Do you ever get bored? How about your kids? You must have heard that mournful cry: “I’m booooooooooored!” Followed by you proposing an increasingly inventive list of options, none of which appeal to them one bit. Sigh.

Boredom actually has a lot of value, though. When you’re bored, there’s not one thing you want to do…so you’re forced by circumstances to just be. That can be precious in our go-go-go world.

Being bored can spark your creativity, whether in the moment or later on. You might decide, like ElvenTiger, to draw fake tattoos on your arm with markers. This could lead to using those doodles to design a real tattoo, logo, or other artwork. Or you could just lie there and stare out the window, letting your thoughts drift. Did you know you’re meditating?

Boredom leads to daydreams, which can deliver original ideas for a story, an invention, or a themed road trip.

As a bookworm, I find that I’m not bored very often, as I simply pick up a book. That’s another valuable thing about being bored – more time to explore your imagination through the things you choose to read. If, heaven forbid, I get bored with reading itself (rare, but it has happened), I close my eyes and imagine new worlds of my own, filled with fantastical creatures.

Or you might drift off to sleep, and extra rest is a good thing.

Kids who are bored might learn to rely on themselves more, especially since parents never seem to have any useful ideas in that situation. They might try something they hadn’t thought of before, and getting out of your normal routine can spark all kinds of interesting food for thought and exploration!

See, boredom is good! It’s a valuable state of being for creative people – which is all of us.

Next time you feel bored, go with it. Don’t just do something, sit there!