Bored to Tears
67What to do? What to do?
I have been disabled for the past five years or so due to some stress-related health problems, and since I have been home, I have been bored to tears a lot days. At first, I thought it was okay to be home everyday. I could be a housewife and stay-at-home mom and be happy. That lasted about all of two weeks.
No Soaps for me.
As I sat home watching soap operas one after another, I realized that I was becoming my mother! I'm still young. To date, I am thirty-four years old. I hated sitting there watching other people live out lives that you just don't see in the normal stream of things. Come on, who ever heard of demons taking over a town or a witch trying to decide whether her love child with the town's billionaire will be good or evil? Or a pregnant woman who isn't really pregnant stealing the child of her husband's ex to make it seem like she just delivered? That was too much drama for me. I needed something else to do.
Cooking for pleasure.
I started collecting recipes. I was trying a new one almost every day, but do you know how taxing that can be to your budget when you are on a fixed income. Not to mention all the weight you can gain from it! My kids loved it, but I was getting bored with it real quick, and I love to cook. I just didn't want to cook elaborate meals that none of my family had heard of every day of the week.
Movie anyone?
After deciding that I was not a soap opera person and regulating my cooking experiments to once or twice a week, I found that I was once again bored. I started renting movies and then buying them. Once again, my income put a stop to that. I couldn't afford to buy movies in the frequency that I would have needed to to keep myself occupied. I couldn't find enough on daytime television to keep me interested so I was left once again with nothing to do.
A good read.
I was at a loss for activity with an abundance of time, I started collecting books. I love to read romance novels, and I found a book store where I could buy used books at half the original cover price and trade some back for store credit if they were new enough. That was just the right ticket for me- for a while. As much as I love to read, I just was not prepared to do it all day everyday, and with a little one at home with me, I found it harder and harder to find time to really concentrate on what I was reading.
Lunching out.
Unsatisfied still, I started going out to lunch just to have a chance to get out and be around people. Again having limited income put a damper on those plans.
Writing plans.
Finally I went and rented to own a computer. The payments were easy to cover, and I could find things online to do. Soon after connecting with an Internet service provider, I found hubpages. Thank God! Now I can do something I love to do in my own time without worrying that it will put a burden on my finances. Also since I was already writing, I took the time to write a book, too.
Well rounded.
I had found myself and activity, but somehow I was still not satisfied. I wanted to get out and be around people. I wanted someone besides my sweet little drooler to talk to. Since I had a computer, I decided to look up a few old friends. We started talking, and I realized that I was not alone. Now I spend some of my time writing. Other times, I take my little one to him grandmother, and I go out with My friends. When my funds are low, they'll pay for me and I return the favor next time.
This had been the ideal solution. I still buy movies whenever my income allows. I still cook new meals every so often, I turn off the tv when the soaps come on. I read a little when my little naps, and when I need some adult interaction, I call up one of my friends, and we find something to do that keeps us all from losing our minds.
I just wanted to share this just in case there are others out there who are bored and in need of some activites, but don't want to confine themselves to the fees and time consumming comforts of an organized club. I have the best of all worlds right now, but soon, I hope to find even more to do and more friends to do it with.
I am not a professional in this field, I am just a woman with nothing better to do. :) Like there is something better than hubpages!
Tootles!!!
A well rounded life is a happy life.
Idle Minds?
Have you found enough activity in your life to keep you happy?
See results without votingPrintShare it! — Rate it: up down flag this hub
Comments
Thanks for the tip. I'll do that.
Tootles!!
You sound like a very sociable person. And being isolated with children can be stressful. Too bad this is not a culture that encourages the extended family. Sounds like you are doing too much on your own.
However, it also sounds like you recognize the need to try new things and keep on pushing. You have a nice smile so it seems like you are keeping it together.
Have a nice cup of green tea!
And keep on writing!
Thanks, BKCreative. Belive it or not, I have spent my whole life being shy. I was the group wallflower. Now I am the life of the party.
I have to do a lot alone. I am a single mom of four. I have a steady boyfriend, and he does all he can to help me out. I have learned that sometimes it is better to take care of myself and my children on my own. I have discovered that when I lean on others, I tend to get let down. It's fine, though. It took me along time to find my groove, but now that I have, I am going to keep dancing to my own busy beat.
Pus my big brother buys me a cappucino four times a week to help with the stress. He says coffee makes him feel better when he is feeling a little low, and since I don't like the deisel fuel he drinks, he gets me the next best thing. It's a real treat!
A cup of tea sounds great- warm with sugar and milk.
Tootles!!!
Nayberry
Glad to see you all smiles! Yes, boredom is really crippling and can sometimes be emotionally draining which is kind of ironic since not much is going on, right? LOL Anyway thanks for sharing your journey to boredom and back. :D
The long winters here in Minnesota are trying...BOREDOM!!!!! Even the fun things lose their color.
