How can we break the sense of routine/boredom with mindfulness
Continuing the search for mindfulness and the form it takes in our daily lives, let’s see how we break our routine.
The sense of boredom, apathy, stagnation can emotionally bring us down and lead us to frustration, indifference, depreciation, even resignation. We may be led to the death of joy, enthusiasm, the desire for exploration. Through our practices for a better quality of life, a more mindful life, we acquire a more positive presence, without disconnecting or excluding difficult situations or heavy emotions.
With mindfulness, since it has applications and expressions in all areas of life, we can create for ourselves the gift of maintaining a fresh perspective on things that seemingly are “always the same.”
Childness
Observing children, something they’ve seen 100 times, they can see it in 100 different new ways. A child will get bored when their imagination runs out.
As we grow older, our imagination becomes limited, so we want to find ways to keep it alive. The key to our imagination is held by our inner child. In our daily lives, this is evident when we allow moments of spontaneity and play. With simple little things that unhook us from the “shoulds” of adults.
This childness and the need for play is expressed in many ways and needs to be allowed to exist in our lives. These give us vitality, we gain meaning, and they bring laughter, positivity, optimism. By extension, we gain a fresh perspective and allow these to be available at any moment.
Spontaneous moments of play in our lives can be found when we find the activities we want to experience. When we shut down the critical mind that wants to find a fault in everything and let the body experience. It is important that our life includes play.
In deeper expressions, this experience offers us pleasure of every kind. We release the body that needs to experience moments of relief, to sing, to dance, even to shout, to stretch, or even to stay still. Yes, for some people, staying completely still is a great challenge and takes them out of their comfort zone.
What is described is closely connected to deep knowledge (self-awareness), experience, and dedication to self observation. It describes a human existence with a connection and knowledge of all its elements, from the inner child to the inner parent/adult/elderly. Superficiality or irresponsibility, or elements that distract us from necessary obligations, are dysfunctional pieces and need resolution so that we find ways to enjoy the expressions of our lives always with connection.
Everyday life and routine
And yet, it’s all a matter of mindset.
In a systematized routine of work, the schedule is more or less common. We wake up at a specific time, follow the same route every day, do the same work every day… etc.
If we allow ourselves free, we can perceive the differences in each of our days.
Some examples:
- We wake up differently every day
- We create a morning routine that will make us feel good. It can be different every day
- Morning gratitude exercise with breathing exercises
- Washing our face and maintaining our personal hygiene can be done like a ritual
- Our every morning is this one and only morning
- Every time we take the same road in the same direction, we meet different people. It's a unique moment. You never know when it will be the last time you pass a road you might be passing your whole life.
- We observe the colors and the light of the day, with the uniqueness that they deserve
We can allow ourselves to meet everything as if it were new. With enthusiasm, recognizing the familiar but with the disposition to rediscover it. The same road we walk every day, the people we meet every day, the colors, the sounds. We let everything give us its gifts. And so the days stop passing indifferently.
The joy of being able to do something, and knowing it so well, gives us the ability to reach a deeper understanding. For example, when we learn a musical instrument, a martial art, a choreography… anything. Every time, even if we have played the same song 100 times, the 101st will be different, it is unique. It’s something familiar but at the same time unique.
Let us allow ourselves to recognize the difference between the familiar and the unique.
Multitasking!
Engaging in multiple activities simultaneously is not advisable in this observation. We need fewer stimuli to clear our senses and become more conscious of our present moment.
We’ve learned to do at least 2-3 things at once, which gives us a sense of satisfaction. However, this results in distractions and reduces our focus, making it difficult to follow one thing at a time, read comprehensively, and feel like we have diminished memory.
Doing one thing at a time is more demanding at first, but it results in clearing the mind and reducing stress levels. It also helps us have better time and energy management in our daily lives by dividing daily activities one at a time.
Practice of the week!
Observing daily habits.
This week, observe your habits.
- Which ones bring you joy?
Do you have a routine that makes you feel good, or do you sink into boredom?
- Will a series or a movie give you their gifts or will they make you feel dull to “get rid of the stress”?
- Which habits/hobbies/interests have been put on hold and are waiting for “when the time comes”?
- What are the familiar things that you can enjoy by keeping your observation active? What made them unique today?
When you complete these questions, ask yourself why instead of engaging in the activity you really want, you repeat a habit that doesn’t satisfy you. Leave out the “I don’t have time/money” excuses and answer honestly to yourself what is it that really holds you back.
Whatever is written represents the sharing of personal thoughts and observations. Its purpose is to share and potentially provoke thought. It is not a diagnosis, nor a reference to illnesses, syndromes, dysfunctions, or disorders.
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