Ennui: a feeling of utter weariness and discontent resulting from satiety or lack of interest; boredom. 

The title of this post is a quote from “The Hound“, a short story by H.P. Lovecraft. The story is about two bored intellectuals who become involved in dark and terrible occult happenings with gruesome and macabre results. Très spooky. Why, you may ask, did they do this? To use the narrator’s words, they were seeking “respite from our devastating ennui”, or to put it simply, they were bored.

In my humble opinion, boredom is one of the most potentially destructive emotions known to human existence. (Note Lovecraft’s description of ennui as “devastating”. I can certainly empathize.) I’m not alone in this opinion–I’m sure you’ve heard the old saying “Idle hands are the devil’s playthings”. Oddly enough, I also believe that boredom is one of the most potentially transformative and growth-inspiring mental states possible. Most of us can only stand boredom for so long before we take action–for better or worse. That action might be a much-needed career change or breakup, or it might be an ill-advised and catastrophic gambling trip or illicit affair. 

One thing to remember about boredom is that happy people get bored too–being bored doesn’t mean you’re on the wrong path. For example, you might be in a successful career aligned with your purpose, and all of a sudden you cannot contemplate another day in the same office with the same people doing the same damn thing. Perhaps you’ve been so successful in your personal growth efforts that you now need more of a challenge. 

As I said, boredom doesn’t necessarily mean that what you’ve been doing is bad , but it always means that something needs to change. Boredom is a call to action and, whatever the reason for your ennui, if you’re bored for long enough, you’d better believe that you’re eventually going to do something to shake things up. The key is to be proactive and make sure that “something” is positive.

The first thing you need to do is take stock of your life. Do a mental inventory of your career, living arrangements, relationships, social life, hobbies, etc. Identify the specific areas that feel particularly constraining or boring, then try applying some of these strategies to alleviate your boredom and put some pizzaz back into your life:

• Challenge yourself. Bored at work? Go for that promotion. Dedicated runner? Start training for a marathon or triathlon. Like to write stories? Enter a short story contest. Love to cook? Come up with some new recipes. Pick something you love and are passionate about and find a way to make it challenging.
• Get involved. Join a club or association. Network with people who share your personal or career interests. Go to workshops, conferences, and lectures. Get out there!
• Find/become a mentor. Find someone who is where you want to be (or if you don’t know where you want to be, find someone who seems happy, fulfilled, and energetic) and pick their brain. How did they get there? What advice would they give you? Serving as a mentor can also be inspiring and challenging–helping someone else can make you see things from a fresh perspective. This strategy especially useful in the career arena, but you can use it in other areas as well. (For example, if you’re a newlywed who feels a bit bored in her marriage, you could find a happily married friend to talk to who could be your “marriage mentor”.)
• Volunteer. Volunteering is FABULOUS. Not only does it give you the warm fuzzy feeling of knowing that you’ve helped someone else, but you can also use it to “test drive” different careers and hobbies to see if you like them. You can also volunteer to take on new projects at work. You never know what opportunities and connections you might stumble upon, and it will make you look great to the boss!
• Get uncomfortable. Terrified of public speaking? Join Toastmasters or volunteer to give that big presentation at work. Horrible dancer (like me)? Take a dance class. Confirmed wallflower at parties? Try speed dating. Do something that pushes your limits, stretches your boundaries, and makes you just a little bit scared. It’ll be anything but boring!
• Move on. That’s right–this is the big one. Quit your job. Leave your hometown. Get out of your relationship. Only you can know for sure when it’s time to deploy the mother of all boredom busters, but I suspect there’s a time in everyone’s life when it’s necessary. (It would be wise to take it slowly with this one–think about it, journal about it, talk to friends/family/your therapist about it.)

I’ve been feeling a bit bored and constrained lately (mostly at work, but also in my social life/leisure time). I’m going to the BlogHer Conference, which will–I’m sure–give me tons of ideas for my website. I’m planning to take a striptease dance class (see “get uncomfortable”) with Zandria and a few other friends. I’m still working on what to do about my career boredom.

What about you? Are you bored? What are you going to do to liven things up?

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