I live in the south. We rarely get more than a week of cold winter at a time. Minnesota, huh? I hear it gets cold there. Get a friend and a bottle of something good and chase the boredom away.
Tootles!!!
I lived in Louisiana for six years while in the Army...I sure do miss the South!!! I write a lot and play cards on line...strip poker just isn't the same with a cyber room of avatars! :0
LOL!!! There is something to be said about the South! I almost choked on my soda when I read your last comment. Avatars! You need to get out more! LOL!!
Tootles!!
I hear that a lot, but I rarely listen to my therapist, he is crazy!
I have been there!!! I was out of work for a while, and I got bored. I went stir crazy. I tried everything I could to occupy my time, but I was still bored. My house was really clean, but I was bored out of my mind!!! Thank goodness for HubPages. Now that I am working again, I have no free time at all! I have to fight to find time to hop on the computer!
Yeah!! My therapist told me the same thing, but how can I get out more when I spend all night here and all day trying to juggle between catching up on my sleep and spend time with the family. I do get to go some. You need my friends. I have one that throws wild parties. I haven't been to one ina while, but a mutural friend told me that this girl stripped at her b-day party last fall. No avatars attended!
Tootles!
Night all just letting you all know i am out for the night!
I've been off work for four years now. I was crazy as a loon for the first year- just because I was bored. I bleached my kitchen and bathroom so much that my landlady told t stop before I either washed the color from the tiles or died from the fumes. Wait- maybe it was the bleach fumes that was making me crazy.LOL
Tootles!!
Nayberry, they say that any time our life has a major change it takes quite a bit of adjustment time before we develop a new "system". You've obviously been in the process of developing a new "system", now that your life has changed the way it has.
Your hub reminds people that they don't need to sit in a chair and be bored. Don't forget, too, to find things that make you laugh each day. (YouTube is great for that. :) )
Very good topic that more people should think about. A lot of retirees and elderly go through the same thing. I deal with it every day with my husband who is retired and having health problems. There are hobbies and passions, the trick is finding the right one for you and the one that is affordable. Personally, I've never been bored in my life, most likely because we lived in remote places at a young age and had to make our own entertainment and get used to our own company. Great hub!
PS lots of free classes at your local county ag extension center, like gardening, cooking, etc.
I play video games when Im bored. Hell yeah!
Thanks you guys. Many of my friends who still work think that I have it made sitting at home everyday, but they have no idea how tiring it can be doing nothing all day. The key to it all is finding something that you love doing and doing it. My father is retired, and he is one of those people who has worked all his life. Now that he can't work any more, he feels useless. I often ask him to fix my plumbing or work on my car or something just so he can have something to do. In the summer, he mows the lawns of other elderly people who can't get around as well as he does.
Lisa- I sat around sleeping all day at first, but it really does help to have something occupy my ind.
Jerilee- Maybe if your husband knows some other retied individuals that can't function as well as he does, he can help them out. Sometimes all us homebodies need is to feel useful.
raiderfan- I play Lego Batman. I am planning to get the God of War soon. I like to play games to. I have three sons, and they keep me interested in stuff like that. I just beat my son in an Avatar Battle on the PS2 the other day! I rock!
Tootles!
Thanks for the good thoughts, Nayberry. Many people think they would like to quit their jobs and have nothing to do, but they don't realize how crippling it can be. I've seen more than one person grow lazy, overweight, or listless from not having enough to do. I'm glad you had enough sense to seek out activity and purpose.
Another great idea- like you mentioned about your dad- is volunteering. Whether it's something casual you put together yourself, such as mowing lawns like your father, or something more structured, such as through an organization; volunteering can provide you with a great sense of purpose- and just a reason to get up in the morning.
Thanks for your thoughts!
I cannot work a full time job due to my health, but I do my best to keep my mind occupied. I even go with my dad from time to time when he is out helping others. It is a good feeling, and if you are doing it for the right reasons, it doesn't even feel like work.
Tootles!!
"Being Bored To Tears"; it's quite an amazing thing to think about. When your injured y our given less in which you can accomplish on a daily basis and therefore you end up knowing that you aren't going to be as happy as you once were. However, who says you still can't be happy. No one! At least not I. I beleive that you can remain happy even when bored and injured and you have truly proven that. I give you props for doing something you love such as writing for Hubpages.com and sharing with the world your encouraging insights and not giving up on life. It can truly be inspiring to those around you if you let it and it has been to me.
I myself have been a little bored lately. Not because I am injured thankfully, but still I have been bored. I assume it's because I have been recently let go on some of my usual hours at work due to this sad sad economy. I always wanted more time to write on hubpages and when I finally got it I was relented at the same time. How sad of me. On the otherhand due to some awesome friends I have recently decided to become a Readers Critic and share my encourging insights with those around me just as you have here.
So on a short note I'd like to say well done on this article and I hope you keep up the hard work and remain unbored while you write to share encouraging words with those around you all over the internet.
