In part 1 and 2 of this 3 part series, we examined the 7 universal emotions that we all share, and the effect that boredom can have on our lives. Many of us learn as children, that we cannot find happiness on our own. We have to keep up with the Jones', get the newest, best phone or toy, or change careers once a year in pursuit of that ever elusive happiness. But the fact is, terminal boredom is a state of mind, one that we can break. We can find true internal happiness, if we work at it and change behaviors that are not healthy. We can develop a Positive Mental Attitude (PMA) and break out of the boring rut we always find ourselves in. In this, the final piece of this 3 part series, we will find out what to look for so we can fix it, and how to defeat boredom once and for all.
Now let's move on to the next part of the problem, before you get bored with this article. In this section, I will express ways that we can beat boredom and sluggishness, but before we can do that, we need to take an honest look at our lifestyle to see what may be causing you to "Feel As Faded As Your Washed Out Jeans".
Boredom is very similar to Mental Fatigue, which is a feeling of Weariness. When you're tired, your outlook on life is dismal. Everything you do requires effort, because you are moving in slow motion. It's like you're always mired in quicksand. Let's examine some of the reasons that lead to Fatigue.
FATIGUE
A) Insomnia:
If you are "Feeling As Faded As Your Washed Out Jeans", it could be because you are not getting enough sleep. Insomnia has an effect on your physical, mental and emotional well-being. If you don't sleep enough, that causes fatigue. This could be caused by work stress, relationship problems, or even a bad bed. If you are stressed out or anxious, insomnia will make matters worse. People who suffer from insomnia are often irritable and make other people irritable. When you sleep better, you'll work better, feel sharper, and be more creative, this will improve your overall attitude and help you to be less bored. Depression and anxiety can also make you feel constantly tired, which will prevent you from getting a good night's sleep.
Preventive measure: Set a routine and follow it. Try to go to bed and get up at the same time every day. I thank my dogs for making me a slave to this excellent habit. They wake me up at the same time every morning. Stay away from caffeine and alcohol before bedtime, because they are stimulants, which will keep you from going to sleep. Try not to take naps during the day, it will make you less sleepy at night. Don't eat heavy meals late in the day, especially if you suffer from acid reflux. Make sure that the temperature in the room is comfortable. You can soak in a hot bath before you go to bed, which will relax you. You can also try reading till your eyes close, or listening to some relaxing music, whatever helps you get a good night's sleep.
B) Obesity:
When you are obese, you have too much body fat which your body has to drag around. So you lack the energy, which makes you crave some carbs or sweets to nibble on. You tire easily, which affects your mental attitude, which results in boredom and depression. Excessive weight puts pressure on your knees and feet. You just don't have that ability to move around quickly. Everything you do, you have to work harder at. I can just imagine someone saying: "Leave me alone, my get up and go just got up and went."
This sounds funny, but it's so true. Excessive weight will definitely make you a candidate for a heart attack or a stroke as well. For the Diabetic person, weight loss is very important in keeping your sugar at a safe level. I should know, because I am a Diabetic, and I have lived a normal life with this condition for years. It's a constant daily battle, filled with sugar testing, good eating habits and weight loss in an effort to stay healthy. Obesity is one of the first areas that is targeted by the doctor. We get fat because we consume too many calories and burn up too few. Another danger to being over-weight is "Sleep Apnea," which interrupts your breathing during sleep. In short, this stresses your body, which stresses your mind and also damages your self-esteem.
Preventive Measure: The first thing you need to do is control your impulses. Secondly, you can control your environment by removing those tempting treasures from your refrigerator and your pantry. You can't over-eat what you don't have! Make changes to your diet by eating more veggies and less carbs. Get yourself a smaller size plate to reduce your portions. Stay away from fast foods. Focus on foods that release energy slowly, which will help you get through the day. The kind of natural sugar our body needs is found in fresh fruits and vegetables, which give us energy as they are loaded with nutrients and fiber.
You can always contact a Nutritionist to help you in that area. Take your daily dose of high potency vitamins. This will not only make you feel better about yourself, but it will improve your energy. There are many resourceful articles and credible websites on the Internet that can guide you successfully along the path of weight loss. Instead of being a couch potato, you can try walking at least 15 to 30 minutes a day. If you don't have a dog, get one. Walking prolongs your health. I did a lot of that during Hurricane Sandy, when I was bored to death, having no electricity or gas in my car. I still walk every day. So that it doesn't become a boring routine, try different paths each day. You can speed your walk up or slow it down. It's amazing how you seem to bump into people who are walking their dogs as well. It's a great way to make friends and lose weight at the same time.
C) Burn-Out:
This is another reason for "Feeling As Faded As Your Washed Out Jeans". I, by nature, am a multi-task person. This keeps me in a hyper-active state all the time, though I'm still pleasantly plump. In today's economic times, there are many households where both parents work. Often, the women have to do a lot of juggling to meet their responsibilities towards their job and family. It seems as though people are constantly on a moving treadmill, and there's never enough time to catch their breath. You hurry for everything. You hurry to eat breakfast, you hurry to drop the kids off at the bus stop or school. Then you hurry to work, and while you are at work, you hurry through breaks and lunch in order to hurry up and finish the job.
