Bored With Life? Here Are 15 Things You Can Do To Make Life Exciting

Updated June 16, 2021

Are you bored with life? The truth is that we live in a world that’s entertainment-rich, from video games to online streaming channels such as, Netflix, boredom is still a persistent problem.

For many people, each day can feel like it is identical. You head to work, where you do the same thing and converse with the same people. After that, you head home where you often cook similar meals each week and the experience of life becomes the same old, same old.

So, what do you do when you feel bored? Do you try to make peace with it and console yourself that adult life is simply supposed to be boring? Or, do keep your mind open to the possibility that you can overcome that feeling and find happiness?

If you are looking for the latter, then this article is for you.

Is Life Supposed to be Boring?

No, life is not supposed to be one long endless journey of boredom. That’s because life is full of opportunities that you can utilize to live a life full of happiness. If you find that you’re feeling bored, then it’s time to look at what you’ve been doing and what you can start doing to make it more interesting.

Maybe you’ve done the same things for a long time, for example, you have been stuck in the same job for ten years. Alternatively, it may be that your daily routine limits your growth and happiness.

Whatever the reason is, there are ways that you can beat boredom. All it takes is courage, perseverance, honesty, and taking responsibility for your life.

What Does it Feel Like to Be Bored with Life?

The feeling of boredom is different from the moments that you feel demotivated. When you feel bored, you wake up to a morning that feels devoid of color, beauty, or that spark that keeps you going. You feel lost as you go about each day and the reason you get anything done is because society requires you to do so. Even in the weekends, you avoid places where you have to hang out with people.

Every part of you wants your life to change. But you struggle with how to bring about that change, including where to start. You sometimes feel like a plastic bag drifting through the wind, at the mercy of your environment.

The truth is that not all people who experience boredom have issues. Some of them have a life that makes others envious of them. For example, a family, a solid relationship, a good job, a nice house, fancy possessions. Still, they struggle with a feeling of emptiness.

You may be loved by many and have a lot of people that depend on you, but you feel that there must be more to life than this. The issue is that as the boredom persists, you may also experience headaches, issues with digestion, muscles tightening, a general lack of energy, etc.

This is what true boredom feels like.

Why Is Your Life Boring?

People who are bored often don’t know what to do with themselves during their free time. They may sit on the couch, as life passes them by struggling with boredom. Even though they have technology at their finger tips, it still doesn’t help with the feeling of boredom.

In fact, there are now concerns that when people are overly dependent on technology to stimulate them, they will struggle with boredom.

Here are seven reasons why you may be bored with life.

1. You keep turning down invitations to go out with people

People who find life boring often continue to turn down opportunities to go out and interact with others, even though they are struggling with boredom.

They don’t want to hang out with their family or friends and if anyone attempts to take them out or call them for a day out, they come up with lame excuses to avoid it. At the end of the day, they end up losing friends because people won’t stick around forever, waiting for someone to want to hang with them.

If you can’t see your friends at least once in a while, you’ll continue living in a chronic state of boredom.

2. You aren’t making effort to meet new people

If you never make any effort to meet new people, how will your life become more exciting? You are talking to the same people day in and day out, and often when you’re not with them, you’re working. Some people are bored because they are spending time with the wrong people.

Consider adding some new friends to your friendship circle to spice things up. Otherwise, you may feel like the boredom will never end.

3. You may feel terrible and even look worse

Many people who are bored let themselves go. They grab the first thing they see from their wardrobe and pay little attention to their appearance or self-care. The psychology behind this tendency is a victim mentality-which becomes a perpetual victim mindset.

Most people are stuck in a chronic cycle of regret and fear. They tend to indulge in bad food and drink as a way to hide themselves from the world. When they are not ready to deal with their feelings, they continue reinforcing that negative cycle.

A great way to break the cycle of boredom is through putting effort into yourself.

4. You don’t take any action

If you aren’t taking any action to change your life, the feeling of boredom could lead you on a downward spiral. You may end up engaging in harmful habits to keep yourself from feeling bored. Yet, it is important to realize that your life won’t change by itself. It is important to take the initiative to change.

Other people just hope and pray for things to eventually change. But without action, that won’t work either.

Some people are waiting for the right time to change. Yet, the reality is the best time is now. The more you procrastinate, the more likely you are to slip into chronic depression.

5. You see yourself as better than other people

Perhaps you haven’t realized it yet, but you may be the reason you keep to yourself and avoid people because somehow you feel that you’re better than everybody else. In such a case, you feel that you don’t need other people to be happy.

