Boredom

66Mustang · April 2023

I’ve asked this question a few times before but am asking again to see if anyone or any of the new members give any novel suggestions…

What do people, especially those who aren’t working, do all day to overcome boredom?

I spend my day playing on the computer but there is only so much of this that I can do before getting bored of it.

My alcohol drinking has gone up a little bit because of boredom. I get especially bored in the evening when everyone is settling down and not wanting to do anything and I tend to have a couple of beers or whiskies to pass the time and soothe my anxiety.

A significant point I should mention is I can’t do anything outside of the house by myself. My parents are obviously/understandably not able to take me out all of the time, they have their own lives, so I need things that I can do at home.

In an ideal world I’d take myself out for a drive for several hours a day but of course that is not a possibility. Plus it would be expensive. Actually, in a really ideal world, I’d have a job!!

Thanks!

Sandy_123 · April 2023

Hi @66Mustang my time is taken up by house work and family, doing art.
Have you thought of a open university course. Or something similar.

Hannah_Alumni · April 2023

Hello @66Mustang

I just wanted to say, if you ever feel like the increase in drinking is becoming too much, please don't hesitate to reach out to us, we are here

I was housebound for three years, I've said before I love to research my ancestry. I also have a blog where I talk about all sorts

. Have you thought about trying new recipes out? I have a friend who cooked and baked more when bored.

Sandy_123 · April 2023

I'd love to know how to make those fiddle blankets and the teddybears out of people's clothes

WelshBlue · April 2023

Have you considered things like AirFix models etc ... if your hands/ body allow it ?

66Mustang · April 2023

Thanks all lots for the replies. I really appreciate all of the answers.

I have only a short time online ATM before I have to go but will reply to everyone individually later. Just wanted to say thanks.

Keep the ideas coming in the meantime.

MrWright · April 2023

Wierd, I tend to only game when having alcohol. 🤣 Used to be a bedroom dj thats good fun and used to code websites and web designs as a hobby. Can't now adays can’t sit down for longer then 5mins even stand so makes them hobbys used to love impossible now. 🤣

Steve_in_The_City · April 2023

Try using your mind to keep preoccupied. Computer games are good (I only use simple words games etc). I am interested in cooking so baking and bread making are good for me. I write basic HTML and .CSS so that keeps my mind active. Also, and I realise that this may not be good for you, but I do get out and about on my mobility scooter and meet people.

66Mustang · April 2023

Thanks again to all.

@sandy_123 I have been considering doing an online learning course of a subject that I had to drop out of when I previously did it, that’s a great idea.

@hannah_scope thanks for the ideas. I hope your ancestry research is going well! The drinking is not a huge problem - 5 units on a bad day and I am still having alcohol free days; I am still under the 14 units a week rule, but thank you for the offer of support.

@purrrrrrr that sounds like a great thing to do and for a good cause. I agree about the internet - especially social media or anything with a comments section - I do like reading articles though, things like Wikipedia

@biblioklept I think my issue is I’m not really passionate about anything! Maybe like you say I need to take some time and try to think about what I am passionate about.

@woodbine I can imagine with the balance and vision problems restricting you that things do get quite boring. Glad to hear you are still fighting though and trying to make some progress. I hope the puppy is OK, dogs often eat and then throw it back up so fingers crossed it’s nothing really major.

@welshblue used to love AirFix, that’s a great suggestion, thank you.

@MrWright I often game while having a beer as well, ha ha. Sorry to hear you can’t do your hobbies anymore, I hope you’re getting treatment for not being able to sit for long…Can imagine that must be frustrating having to be on the move all the time, probably more so than not being able to move in the first place.

@Steve_in_the_city I have never, ever, looked into coding before so I’d be starting from square one, maybe that’s a good thing to get in to as it sounds like a useful skill and quite rewarding!

Thanks again and hope I didn't miss anyone to reply to.

MrWright · April 2023

Yeah, prob do more steps than an athlete 🤣 but in wrong ways absolutely nackerd all time even physio not touching it nowadays 😪 and is a big thing for AS. 😐

MrWright · April 2023

Just stay strong bud, you speak on this forum keep going, I'm sort of guy that keeps peeps going try not mention disabilities but hard on here 🤣

Steve_in_The_City · April 2023

@66Mustang Here is a link: https://www.w3schools.com/

It is quite nice to make web pages because in many many decades to come your family can access them (everything is downwards compatible). When I was in business I used to write my own web site. I don't have a need to do this anymore but I do keep information that I don't want to lose as web pages on my laptop.

UKDJ · February 2024

It is such a long time since I used this Forum (2017) that I had forgotten I was even registered...!

As there are no time/date stamps on any Posts I don't know how old this Thread is, but hope it is OK to add my own 'two'penneth' to the discussion?