Then the work day is over and you hurry to get in your car to pick up the kids at after school care, drop them off at practice, take them to the doctor and wait until they are done. You hurry home to make supper before hubby comes home. Now you slow down a little to help the kids with their homework, while cooking supper at the same time. Then you hurry up and eat it so you can hurry up and get the kitchen clean, get the kids off to bed, and do the laundry. Finally, you throw yourself down on the sofa, grab the remote and have some Me time? Oops, you still have to take the dog out, or change the litter box, or return all of your girlfriend's calls. This is just an example of the way some people live their lives, juggling things around in order to cram in as much activity as they can. The stress and the daily grind of endless activities keep eating at them constantly, leaving most people drained of all important energy.
Preventive Measure: The most important thing, to avoid Burn-Out, is to simplify your schedule. Try to multi-task in an easier way. You don't have to be the hero of the day for everyone. Don't be afraid to say: No, especially to unnecessary commitments or to people or jobs that are presented to you that you don't have time for. Simply put, don't bite off more than you can chew. By changing your lifestyle, you will have less stress and less fatigue.
There are many ways to control and manage stress, which I have mentioned before in my previous articles. I will also mention it here briefly. Take long walks, you don't have to jog. Exercising is a good anti-depressant. Relax through Meditation. It's also okay to lie around and watch TV all day long or even go on Face book and visit your friends. Take time to socialize. Take your laptop, even to the doctor's office while you're waiting to be called. If you are dissatisfied with your job, and that is causing you to burn out, you can always change your career. Of course this involves making changes in your lifestyle, and sometimes, learning to live on less income. Some people have even taken the bold step of being an entrepreneur. You set your own hours, your income level and your working conditions, but you are responsible for generating your own income. Many have succeeded at this, others have not. But if you long to own your own business, at least trying to succeed beats "Feeling As Faded As Your Washed Out Jeans".
The point is very simple. Find something that DRIVES you, so you can DRIVE yourself to get out and DO things, not wait for excitement to come and find you on the couch on cable TV or in a bag of cookies. There is no cookie cutter way to improve your life and to beat boredom, but the symptoms are the same, and so, beating boredom always has a similar pattern. Get good sleep, eat good food and get the proper energy you need, prioritize your time, and find things you enjoy doing, just for the sake of doing them. Once you accomplish these things, you'll get some color back in those faded jeans, and you won't have to keep buying new clothes that never seem to look right or never seem to fit, because the ones you have will fit just fine. You'll find they're comfortable too, and you'll never want to get rid of those old jeans.
Now let's move on to the next part of the problem, before you get bored with this article. In this section, I will express ways that we can beat boredom and sluggishness, but before we can do that, we need to take an honest look at our lifestyle to see what may be causing you to "Feel As Faded As Your Washed Out Jeans".
Boredom is very similar to Mental Fatigue, which is a feeling of Weariness. When you're tired, your outlook on life is dismal. Everything you do requires effort, because you are moving in slow motion. It's like you're always mired in quicksand. Let's examine some of the reasons that lead to Fatigue.
FATIGUE
A) Insomnia:
If you are "Feeling As Faded As Your Washed Out Jeans", it could be because you are not getting enough sleep. Insomnia has an effect on your physical, mental and emotional well-being. If you don't sleep enough, that causes fatigue. This could be caused by work stress, relationship problems, or even a bad bed. If you are stressed out or anxious, insomnia will make matters worse. People who suffer from insomnia are often irritable and make other people irritable. When you sleep better, you'll work better, feel sharper, and be more creative, this will improve your overall attitude and help you to be less bored. Depression and anxiety can also make you feel constantly tired, which will prevent you from getting a good night's sleep.
Preventive measure: Set a routine and follow it. Try to go to bed and get up at the same time every day. I thank my dogs for making me a slave to this excellent habit. They wake me up at the same time every morning. Stay away from caffeine and alcohol before bedtime, because they are stimulants, which will keep you from going to sleep. Try not to take naps during the day, it will make you less sleepy at night. Don't eat heavy meals late in the day, especially if you suffer from acid reflux. Make sure that the temperature in the room is comfortable. You can soak in a hot bath before you go to bed, which will relax you. You can also try reading till your eyes close, or listening to some relaxing music, whatever helps you get a good night's sleep.
B) Obesity:
When you are obese, you have too much body fat which your body has to drag around. So you lack the energy, which makes you crave some carbs or sweets to nibble on. You tire easily, which affects your mental attitude, which results in boredom and depression. Excessive weight puts pressure on your knees and feet. You just don't have that ability to move around quickly. Everything you do, you have to work harder at. I can just imagine someone saying: "Leave me alone, my get up and go just got up and went."