Looking at other people and events and feeling that you don’t need them to be happy can lead to a boring and lonely life. It’s important to look in the mirror and realized that you have created that isolated world for yourself.

Choose to stop playing the victim and realize that no one is perfect (including you), and we all need each other. You can learn from others and enjoy their company.

6. You aren’t interested in going things alone

If you are waiting for people to give you a fun time, you may end up waiting for an eternity. You need to allow yourself to do things for yourself and take responsibility for your own life, including enjoying your own company.

If you can’t be happy alone, how can you expect others to make you happy?

You need to realize that depending on someone else to make you happy or to save you from boredom is a classic case of not understanding what you want in life. This is a concerning way to live and will just keep you in a cycle of boredom.

7. You might truly enjoy being alone

Have you ever stopped to wonder why you’re bored? If you have, then perhaps you’ve realized that you’re struggling with boredom because you want to be bored. The thing is, there are some benefits of boredom. Some studies show that it can spark creativity and productivity. If you enjoy being alone and having your time to yourself, then it it may be hard for you to break the habit.

Is Boredom the Same as Depression?

There are a lot of people who feel that they are stuck in a rut. They take a look at their life and feel that they’re no other opportunities. But sometimes this feeling of boredom can be a symptom of something more difficult to manage.

Depression and anxiety can make a person perceive life as boring. Yet, it’s important to know the difference by paying attention to what you’re experiencing deep inside of you. Boredom is a state of mind in which a person is not stimulated by their surroundings.

This leaves them unmotivated and unwilling to work. Depression on the other hand can be the outcome of psychological, social, or biological factors. Unlike boredom, depression can be inherited or it can be triggered by a major life event, or a traumatic experience.

A person with depression is no longer excited about the things that used to bring them joy or make them feel alive. Also, those who have anxiety and experience long cycles of boredom may become more prone to depression than others. This is because anxious and depressed people tend to have negative thoughts before winding up bored with life. Whenever they have free time, their mind shifts to negative self-talk.

what do you do when you are bored? bored with life

What Can We Do to Break the Boredom of Life?

Most of us at some point get bored with life. That’s no surprise, as doing the same thing everyday, week after week, month after month, can lead to a feeling of boredom. The truth is that people need variety in their life, including those who are comfortable with a predictable, structured lifestyle.

We only have one life to live. Rather that watching your life slip away, you can try the following exciting tips to set you on the path to a happy, fulfilling life.

1. Try One New Thing Each Week

A great way to spice up your life is to try something new on a weekly basis. This can be trying out different types of new foods, attending an event for the first time, making a scrapbook etc.

Don’t keep doing the same things and think that your life will miraculously change. You need to try new things if you are looking for an exciting life. You can start small. Such as, wearing a brighter top than you usually wear. Plan for the new things and purpose to get them done.

2. Start a Conversation with a Complete Stranger

Most people don’t realize this but talking to strangers is one sure way to add variety to your life. Opening yourself up to casual conversations can make you feel like you’re part of a community, which psychology identifies as a basic human need.

You may find someone to talk to while walking your dog, shopping for groceries or while out on a coffee break. At first it will feel strange, but overtime you will get used to chatting to people and it will be interesting and you’ll really enjoy it. The point of this strategy is to help you experience things differently than you normally would.

3. Write Down the Positive Things that Have Happened to You

Gratitude is a great way to deal with the feeling of boredom. Often times we can take things for granted and forget the things going well for us. We turn mole hills into mountains when we focus on the small things that aren’t going our way.

Instead work on developing the habit of writing the good things that come your way and what you are appreciative for. When you do that, you’ll come to realize that more positive things are happening to you then you may have considered. Or, you may realize that you have more to be grateful for in your life.

4. Begin a New Exercise Routine

If you want to get rid of boredom in your life, an exercise routine is a great way to change things up. If you can’t remember the last time you exercised, you can start small by taking a walk around the block. Starting is always the hard part, but staying stuck in a boring life is worse.

It’s fun to imagine yourself as someone who exercises and practices self-care. But you can turn it into a reality by looking up beginner’s videos on Youtube that will set you on the path to exercise more in your day to day life. Once you get used to it, you’ll find new ways to keep moving and find new ways to have fun. For instance, you could take up rock climbing, swimming, skiing etc.

5. Become Your Own Life Coach

A professional life coach can help you discover where you want to go in life. Most public personalities have leveraged the service of a life coach. For example, Oprah Winfrey, Bill Gates, Anthony Robbins and many more. However, if you are hesitant to pay for a life coach, you can become your own life coach.

There are plenty of free tools and resources online that can help you become your own life coach. With dedication and courage, you’ll find yourself successfully transforming your life.