I, too, struggle with boredom and came (back!) here to Post a request for ideas/help to overcome it. I did a Search for 'boredom' before starting a new Post and this was one of a few results that were returned...

Some good ideas here, but for a number of reasons most wouldn't work for me!

My daily routine mostly consists of, non-stop scrolling through emails, Internet, social media, online banking and completing the daily Wordle -

https://www.nytimes.com/games/wordle/index.html -

- which can take anything from seconds to several hours, depending on what else I NEED to do on any given day!

Exercise of almost ANY sort is a no-no, due to severe back/leg pain caused by Spina Bifida. Before 'the pandemic' I was swimming several times a week, but in the last year I had a melanoma removed and further surgery, so open wounds mean that is not possible for the foreseeable future!

Nowadays, the only pleasures I seem to have left are food and s3x (I am married) - neither of which are healthy ways of filling my day! Blood tests since 2019 show that I am constantly fighting against becoming diabetic - so being a 'foodie' and comfort/boredom eating are a constant battle!!!

I would love to hear any new ideas for filling my time, but to save any wasting of other people's time here are a few things I'm NOT interested in 'exploring' -

1. I am an Atheist, so not interested in 'getting involved' with local church groups/activities;

2. The last time I did any 'gaming' was on an Atari - probably late 1970s/early '80s (I think it was called Pong or Bong!). No offence to (adult) gamers, but I left that behind in my teens;

3. Our flat is too small to have a dedicated 'hobbies and interests' room/area - not that I have an artistic fibre in my body anyway! - so any leisure time/activities are usually confined to the dining table (which we don't use for dining anyway!) and I/we wouldn't want to leave everything 'in place'. The dining table usually plays host to mine and my wife's laptops and not much else;

4. I don't believe in the old adage of 'Work is the answer'/"Arbeit macht frei" ("Work (will) set(s) you free")! To cut a long story short, and not to get too political, I had a job which the Con-servative government destroyed with their failed 'austerity policies'... now I couldn't care less about working, as long as I have enough to survive!

Sorry for the long Post!

Rosie_Scope · February 2024

Welcome back to the community @UKDJ! This post is originally from April 2023, but I know there are some issues with the dates displaying on certain screens.

Do you enjoy reading at all? Either e-readers, 'real' paper books or audiobooks. I find listening to podcasts about interesting subjects can also help pass the time and alleviate some boredom.

I've also done film challenges before when I've been too unwell to do much else. I'll pick a topic or genre and watch a load of different films, ranking each one afterwards. Or picking a list someone's compiled of the best or worst movies and making my way through that. 'Bad' movies were a fun one to get through!

What are your interests?

Hannah_Alumni · February 2024

Hello @UKDJ

As I mentioned above, I like to research my ancestry if that is something that interests you. I've recently got into Mahjong too, as I saw you like wordle. I love to read, and to help that not take up so much space, maybe using a book app on your phone or tablet may be a solution?

UKDJ · February 2024

Rosie_Scope said:

Welcome back to the community @UKDJ! This post is originally from April 2023, but I know there are some issues with the dates displaying on certain screens.

Do you enjoy reading at all? Either e-readers, 'real' paper books or audiobooks. I find listening to podcasts about interesting subjects can also help pass the time and alleviate some boredom.

I've also done film challenges before when I've been too unwell to do much else. I'll pick a topic or genre and watch a load of different films, ranking each one afterwards. Or picking a list someone's compiled of the best or worst movies and making my way through that. 'Bad' movies were a fun one to get through!

What are your interests?

Hi @Rosie_Scope - Thanks for your reply.

I do enjoy reading but lately haven't found anything that really 'grabbed my attention', so that I either 'couldn't put it down' or couldn't wait to get back to it! This maybe indicative of other issues (mild depression!), but that's somewhere I don't want to 'return to'...! Maybe the desire to start reading again will come back in the future, fingers X'd!
Podcasts are something I really should put some effort into 'giving it a try', if I can find a subject that 'grabs me'...

Films are a difficult one for me - apart from a few favourites I could watch endlessly, and often do if I need a 'pick-me-up' - I can't usually concentrate for long enough to watch a film, which maybe a cognitive thing connected to my hydrocephalus???

Your final question has really been difficult to answer... What are my interests???

As mentioned in my original Post -

Endless scrolling through emails, the Internet, social media (although I have cut this down a lot, as I find much of it - in particular, Facebook - too toxic!);

Also,

Watching (waaaaay tooooo muuuuuch) TV;

Listening to music - I was a DJ, on & off, for 40-odd years... but 'the pandemic' was the final nail in that coffin! I also used to be a Hospital Radio volunteer, but again the pandemic interrupted that and I haven't found the 'oomph' to get back into it!

Food (eating more than cooking, as standing to cook is an issue!) - but as I mentioned that has caused potential health issues, along with a constant battle to control my weight!

- Sorry if these all seem like negatives!

