Mindfulness Audios Download: Feeling Bored

Daily Mindfulness Practice: Free Audio Download

by Monica A. Frank, Ph.D.

The following is part of a series of audios to teach how to practice mindfulness. Developing your ability to focus on the present moment can reduce distress and improve well-being.

Feeling Bored

Index for Mindfulness Audios

Additional reading:

Some tips for using these audios:

Start with the Understanding Mindfulness audios to learn about mindfulness.
These short practice exercises are to help train your brain to be more mindful when engaged in daily activities.
The audio format is just for convenience to help learn the material. You can also read the transcript. When you practice, however, you should engage in the behavior mindfully without listening to the audio.
The best way to train your brain to be more mindful is to practice in short sessions throughout the day while engaged in your normal activities.
The descriptions are an artificial way to help you get started. Eventually, the practice of mindfulness is being aware of what is described without using an inner verbal description.
This exercise is to help you develop tolerance of emotions. The audio provides guidance for being mindfully present with boredom.
However, the actual practice of mindfulness is to allow yourself to be fully aware of your experience when feeling bored. Although trying to create the emotion of boredom would not be mindful, it may be possible to create the conditions that might cause you to feel bored.

Next Exercise

Listen

Transcript of Audio: Feeling Bored

Allow yourself to fully experience feeling bored. Instead of trying to get rid of the feeling by doing something or thinking about something, allow yourself to just experience boredom. Notice how you experience it. What exactly do you feel and where do you feel it? What types of sensations do you experience when feeling bored? For instance, do you have a feeling of restlessness or irritability? Or do you feel indifferent, as if you don't care? Or do you feel sluggish and fatigued? However you experience boredom, let yourself “be” with that sensation without judgment. If you have critical thoughts about the boredom come into your mind, just redirect your experience back to the actual sensation of boredom. Let those sensations flow over you, notice them but don't try to judge or get rid of them. Let yourself “be” with the feeling of boredom.