Readers.Critic@gmail.com
Thanks Readers.Critic. I know how hard it can be when you are used to working. Before I was placed on disability, I worked as an assisstant in a kindergarten class. I often worked nine hour days, and I loved the kids. I was more energetic when I worked. I was artistic, too. I went over and beyond to do my job. I was also the youth teacher for the kids class on Wednesday night at my church. We di arts and craft, watched movies, and had parties along with our BIBLE studies. When I stoppe working, I stopped everything. I am really now just getting back into the swing of things, and Iam loving it! There is no reason to be bored when there is a whole big world out there screaming "Make me your own!!!"
Tootles!!
Great hub, I have currently become a stay at home mom again, due to my job lose. It is not like everyone thinks, I find myself often lonley.
Bored 2 tears woh i personally feel that each and every one of us should never feel that we r alone when these sort of good sites are there.everybody is here for everybody.
I understand exactly what you are talking about because I have been there for the past ten years. I was injured in a 5 car accident and told I could no longer work but I pushed myself anyway because I was a single mom and I had three children to support since I it was easier to do it myself and not chase my ex every month. I knew I could count on me. Well it ended up I made myself worse and 4 years ago it became impossible for me to continue to work any more. I can't even drive now so there goes my indepence. But you can't let it get you down.
I am happy you have found a way to make yourself smile again. Writting is a great avenue to express yourself and release some stress. Great Hub, Thanks!
I deal with so many problems every day that I had to find and outlet so that I could find some kind of balance in my life. I learned that taking care of myself had to be the key thing. I almost did the same thing you did, TP. I kept trying to work, and I was getting worse by the day. I had to slow down. I am thirty-four years, and I was on the verge of having another nervous breakdown. My writing is my way of escaping to a place away from reality.
Don't let not being able to drive hold you back. As long as you still have breath, there is a way to get around everything. You can still have your independence as long as you know how to play the game. Take a cab, walk, or ride with a patient friend. You can always find a way.
Tootles!!!
Hey, how about getting all the Hubbers here to send you their favourite recipes, and you compile them to make a Humungous Hubber Home-cooked Recipe Book. Take photos, try them out and you can put it together and get it published. Hell, we'll all buy one and you can make extra money that way and keep yourself busy.
Great idea!!! I cook all the time. I usually get my recipes from allrecipes.com, but I have tried some from the other hubbers here, and they were great. G-Ma has some that will make your mouth water. Thanks for the idea.
Tootles!!
BOREDOM, how I hate that feeling, sometimes I have found that there is so much to do that I just don't know where to start ,so, I wander aimlessly from place to place totally and absolutely bored. Ain't that a pathetic scenario?
Its true- I have two jobs and when i get a day off its heaven! But when my holidays come around I get really bored and upset because I have nothing to do! Boredom really is a helpless feeling, but its great that you're finding ways to combat the problem, instead of sitting at home feeling sorry for yourself.
Good luck in the future:-)
We have to change our mind. Life is cyclic. There are times for everything. We get bored and desperate, because we think it is going to be like that forever, I mean, we don't know when It's going to change.
But sooner that expected something happen and everything change. This really help me a lot and also to be sorry for all the people that are like me, so I try to dedicate 5 minutes of my time to help people, and that when come the best moments of my days.
Great Hub
Cheers
This is an awesome hub!! Thank you so much for sharing, and I also wrote a hub called "The Sisterhood of Women". I do believe that time with friends and female family members, is critical to a woman's (and mother's) sanity:)
Glad you found me. I love your work:)
Bored to Tears in the News
- Can You See Through From Me To You?NPR2 days ago
Every answer is a familiar phrase in the form ____ to ____, as in "bored to tears" or "year to date." Each clue is a compound word or common two-word phrase in which the first part rhymes with the first word in the answer and the second part rhymes with the last word in the answer.
- âItâs a blessingâThe Brewton Standard15 hours ago
Lisa Tindell| The Brewton Standard Kelly Wilson holds a shawl she crocheted to be presented to an oncology patient at D.W. McMillan Hospital. Being a “bored” teenager got Kelly Wilson a lesson in crocheting. That lesson has turned into a hobby that allows the crafter an opportunity to bless others.
- Review: 'Zeitoun' by Dave EggersTonic26 hours ago
Author and advocate Eggers goes the extra mile in telling the disturbing tale of a Katrina survivor.
My Other "Jobs"
- Poetic Monthly Magazine
This is the magazine that I recently started writing for. It is a magazines created b writers for writers, but readers will enjoy it as well. - Mississippi Native writes!! - Home Page
This is my official author's website. Check it out!
CarolynnMarie says:
10 months ago
Good hub! Finding fulfilling ways to fill empty time is important -- studies show that how we manage our leisure or discretionary time determines a lot of our satisfaction with life.
Might I suggest reorganizing it with different headings? That always makes it easier to read and digest the information, I've found.