Enduring Prolonged Mundane Boredom
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: I propose that deliberately remaining with ordinary, manageable boredom can sometimes be abetter near-term choice than extending an angry or avoidant spiral. The proposal is active: noticethe feeling, ask what is missing, imagine possible next steps, and stop when remaining increasesdistress, paralysis, or missed opportunity. I distinguish this from deliberately training numbness,from sensory-deprivation exercises, and from a claim about all forms of meditation. My sourceobservations are limited: at the time of my November 5 account, I had used the deliberatepractice for about a week or less and described one anger-to-film example. I have not establisheda treatment, a general coping method, or a reliable effect. I connect the proposal to themetastructure as a vocabulary for learned approaches and usable continuity, and suggest thatimagination can serve that structure by making alternatives available. That is a proposedinterpretation, not a demonstrated neural mechanism. Companion accounts of wanting, hiddencosts, and convergence clarify the questions without validating the practice. The aim is to find aworkable next step in a safe ordinary setting, not to endure harm or wait for a promisedrevelation.
Author: Withington, Cole David
Institution: Portland State University
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7225659098
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