Adult ADHD - 3 Ways to Fight Killer Boredom

The results are in. Boredom could truly be cutting precious years off of your life. Over a 25 year period, 7,524 civil servants aged between 35 and 55 were interviewed from 1985-1988. Then the researchers checked in on the interviewees to see if any had died last year. Cheery, yes? Here's what they found: "Those who said they were bored were nearly 40 per cent more likely to have died by the end of [the] study than those who did not." Do you realize what this means? I'm going to live forever!

I never stay bored. It's impossible. My ADHD mind can't handle it. If you have ADHD, I'm willing to bet neither can yours. The nanosecond our poor brains sense anything less than a party is going on, they immediately cast about for some good times. According to the study, "the people who complained about boredom were more likely to die young, and that those who experienced 'high levels' of tedium [were] more than two-and-a-half times as likely to die from heart disease or stroke than those satisfied with their lot." By my reasoning, although I'm never satisfied with my lot, I never sit still long enough to be dissatisfied either.

I wonder if that adds years to a man's life? It's true, I am more youthful than my peers. And here I thought I was just immature.

There are times, however, when my mind is at a loss. Well, OK, there are a lot of times when my mind is at a loss, but specifically, I'm referring to times when I am bored in a constricting social setting. Surprisingly, I have found that it is unacceptable to start a party during church meetings, business empowerment seminars, heart to hearts with the wife, funerals, etc. During those times, it is not alright to suddenly stand up and announce "I am so bored. I think I'll go out for a walk. Be back in a bit." I assure you, no one will appreciate your honesty.

Here are three socially acceptable things that I have found help me deal with boredom:

Boredom Emergency Kit™ - Over the years, I have assembled a bag of such incredible density that my family fears to carry it for me when I'm ticking. Inside the bag are sketching and writing journals, reading materials, a MacBook, art supplies, emergency food pouches filled with proteiny tunafish, a flashlight, a jack knife, and various interesting accoutrements. No matter where I am, if my bag is with me I am certain to never find myself bored.

My iPhone - With a constant internet connection and almost 170 apps, I am hard pressed to find myself without something to do. I am thankful for the e-books and, especially, the camera apps. The ordinary becomes the extraordinary as I snap away at the world around me. Fill your PDA, cellphone, or smartphone with the types of apps that are guaranteed to hold your attention in a boredom emergency.

Interact with your environment - When pulling out an iPhone or hauling out a 50 lbs. bag filled with entertaining goodies isn't an option, you will need to stretch a bit to make this last solution work. We can stave off boredom by taking an interest in the environment we are in. Keep yourself busy by taking notes. Ask questions. Give input. Participate in the discussion. Keep your mind active when your body cannot be. Business meetings where somebody drones on and on about numbers or procedure are so boring to me that I can feel myself prematurely age. I usually sit in the back so I can write notes without distracting the speaker. My notes aren't always about what is being discussed, either. In those cases, I force myself to constantly rescan the meeting to make sure I'm current with the discussion before letting myself back into the comfort of my distraction.

Keeping boredom at bay often happens without effort for those with ADHD, but when being random is detrimental to your job or relationships, I have found it's nice to have a set of safe distractions prepared. Besides, I always knew excessive boredom was death to me. Now I have the facts to back that up.