Feeling Bored With Life: Why it Happens & How to Fix It

Why Do I Always Feel Bored With Life?

Consistently feeling bored with life can occur for a variety of reasons. A rigid routine, such as working the same hours or having the same exercise regimen, can lead to feelings of boredom. Boredom could also be a sign that current activities or circumstances don’t align with one’s interests or values. Additionally, chronic boredom could be a sign of underlying conditions such as ADHD or depression.

Here are some reasons you may feel bored with life:

You Lack Variety in Your Routine

Little to no deviation from your daily routine may also be a contributing factor to feelings of boredom and stagnancy. When daily activities become monotonous and repetitive, there is little room for spontaneity and excitement in a person’s day. This can lead to feelings of burnout from your daily life routine.

You Have Limited Social Interactions

If a person has limited social contact with others, they may feel bored and disconnected from the world around them. With the rise of work-from-home environments, people can go many days without outside contact, resulting in isolation from others. Because human beings often find meaning in social relationships, not getting enough time with other people can increase feelings of boredom.³

You Are Disconnected From Your Values

When we feel disconnected from our values and what is important to us, we become disconnected from ourselves. Our values can be defined as beliefs or guides that we live by in order to promote feelings of fulfillment and satisfaction.⁴ Living in alignment with our values allows us to feel connected to ourselves, others, and the world. Disengagement with our values can lead to feelings of unfulfillment, stagnance, and boredom in day-to-day life.

You Struggle With Depression

If you feel as if you are always feeling bored with life, you may be experiencing symptoms related to depression. Depression can cause anhedonia, which is characterized by a lack of motivation and energy. This can result in someone not engaging in the activities that bring them joy, causing feelings of boredom. Additionally, anhedonia can cause a person to isolate from their loved ones, which further increases their feelings of boredom in daily life.

Common signs and symptoms of depression are:

• Depressed mood with feelings of sadness, emptiness, or loss of joy
• Limited interest or engagement with previously enjoyed hobbies and activities
• Low energy and heightened fatigue
• Changes in appetite or weight
• Notable changes in sleep patterns, such as oversleeping or undersleeping
• Feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, or helplessness
• Difficulties remaining focused or completing daily tasks
• Thoughts relating to death, dying, or suicide

You Have ADHD

If you have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), you may experience boredom due to your difficulties with remaining engaged in daily and familiar activities. Research suggests that individuals with ADHD are more prone to feelings of boredness.¹ Additionally, individuals with ADHD are dopamine deficient, which can result in feeling less excitement and pleasure from day-to-day activities.

Common symptoms of inattentive ADHD include:

• Easily distracted
• Poor short-term memory
• Difficulties with following through and completing tasks
• Avoidance or procrastination surrounding the completion of tasks
• Forgetfulness surrounding daily tasks and activities, such as completing homework or running errands

Common symptoms of hyperactive-impulsive ADHD include:

• Increased impulsivity
• Difficulty focusing
• Difficulty remaining still, such as remaining seated during school or work
• Excessive talking
• Frequent interruptions of others

Technology Has Impacted Your Attention Span

Excessive dependence on technology may also impact a person’s feelings of boredom. In today’s society, most people have access to unlimited amounts of technology at their fingertips. Doomscrolling and unlimited choices of entertainment can lead to disengagement with the world around us. There is also some evidence that technology impacts a person’s attention span.² Overstimulation caused by ADHD may play a large role in this, as we are overloaded with entertainment options.

You Lack Goals

Lack of goal-setting can also increase heightened feelings of boredom in day-to-day life. Setting and achieving goals allows us to feel a sense of accomplishment and satisfaction in our abilities and aspirations. When we fail to set and achieve goals, we can quickly become stagnant in our day-to-day routine, limiting our desire to take on new challenges.

Is it Normal to Feel Bored With Life?

To feel bored with life from time to time is a normal and common human experience. Sometimes, we can become bored with a monotonous routine, and other times, we may feel a lack of challenge in day-to-day life. While feeling bored occasionally is normal, persistent boredom may contribute to harmful effects, such as mental health struggles and behavioral issues.

Why Being Bored Long-Term Is Harmful

Long-term boredom may negatively impact one’s overall satisfaction with life, increasing the risk for mental health struggles and engagement in harmful behaviors.

Being bored long-term is harmful because:

It Can Lead to Mental Health Struggles

Continued feelings of boredom is known to impact one’s mental health, and long-term boredom can be linked to both heightened depression and anxiety. Boredom is often associated with decreased motivation and pleasure, which can contribute to or exacerbate feelings of depression. Boredom can also trigger anxious thoughts and feelings, resulting in heightened anxiety.⁵

It Can Make You Mean

Research suggests that there is a strong link between boredom and meanness.⁶ Boredom, anger, and aggression have been found to be associated with one another, as individuals who are bored may react more aggressively.⁷ This, in turn, can negatively affect one’s relationships with others.