One thing I have wanted to 'get into' for a long time, but have only ever read about the difficulties/drawbacks of doing, is being an online proof-reader. Attention to detail is one of my strengths, but I don't have the 'right qualifications' as far as I can tell.
If any readers know how I might investigate this - paid or unpaid - I would be interested to listen? Nothing annoys me more than seeing an online article/website etc with appalling spelling and grammar!!! LOL

Any further thoughts appreciated...?

UKDJ · February 2024

Hannah_Scope said:

Hello @UKDJ

As I mentioned above, I like to research my ancestry if that is something that interests you. I've recently got into Mahjong too, as I saw you like wordle. I love to read, and to help that not take up so much space, maybe using a book app on your phone or tablet may be a solution?

Hi @Hannah_Scope - Thanks for your reply.

I have tried researching my family tree in the not-too-distant past, but pretty quickly hit a brick wall and found getting any further could potentially get expensive!

I don't know much about Mah-Jongg - didn't know you could play online, and maybe I am getting it confused with Yahtzee? - but it reminds me of Candy Crush, which doesn't interest me!
I do like words and numbers games, like crosswords and Su-doku, but most of the good ones can cost quite a bit!

I like the 'novelty value' and tech of e-readers/apps, but prefer the tactile feel of a 'real' book - see my reply to @Rosie_Scope above...

Hannah_Alumni · February 2024

@UKDJ That's the other downside is that in can be. Thankfully with so many different ancestry websites, I like to have a snoop through other people's trees!

We have word games in our Games Lounge!

Be great to see you join in.

We have a thread called The Book Nook that has some great suggestions for when you feel more like reading. You said you like a book you cannot put down? I'd highly recommend The Only One Left by Riley Sager!

If you are looking for proof reading, in a paid or unpaid capacity, why not ask a local Chairty? I know that charities like Crohn's and Colitis UK and Diabetes UK have hired research officers before. With one of the main parts of the job being proof reading. Worth an ask

Rosie_Scope · March 2024

That's really interesting that you used to be a DJ @UKDJ, but makes sense seeing your username! Do you still have any of the equipment or any computer software that you could mess about with? Maybe that's something you could revisit in some way. Or learning how to mix music tracks or create your own tracks if you don't already know how. Not sure if that's the same kind of DJing as you used to do, so I'm not meaning to be patronising, I'm just not very clued up!

I can understand how hard it is to motivate yourself to do something, especially when you're struggling with depression. Not easy at all! I find the first step can be the hardest sometimes.

I used to do a bit of freelance copywriting online, just writing product descriptions for a very small bit of money or vouchers, but I'm not sure that the company still exists after AI's taken over. Hannah's suggestion of contacting a few charities might be worth a go, like she mentioned, perhaps they'd appreciate some help proof reading?

Albus_Scope · March 2024

I'm liking Rosies DJing idea! I'm also an ex DJ @UKDJ and used to love it. I still have a muck around using a laptop and some software, though I miss using vinyl or CDs. Maybe you could look into doing some online streams to entertain yourself and other people?

UKDJ · March 2024

Rosie_Scope said:

That's really interesting that you used to be a DJ @UKDJ, but makes sense seeing your username! Do you still have any of the equipment or any computer software that you could mess about with? Maybe that's something you could revisit in some way. Or learning how to mix music tracks or create your own tracks if you don't already know how. Not sure if that's the same kind of DJing as you used to do, so I'm not meaning to be patronising, I'm just not very clued up!

I can understand how hard it is to motivate yourself to do something, especially when you're struggling with depression. Not easy at all! I find the first step can be the hardest sometimes.

I used to do a bit of freelance copywriting online, just writing product descriptions for a very small bit of money or vouchers, but I'm not sure that the company still exists after AI's taken over. Hannah's suggestion of contacting a few charities might be worth a go, like she mentioned, perhaps they'd appreciate some help proof reading?

I got rid of all my 'gear' a while ago - space needed! - but still have a laptop with DJ'ing software (& tens of thousands of 'tracks'), as well as all my vinyl and CDs.
I could NEVER 'get rid' of my music collection, although it is just 'gathering dust' since the advent of 'digital' DJ'ing...! I began around 1979-80, hence the vinyl and CD as well as digital collections!
I do still 'tinker' occasionally, but it's no substitute for being in front of a crowd!
I never got into music production, preferring to just play what people knew and wanted.

I admit, it's now my turn to be 'clueless' - I have no idea what a copywriter is, or does?
I'm not great at creating 'content' myself, but love to help others with things like spelling and grammar (in a nice way, of course!)

I have already started drafting an email to send to charities, introducing myself and saying how I would love to help them with proofreading (paid or not!), as suggested by @Hannah_Scope but it's difficult to not sound too critical - even though some online content, and printed communication, can be atrocious!!!

Boredom

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