BY DAVE WEIMAN

Last month I wrote about loneliness, one of the three plagues that affect the well-being of elders.  This month I want to address one of the other plagues, boredom. Next month I’ll discuss the third plague, helplessness.

Boredom is experienced by everyone and is as familiar a feeling as excitement or fear, but only recently have we begun to understand what makes people bored. Why do we require a constant stream of stimulating information in order to feel whole? We live in a diverse and ever changing universe with so much to see and appreciate, yet boredom is something we all experience on a regular basis.

No one has a convincing answer to the question. But, we do understand that boredom is not the same as hopelessness or depression. Hopelessness involves believing that success is impossible or that engaging in satisfying activity is not in our future. And depression tends to involve a negative and inward-looking focus, while boredom in a unsatisfying current situation that comes from a lack of stimulation from the outside world.

Some studies indicate that there seems to be two main components to boredom. One is that the environment is static or it changes in a predictable/repetitive way. Or two, there is a frustration along with a need to find something more stimulating. Another theory is that boredom is what happens when your skill is greater than the test being attempted. In other words, boredom sets in unless there is a challenge in the activity. Still another idea is that activities can feel boring if there isn’t a necessary “framework” that can be used to make sense of it. For instance, a music appreciation class might make a symphony or an opera enjoyable that could otherwise seem to be monotonous and boring. Boredom often happens when a person thinks she or he is being confined to a situation or activity that lacks value for one reason or another – it is not enjoyable, uninteresting or simply unimportant to the person.

We can see then that there are a number of different reasons that might produce boredom. Some of them might be happening simultaneously. But, we know that our brain seeks out variety and novelty, so it doesn’t require a major effort to reverse boredom. Take advantage of unplanned and unusual occurrences; increase the difficulty of repetitive tasks; prepare for events to raise expectations; make activities meaningful and with a productive purpose; change boredom-time into reflective-time with meditation and/or mindfulness. Boredom can’t be eliminated entirely from our life. However, the frequency and length can be reduced without much effort.

Go to www.carecompasspeoria.org for suggestions and guidance for finding quality elder care.

Dave Weiman is the founder of Care Compass, a free online site to assist elders and their families find Elder Care in the Peoria area. Weiman has been engaged for over 10 years in improving the quality of care so elders can enjoy a life of quality.