:28:57,640 --> 00:29:01,120 Speaker 1: need to get out of our own heads and realize 434 00:29:01,160 --> 00:29:04,240 Speaker 1: that our lives are not the only ones that matter 435 00:29:05,000 --> 00:29:07,680 Speaker 1: in this world. That we are sharing this planet with 436 00:29:07,840 --> 00:29:09,920 Speaker 1: billions of others who could use a bit of help 437 00:29:10,080 --> 00:29:12,520 Speaker 1: or some kindness. So pull yourself out of your own 438 00:29:12,560 --> 00:29:15,120 Speaker 1: head for a bit, out of all your thoughts and 439 00:29:15,160 --> 00:29:18,160 Speaker 1: your boredom, and direct your attention to someone else who 440 00:29:18,240 --> 00:29:19,880 Speaker 1: might need it. I actually think that it is one 441 00:29:19,880 --> 00:29:22,480 Speaker 1: of the most empowering things that you can do, not 442 00:29:22,560 --> 00:29:26,120 Speaker 1: just for yourself, but for other people as well. And finally, 443 00:29:26,640 --> 00:29:30,920 Speaker 1: de clutter your space, give that depression room a bit 444 00:29:30,960 --> 00:29:33,880 Speaker 1: of a clean. Now, I'm not going to sit here 445 00:29:34,040 --> 00:29:36,720 Speaker 1: and tell you that this is going to magically give 446 00:29:36,760 --> 00:29:39,760 Speaker 1: your life a whole new meaning and change everything. But 447 00:29:39,800 --> 00:29:42,600 Speaker 1: I do think there is a correlation between how you 448 00:29:42,720 --> 00:29:46,320 Speaker 1: keep your space and how you approach life. If you 449 00:29:46,400 --> 00:29:49,440 Speaker 1: feel like your room or your home is in order, 450 00:29:50,000 --> 00:29:52,520 Speaker 1: you are more inclined to want to be more productive 451 00:29:52,720 --> 00:29:55,840 Speaker 1: or active in other areas of your life. And that 452 00:29:56,000 --> 00:29:59,760 Speaker 1: is the really simple formula to overcoming a sense of 453 00:29:59,800 --> 00:30:03,160 Speaker 1: being being stuck or bored. You really just need to 454 00:30:03,280 --> 00:30:06,000 Speaker 1: do more. You need to put yourself out there. And 455 00:30:06,120 --> 00:30:08,920 Speaker 1: if you have a space that feels comfortable, you have 456 00:30:08,960 --> 00:30:12,200 Speaker 1: a space that feels like it's organized and structured, it's 457 00:30:12,240 --> 00:30:15,200 Speaker 1: going to kind of inspire you to do more on 458 00:30:15,240 --> 00:30:18,000 Speaker 1: your you know, the external parts of your life as well, 459 00:30:18,560 --> 00:30:20,800 Speaker 1: do more with your life in any way that you can. 460 00:30:21,560 --> 00:30:23,640 Speaker 1: Like I said before, I think we often fall into 461 00:30:23,640 --> 00:30:27,760 Speaker 1: this trap of treating life like it's an inconvenience or 462 00:30:27,840 --> 00:30:31,840 Speaker 1: something that we've been forced into, because we don't recognize 463 00:30:32,000 --> 00:30:36,040 Speaker 1: how precious it actually is to be alive and to 464 00:30:36,120 --> 00:30:40,000 Speaker 1: be human and to love and explore and laugh and 465 00:30:40,040 --> 00:30:43,520 Speaker 1: make mistakes and just do something impulsive every now and again. 466 00:30:44,120 --> 00:30:46,880 Speaker 1: So if you have become trapped in a routine or 467 00:30:46,880 --> 00:30:51,240 Speaker 1: a lifestyle that doesn't give you those moments of being like, yes, 468 00:30:51,800 --> 00:30:55,480 Speaker 1: this is it. Life is wonderful. I think it makes 469 00:30:55,520 --> 00:30:59,520 Speaker 1: sense that you're feeling bored and unfortunately, no one is 470 00:30:59,560 --> 00:31:03,760 Speaker 1: going to change that for you. You have a duty, a 471 00:31:03,880 --> 00:31:07,400 Speaker 1: personal duty, to create the life that you want. And 472 00:31:07,480 --> 00:31:12,120 Speaker 1: you know, whether it's just a change in routine or environment, 473 00:31:12,240 --> 00:31:14,880 Speaker 1: the people that you spend time with, or just focusing 474 00:31:15,440 --> 00:31:18,360 Speaker 1: on your mental health, you can really pull yourself out 475 00:31:18,360 --> 00:31:21,560 Speaker 1: of this feeling, out of this period of boredom and 476 00:31:21,760 --> 00:31:23,880 Speaker 1: just see kind of a whole new side to the 477 00:31:23,880 --> 00:31:26,040 Speaker 1: world and how you want to choose to live it. 478 00:31:26,160 --> 00:31:29,640 Speaker 1: So I'm sending you strength and love, but most of all, excitement. 479 00:31:30,080 --> 00:31:33,160 Speaker 1: I hope that you enjoyed this episode. I hope that 480 00:31:33,200 --> 00:31:35,560 Speaker 1: it left you feeling a little bit inspired or at 481 00:31:35,680 --> 00:31:39,280 Speaker 1: least informed at the bare minimum. As always, if you 482 00:31:39,440 --> 00:31:42,920 Speaker 1: enjoyed this episode, if you enjoy the Psychology of your twenties, 483 00:31:43,480 --> 00:31:45,840 Speaker 1: please feel free to give us a five star review. 484 00:31:45,920 --> 00:31:49,000 Speaker 1: Make sure you're following so you know when new episodes 485 00:31:49,040 --> 00:31:52,240 Speaker 1: are coming out. If you have an episode suggestion, or 486 00:31:52,240 --> 00:31:53,880 Speaker 1: if you just have something that you want to say 487 00:31:53,920 --> 00:31:57,920 Speaker 1: about this episode or any other episode you can follow 488 00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:02,560 Speaker 1: us at That Psychology Podcast on Instagram and I Am 489 00:32:02,680 --> 00:32:05,040 Speaker 1: at Gemmispeg on Instagram if you want to see some 490 00:32:05,080 --> 00:32:08,680 Speaker 1: more behind the scenes content. Thanks again for listening today. 491 00:32:08,800 --> 00:32:14,080 Speaker 1: As always, we will be back next week with another episode.