6. Work on Finding Out More About Yourself

If you are tired of living a boring life but don’t particularly want other people in your life, you can spend time getting to know yourself better. Some of the ways that you can do this includes starting a reflective practice. Alternatively, you can read self-help books, go on a road trip by yourself, find a library where you can relax and listen to music.

Be patient and take the time to get to know yourself. For instance when you’re angry, you can ask yourself, ‘why am I angry?’ You can journal or channel your thoughts through drawing or painting.

The more you engage in interesting activities that help you discover more about yourself, the less bored you’ll become.

7. Find a New Friend

If spending time on your own doesn’t bring you joy anymore, find a friend who can help you develop a positive outlook towards life. The great thing about engaging with a new friend is that their conversation is often enough to release you from your boredom. Sometimes you just need to spend time with others to get some excitement into your life.

Reducing boredom doesn’t always have to be resolved by consuming endless amounts of funny cat videos (or whatever puts a smile on your face). It can also be about taking the time to engage with other people that are important to you.

8. Enjoy Doing Something That You’ve Never Done Before

Let’s say that you struggle with making friends, and the ones you have are few and far between. You’ve tried looking for a class but can’t find one that interests you. What should you do next?

You can try getting out of town or doing something new. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by change, you can take small steps to try something new. You can get rid of boredom by looking for ways to try fun and engaging activities, like photography for example.

Improving your life doesn’t always mean making drastic changes, it can also include small steps.

9. Talk to Your Grandparents About Their Lives

People underestimate how interesting it is to talk to the elderly. Yet, spending your free time talking to your grandparents or another elderly person, that you know can be rewarding. Most of them have lived exciting lives and you can learn a lot from their experiences. Maybe you’ll even be motivated to go out and live your own exciting life.

10. Choose to do Something for Someone Else

There are people who expect others to do things for them, but they never take time to do nice things for others. When you’re feeling like you’re stuck in a rut, then you should definitely consider doing nice things for others.

You can partner with a local charity group and offer your services to those more vulnerable in society. Also, you can plan acts of kindness for those around you. For example, you can make a batch of cookies for the security guard at your workplace, or you can call a friend out of the blue to check up on them and see how they are doing.

Get creative and have fund with it when it comes to ways that you can do something for someone else.

11. Set up a DIY Project at Home

If you own your place, you can always find a project that you can work on. Many people choose to pay another person to handle the repairs or any other project that needs to get done. But taking on a DIY project is one of the best ways to beat boredom.

You can look for a DIY project that interests you, for instance, you can make your own coffee table, or repaint an old vase. If you don’t know where to start, you can watch tutorials on YouTube.

12. Organize a Vacation or Weekend Trip

Have you ever stopped to consider that maybe you need a vacation to spice up your life? Most people who struggle with boredom don’t even give themselves a night out. Instead, their entertainment comes in the form of binge watching tv series in the comfort of their bed.

A vacation or weekend trip away will give you something to look forward to. There’s even a study that shows that travelers are happiest before a vacation. Therefore, simply planning a trip will lift your spirits, even if you can’t take the vacation right now.

If you don’t have money to plan for a trip right now, then you can start with a staycation which is free, revitalizing, and great for your mental health as well. Happiness doesn’t mean that you need to burn through your savings.

13. Go Out on a Date

When was the last time you went on a date? If you happen to be single and bored, then you can consider getting out there and meet other singles. The more you date, the less boring your life will be.

You can choose to date the traditional way by meeting someone organically or you can try an online dating service when looking for a new partner. Or, the next time a cute person asks you if you are free, go ahead and give them a chance. You never know, those coffee dates with that individual could turn out into a potential relationship.

14. Write Down a List of Things That You Really Want and Desire

Writing down a list of things that you want and desire is a great way to uncover who you are as an individual and why you’re bored. Maybe it’s because you don’t spend a significant amount of time doing things you enjoy. Or, you haven’t had time to figure out and plan for what you want in life.

Take time to come up with a list of all the things you really want to do. Ask yourself why you haven’t done those things (yet). Then, decide on the steps that you need to take to make them happen. Now, get out there and begin to live out your dreams.

15. Play with Kids

Playing with kids is a great way to combat boredom. Whether you have your own kids or if you have relatives with kids, many of us underestimate the joy of interacting with children. They are hilarious, fun and it’s impossible to get bored when you’re around them. You can play with them or allow them to ask you silly questions and you try to answer them.

The Bottom Line

If you don’t take control of your life and make the changes that you would like to see, then chances are you will be bored for a long time. The truth is that your mental health and success in life all count on you making the decision to live differently.