Image by Karsten Paulick

Bored? Try mindfulness.

No, seriously, mindfulness is the ultimate cure for boredom. Look around you. Now home in on something—it may be a fixed object, or it may be something you can pick up. If you can pick it up, do so. If not, move up close enough to touch it. Now, using all viable senses, explore it with curiosity.

• Feel it. Try to notice everything you can about its texture. Describe it to yourself without judgment: tacky, gooey, rough, crystalline, sandy, sharp, slippery, hard, squishy, heavy, solid, wet, viscous, papery, rigid, etc.
• Look at it. Really examine it. What do you notice about it that you’ve never seen before? Chances are you’ve looked at this a lot of times. What did you miss? If you spot one thing, you can probably spot another. And if you can spot three, you can probably spot four. Keep going. How much can you discover just with your eyes?
• Smell it. Everything has a smell, even if it’s incredibly subtle. How would you describe this smell? It’s hard to describe a smell, isn’t it?
• Listen to it. If it is immobile, rub your hand against it and listen to that. If you can pick it up, move it around close to your ear. If it is completely rigid, listen to the sound of your fingers moving around it.
• Taste it. Okay, maybe don’t taste it. But, if it does happen to be a food item, put it in your mouth. Move it all over your mouth: over every part of your tongue, top and bottom; past your gums. Notice how it feels in there, notice how the taste changes depending on where it is and how you press your tongue against it. When you’ve done this, bite into it—just once—and do those activities all over again. Experience all the differences from before. When you’re done, chew, and notice every single munch and crunch; then feel the experience of it passing down your throat, following it as far as you can into your stomach.

Focus on something else. Repeat.

You will never be bored again. Mindfulness really is the ultimate cure for boredom.