It Can Negatively Impact Productivity

Many people attempt to cope with boredom by engaging in distractions such as watching television or scrolling on their phones, resulting in less time focusing on what needs to get done. Boredom has been associated with procrastination, as it is more difficult to focus on a task when feeling uninterested and unmotivated. Boredom can impact one’s performance in multiple areas, such as school and work.⁵

It Can Increase Impulsivity

Individuals may cope with boredom by engaging in risky and impulsive behaviors, such as substance use, gambling, and self-harm.⁵ Individuals generally feel discomfort when being bored and want to try and alleviate this feeling. By engaging in these risky behaviors, individuals are attempting to suppress feelings of boredom in unhealthy ways, which often leads to further mental health struggles.

What Do I Do If I’m Bored With My Life?

There are multiple courses of action that can be taken in order to decrease boredom with life.

Begin by reflecting on your personal interests and values to identify areas of life you want to learn more about. Exploring new experiences can bring excitement back into your life and enable you to create new connections, which will inject excitement and novelty into your life.

Here are ten tips for how to cope with feeling bored with life:

1. Set Goals

When we set goals, we are challenging ourselves by trying to obtain a certain objective or outcome. Working towards goals allows us to achieve a sense of accomplishment and work towards self-improvement. These goals can be related to multiple facets of one’s life, such as career goals or health goals.

2. Disconnect From Technology

It can be easy to get wrapped up in social media, which can contribute to one’s feelings of boredom. Continuous engagement with social media can quickly become tiresome and monotonous. Taking a break from social media and disconnecting from technology can allow space for an individual to explore new hobbies, engage in new activities, increase productivity, and reconnect with loved ones.

3. Get Active

Exercise has a positive impact on a person’s mental health, promoting overall improved mood and functioning.⁸ Exercise results in an increase of endorphins, which promote feelings of happiness and fulfillment. While everyone can benefit from increased activity, exercise is also known to be beneficial in coping with underlying mental health struggles, such as depression and ADHD.

4. Pick Up New Hobbies

Exploring new hobbies and interests can help add variety to your life and increase feelings of excitement and joy. Boredom can be a motivator to try out new hobbies that you may have never tried before, which may alleviate feelings of boredom and monotony.⁵ Joining a new sport or picking up a new creative hobby allows space for feelings of achievement and accomplishment.

5. Connect With Your Support System

Interacting with your loved ones, such as family and friends, can also promote overall wellness and satisfaction in life. Spending quality time with the ones you love will allow space for interpersonal growth and development.

6. Build New Relationships

Meeting new people and making new connections can also help a person build community and engage in healthy interaction. Spending time with others may decrease feelings of boredom and isolation in daily life. Joining a local club or organization may allow you to meet new people who have similar interests and values, promoting healthy and meaningful relationships with others.

7. Connect to Your Values

When we engage in values-based living, we become more deeply connected to ourselves and what matters to us. Boredom may encourage individuals to reflect on their values and move towards positive change and growth.⁵ Taking the time to reflect on one’s needs and values may kickstart one’s motivation to make habit changes that align more with one’s wants.

8. Consult With a Mental Health Professional

If you are concerned that your boredom is a result of a mental health struggle such as depression or ADHD, it can be beneficial to consult with a therapist or counselor. A licensed therapist can help one find ways to manage and cope with boredom in a healthy way. You may also consider speaking with a psychiatrist to explore medication options.

9. Explore Different Career Opportunities

If you feel stagnant and bored within your career, it may be beneficial to explore new and exciting career opportunities. Boredom within the workplace can come from a multitude of reasons, such as feeling as if there is not enough space for growth and mental stimulation or the work is too demanding. Finding a new job or career may be a positive change in your daily routine.

10. Get Creative

Engaging in creative activities may help relieve boredom. Whether this be a new creative activity or a hobby you lost contact with, allowing space to express yourself creatively can lead to positive outcomes. Creating art can contribute to one’s feelings of satisfaction and accomplishment in what has been created.

When to Seek Professional Support

If you are consistently feeling bored that is not changing over time and is becoming more difficult to cope with, it may be helpful to seek out professional support. A mental health professional can assist you in exploring ways to manage feelings of boredom. An online therapist directory or online therapy platform can help connect you to a mental health professional who meets your needs and preferences.