let yourself be bored

​Recently, I was sitting in the lobby of a medical center in NYC waiting to go back and speak to postdocs. I was early, as I usually am, and I just let myself look out the window at the lovely day and watch the diverse people passing through the lobby. As I did this, my mind wandered and made some connections. While I was just sitting there, a bit bored and daydreaming, I came up with the ideas for three different blog posts, including this one. I actually wasn’t trying to think of blog ideas or anything in particular. These ideas just came to me!
 
If I had been on my phone, scrolling through social media, looking at apps, or texting with someone, my attention would have been there. It would have been focused. I would never have come up with new ideas or made connections about events in my life and well-being topics.
 
It is only when our mind slides around, we daydream, and we let ourselves be bored that our creativity can emerge. In those times, our brains can make useful connections and come up with insightful ideas. To be creative, we need mental space and a free-flowing kind of energy.
 
Neuroscience has recently discovered the default mode network (DMN). Scientists used to think there was not much going on in our brains when we were not focused on a task. Then, with the improvement of imaging techniques, they realized that when we are not “doing anything”, our DMN is quite busy. This network is active when we are in rest or not engaged in a specific task. The DMN is also dynamic, interacting with other areas of the brain and making connections. It’s when we daydream, think about our lives, remember things, create our story of ourselves, and reflect on our relationships. It is also when our brain can make all kinds of associations, and our creativity can emerge.
 
It can actually be harmful to many areas of mental functioning when we don’t give our DMN some time and space in our lives. It can lead to difficulties in introspection, self-reflection, and processing memories of the day. Not allowing our DMN to roam also may have negative impact on our mental well-being, our cognitive functioning, and our imagination. Finally, mental flexibility allows us to switch between different mental states, and if we don’t let our DMN have space, we may have more trouble adapting to changing situations.  
 
As people now jump on their phones whenever they are the least bit bored, such as when they are walking, in line at the store, or in an elevator, they are missing out on these rich opportunities to be creative and thoughtful. Boredom is not a bad word, and it is when we are in this mental space that we can really create.
 
So let yourself be bored more. Put down your phone and look out the window. Watch people around you at the store. Let your mind wander when you are walking someplace. You will probably be pleasantly surprised at what you think up and realize how rich boredom can be.