This sounds funny, but it's so true. Excessive weight will definitely make you a candidate for a heart attack or a stroke as well. For the Diabetic person, weight loss is very important in keeping your sugar at a safe level. I should know, because I am a Diabetic, and I have lived a normal life with this condition for years. It's a constant daily battle, filled with sugar testing, good eating habits and weight loss in an effort to stay healthy. Obesity is one of the first areas that is targeted by the doctor. We get fat because we consume too many calories and burn up too few. Another danger to being over-weight is "Sleep Apnea," which interrupts your breathing during sleep. In short, this stresses your body, which stresses your mind and also damages your self-esteem.
Preventive Measure: The first thing you need to do is control your impulses. Secondly, you can control your environment by removing those tempting treasures from your refrigerator and your pantry. You can't over-eat what you don't have! Make changes to your diet by eating more veggies and less carbs. Get yourself a smaller size plate to reduce your portions. Stay away from fast foods. Focus on foods that release energy slowly, which will help you get through the day. The kind of natural sugar our body needs is found in fresh fruits and vegetables, which give us energy as they are loaded with nutrients and fiber.
You can always contact a Nutritionist to help you in that area. Take your daily dose of high potency vitamins. This will not only make you feel better about yourself, but it will improve your energy. There are many resourceful articles and credible websites on the Internet that can guide you successfully along the path of weight loss. Instead of being a couch potato, you can try walking at least 15 to 30 minutes a day. If you don't have a dog, get one. Walking prolongs your health. I did a lot of that during Hurricane Sandy, when I was bored to death, having no electricity or gas in my car. I still walk every day. So that it doesn't become a boring routine, try different paths each day. You can speed your walk up or slow it down. It's amazing how you seem to bump into people who are walking their dogs as well. It's a great way to make friends and lose weight at the same time.
C) Burn-Out:
This is another reason for "Feeling As Faded As Your Washed Out Jeans". I, by nature, am a multi-task person. This keeps me in a hyper-active state all the time, though I'm still pleasantly plump. In today's economic times, there are many households where both parents work. Often, the women have to do a lot of juggling to meet their responsibilities towards their job and family. It seems as though people are constantly on a moving treadmill, and there's never enough time to catch their breath. You hurry for everything. You hurry to eat breakfast, you hurry to drop the kids off at the bus stop or school. Then you hurry to work, and while you are at work, you hurry through breaks and lunch in order to hurry up and finish the job.
Then the work day is over and you hurry to get in your car to pick up the kids at after school care, drop them off at practice, take them to the doctor and wait until they are done. You hurry home to make supper before hubby comes home. Now you slow down a little to help the kids with their homework, while cooking supper at the same time. Then you hurry up and eat it so you can hurry up and get the kitchen clean, get the kids off to bed, and do the laundry. Finally, you throw yourself down on the sofa, grab the remote and have some Me time? Oops, you still have to take the dog out, or change the litter box, or return all of your girlfriend's calls. This is just an example of the way some people live their lives, juggling things around in order to cram in as much activity as they can. The stress and the daily grind of endless activities keep eating at them constantly, leaving most people drained of all important energy.
Preventive Measure: The most important thing, to avoid Burn-Out, is to simplify your schedule. Try to multi-task in an easier way. You don't have to be the hero of the day for everyone. Don't be afraid to say: No, especially to unnecessary commitments or to people or jobs that are presented to you that you don't have time for. Simply put, don't bite off more than you can chew. By changing your lifestyle, you will have less stress and less fatigue.
There are many ways to control and manage stress, which I have mentioned before in my previous articles. I will also mention it here briefly. Take long walks, you don't have to jog. Exercising is a good anti-depressant. Relax through Meditation. It's also okay to lie around and watch TV all day long or even go on Face book and visit your friends. Take time to socialize. Take your laptop, even to the doctor's office while you're waiting to be called. If you are dissatisfied with your job, and that is causing you to burn out, you can always change your career. Of course this involves making changes in your lifestyle, and sometimes, learning to live on less income. Some people have even taken the bold step of being an entrepreneur. You set your own hours, your income level and your working conditions, but you are responsible for generating your own income. Many have succeeded at this, others have not. But if you long to own your own business, at least trying to succeed beats "Feeling As Faded As Your Washed Out Jeans".
The point is very simple. Find something that DRIVES you, so you can DRIVE yourself to get out and DO things, not wait for excitement to come and find you on the couch on cable TV or in a bag of cookies. There is no cookie cutter way to improve your life and to beat boredom, but the symptoms are the same, and so, beating boredom always has a similar pattern. Get good sleep, eat good food and get the proper energy you need, prioritize your time, and find things you enjoy doing, just for the sake of doing them. Once you accomplish these things, you'll get some color back in those faded jeans, and you won't have to keep buying new clothes that never seem to look right or never seem to fit, because the ones you have will fit just fine. You'll find they're comfortable too, and you'll never want to get rid of those old jeans.
Miriam B. Medina is a successful website administrator and writer. She is a strong woman with a Positive Mental Attitude who has overcome her bitter past to lead a better, more peaceful life. She invites you to share her worthwhile thoughts at: http://mimispeaks.blogspot.com/2011/11/table-of-contents-4a-positive-thinking.html
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