Introduction
Being bored of things isn’t unusual and in fact, many of us experience it at some point in our lives.
What we do during that boredom can be the real conundrum and it often leaves people feeling purposeless for a time, especially if they haven’t established any other habits of pleasure.
In particular, though, it’s more common to see boredom and burnout in relation to YouTube habits, but why is that?
Why You Get Bored of YouTube
YouTube is an easily addicting but often fleeting experience that many of us fall prey to and often get trapped in a cycle of addictive scrolling whereby we can hardly snap ourselves away from the screen.
Each scroll becomes more necessary but is often less pleasurable than the first time and thus, we often become burned out and in a state of pleasurelessness that can also impact our enjoyment of other things.
So we know the impact of scrolling through YouTube but why does it get boring?
Well, in most cases, it’s because browsing YouTube videos all day usually offers very little in the way of personal growth or substance, and instead, requires huge amounts of emotional investment from the get-go.
Case in point: Clickbait titles that hype you up and give you everything you’ve ever dreamed of, only to be let down as it starts to dawn on you that the video was simply a hollow gambit attempting to reel you in for clicks, likes, and ad revenue.
Conversely, topics of study that can help grow you as a person are often less addicting to watch and usually have a more profound impact on your sense of self and thus, are less burdensome to watch.
If you really must watch videos every day then we recommend trying to find ones that expand your views of the world and that challenge your thinking rather than mindlessly looking for the next hit of dopamine.
These types of wholesome videos may not give you that immediate burst of energy upon first sight but they’ll definitely leave you feeling more satisfied inside and probably far less bored in the long run.
However, if you’re feeling experimental, why not continue reading on and try one of these eight suggested activities instead?
8 Things You Can Do Instead of Browsing YouTube
1. Reading
Watching videos that are filled with vibrant, flashing colors and a plethora of sounds is a really taxing way to spend the day — no wonder you’re bored and burned out!
Sometimes, all we need is a little silence and some imagination to get us looking at the world in a more wholesome way again.
Reading is the perfect hobby for restoring our senses and getting us back to a more even plane of existence.
One thing we should point out, though, is that your brain may put up some resistance at first to the activity of reading, especially if you’re not used to sitting still without highly stimulating activities on the go — rest assured, this will slowly fade and you’ll soon start appreciating the slower things in life.
In fact, the prospect of reading should fill you with absolute excitement; there are millions of books out there covering basically all areas of interest known to humankind, including mind-blowing works of fiction from some of the greatest writers that have ever lived.
The best way to onboard this pastime is to go into a real bookstore and take a good few hours looking around for the perfect book.
2. Learn/Play an instrument
One of the key reasons why we get bored is that we aren’t doing anything that challenges our current status quo; we’re simply doing what we’ve always done and that definitely gets boring after a while.
In this case, rather than watching YouTube all day whereby we praise great musicians for their talent, why not become the musician yourself?
Yes, that’s right, you could become a marvelous musical talent if you give yourself enough time to learn and practice.
In fact, it’s a very empowering thought knowing that with enough time, you could become an expert in virtually any topic you dedicate your time to.
YouTube is boring because you aren’t doing anything useful with it — try spending some time watching instructional videos to see if you can pick up a useful skill or two such as playing an instrument.
3. Catch up with friends and family
When you’re bored of YouTube, it’s very easy to keep doing what you’ve been doing (continually browsing videos) hoping that things will change and you’ll still start having fun again, however, it’s rather unlikely without a shift in your perspective.
The best way to change how you’re feeling and looking at the world (the lens of your mind) is actually just to get out there and start connecting with your friends and family and engaging in genuine discussion.
This is because it’s easy to get caught in your own feedback loops of thinking, and without some sort of deliberate effort to change this it can be easy to remain stuck in a rut of boredom.
Plus, connecting with friends and family is in most cases effortlessly fun and you can arrange to do different activities with them to break the cycle of monotony.
4. Do something challenging
Sometimes it’s really hard to shake off our old cobwebs without really brute-forcing ourselves through a difficult situation.
You may wonder why somebody would voluntarily do this to themselves but it can actually become a bit of catharsis for some people and it’ll definitely make you forget about your boredom.
Some suggestions of challenging tasks include running a marathon, raising money for a good cause, and even engaging in more quirky tasks such as spicy food challenges — other suggestions can be found on our list of difficult hobbies.
In truth, it doesn’t really matter what you pick, just that it’s enough of an effort to prompt a mental shift within you.
5. Arts & Crafts
If you’re bored it’s probably because you aren’t doing anything permanent or lasting.
One of the best ways to create something with permanence is through the pursuit of certain arts & crafts such as sculpting, painting, and even more hands-on pastimes such as woodworking.
Being able to spontaneously create something is a very satisfying way of living your life which is why we always recommend people take up at least one artistic hobby.
More practical artistic hobbies such as woodworking can be really useful to know for those moments where you need to fix or enhance certain aspects of your living space but can also be great to generate an income.
Boredom is often a symptom of idle hands and an inability to express yourself through creative means — give this a go and we’re sure you’ll start finding things more enjoyable in very little time.
6. Exercise or hit the gym
Exercising, although a chore seemingly, is actually a great way to unwind, destress, and ultimately, quash your feelings of boredom.
If you’ve ever wondered why exercising makes you feel happy or satisfied inside it’s mainly due to the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkiller and happy hormone.
However, a more philosophical reason for why it makes you feel good is that it’s something that most people know they should be doing, so when they achieve it they’re able to feel good within themselves that they’ve worked toward something beneficial.
Plus, exercise and gym-going can be a communal experience whereby you can meet other like-minded individuals who’re also seeking to better themselves.
This is a great distraction from mindlessly scrolling through YouTube all day and you’ll feel much better afterward for having done it.
7. Revitalize yourself and your home
A tidy home is a tidy mind.
Sometimes we get complacent within our habits due to the chaotic environment that we’re surrounded by.
It’s easy to forget your problems by scrolling through YouTube videos all day rather than confronting the problem head-on, however, this can lead to boredom and frustration as it’ll always be there in the back of your mind.
For this reason, freshening up your mind, body, and living environment can be a great way to stop those feelings of boredom and turn them into feelings of optimism and excitement.
8. Learn philosophy
Understanding negative thoughts aren’t the easiest task, especially if you don’t have much experience or perspective to draw wisdom from.
For this reason, studying philosophy is a critical component for developing a healthy internal compass that can guide you through all kinds of challenges in life, including those of dissatisfaction and boredom.
One particular area of study that we recommend for dealing with boredom is stoicism which is the pursuit of living content with difficult situations.
It will help you understand better your feelings of boredom but it’ll also help reframe why you don’t need to feel bad about your sudden malcontent, and that it can actually be a lesson to learn from.
Relevant Articles
- 6 Practical Solutions for When You’re Bored of Everything
- 13 Productive Things to Do When Bored (Be Bold, Not Bored)
- 5 Reasons Why You Get Bored of People So Quickly (And What You Can Do About It)
- 5 Reasons Why You Get Bored of Hobbies So Quickly (and What to Do About It)
- Why You’re Bored of Music: Plus 8 Things To Try Instead
- What to Play or Try When You’re Bored of Games: 50 Ideas (Embrace Gaming Burnout in Style)
Conclusion
Boredom is a multifold challenge and can be exacerbated by many different factors.
Hopefully, you’ll now have a better idea of why you’re bored of YouTube and what can be done about it to make sure you feel more content in the future.
Don’t Forget
As always, if you found this article helpful, make sure to save our homepage to your favorites for more interesting hobby advice, discussions, and updates on all the ways you can enhance your spare time!
