Boredom as a Symptom NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness

Studies have shown that easily bored people are at higher risk of anxiety, depression, drug addiction, alcohol misuse, anger, and a number of other issues. Boredom can unexpectedly become a cue for sensation-seeking behavior. The current pandemic has highlighted how boredom can trigger the misuse of substances, particularly alcohol. In fact, alcohol sales outside of bars and restaurants surged 24% shortly after stay-at-home orders began.

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• The best solution is individualized learning, but that’s not always practical, says Westgate.
• Over time, with regular alcohol consumption, our brain starts to adapt.
• And one has to be willing to feel uncomfortable to make those changes happen for oneself.
• Practicing mindfulness can help you become more aware of your emotions and triggers, so you can avoid turning to alcohol out of boredom.
• It can be your friends, colleagues, or family who know you for ideas of things you can do to fill your time differently.
• There are plenty of situations where having a drink is a great way to celebrate an accomplishment.

To prevent boredom eating from becoming habit, try to keep your days from becoming too tedious or repetitive. Activities like talking a few short walks or periodic stretch breaks during the day provide a mental and physical break from usual routines. External factors often trigger urges to eat when you’re not physically hungry. Identifying the factors in your environment that trigger boredom eating is key to breaking those habits.

• But many of us should because millions of us resort to drinking out of boredom whilst relaxing at home.
• One of the best ways to deal with bored drinking is to anticipate it — why is not always easy.
• People in unfulfilling jobs may lack the education, experience, or contacts to get better jobs.
• Without hobbies, it’s more tempting to take the easier route of having a drink.
• Facing your unhappy thoughts can be overwhelming, and it’s natural to need a break or a distraction from time to time.

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These healthy diversions fill a gap that drinking might otherwise fill. The winter months often meet a halt to favorite outdoor activities. This shift in routine, coupled with earlier darkness and cold temperatures, can lead to SAD. But if you enjoy alcohol, and boredom suddenly strikes while isolated, reaching for a drink is an easy way to satisfy the need for stimulation. But if you consume alcohol, these signs might indicate that boredom is a drinking trigger. Bored drinking takes place when people reach for alcohol to kill time, simply because they have nothing else to occupy their minds.

• If you feel comfortable doing so, discuss your challenges with your primary healthcare professional.
• During her academic years, she dedicated herself to assisting refugees fleeing war and violence in their home countries.
• Break associations you might have between eating and screen time by making a point of eating meals at a table — not in front of the TV — and putting your phone away while you’re dining.

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But you should turn to other, more productive ways to cope with your boredom that won’t be detrimental to your health. In more severe cases, drinking out of boredom can lead to severe alcohol abuse disorders. Starting to drink gradually might be considered normal or appropriate, but it can quickly create a dependence and lead to a severe drinking problem.

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On average, members see a 30% reduction in alcohol consumption in 3 months, leading to improved sleep, diet, and overall wellbeing. Say your main drinking how to stop drinking out of boredom occasion is when you socialize with friends. A drink or two while bored might make you too tired or too wary of driving to meet your friends.

Before you know it, your list of things to celebrate when bored gets longer, and the number of drinks you enjoy each week goes up. Say you have downtime on a Saturday afternoon after a challenging week at work. “Getting through the week” might be your rationale for pouring a glass of wine. Even when COVID lockdowns ended, we found in the same survey that 17% of respondents who worked from home were more likely to be excessive drinkers.

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