Continually bored. What to do?

[the mage-girl]

I am in a bad spot at the moment.

I am bored TO DEATH but have no idea what to ACTUALLY DO.

Boredom aggravates my depression, too. sad

I have hobbies: video games, needlework, reading, writing... But nothing appeals to me right now.

Should I force myself to do something, even if my heart is not in it? Take a nap? Call a friend?

How do I get out of this? Any ideas?

Thanks in advance. Take care. smile  

[Eleiza0250]

If you are bored because things no longer interest you...probably do not try to do something you love because you'll end up hating it because you can't enjoy it and that will only aggravate your depression. Try just...watching random movies and crap online? that's how I dealt with depression, and how all the people in real life I know have dealt with it, when we were "bored"  

[the mage-girl]

Ladies, I think my "bored" is more not enjoying the stuff I used to do. You're right, that's an important distinction to make. I am bipolar, but spend most of my time depressed. Maybe I'm depressed! Dammit.

I do like the idea of watching random videos/derping around on the internet. I spent a lot of time this weekend reading up on Hannibal. That show is sick!

Last night I got fed up and watched a movie with my mom. (Super 8, which was actually pretty good.) It got me out of my head for a little while.

I think sometimes I'm hesitant to try stuff because what if it doesn't work out? Realistically I know that not everything is going to work, but in certain moods it can be devastating to me.

I see both my therapist and my psychiatrist this week. I will have to bring this up. They are kind of at the point where they are hesitant to do anything med-wise, but maybe I need to push a little harder.

Thank you! smile  

[the mage-girl]

I know - I find the Bipolar II diagnosis weird as well since most of the time I'm depressed. But apparently people with Bipolar II don't get true mania, they "just" have manic traits (like being irritable and impulsive). I can vouch for that unfortunately. sweatdrop

Very anxious at the moment. Mom is back from her day in the hospital and I am trying to figure out how to get things done. If I don't make it to my day program I will at least try to write in my journal or something. smile

Thanks for writing!  

[Eleiza0250]

I have one friend with bipolar and according to her the manic and/or hypomanic phases seem like such a relief from the depression, they usually seem normal to her because the depression is so bad, if that makes sense  

[Aquatic_blue]

My advice is to try and find a new hobby. Sometimes hobbies can feel like boring to us at times because we enjoy them so we have done them many times and it feels like the same old thing and not too interesting after a point. Although, after quitting a hobby for a while, a person will probably return to it because they miss it.

Until then, don't be afraid to try new things. New experiences are how we figure out hobbies we enjoy, hobbies we don't enjoy, things we are good at, etc. We also learn from failure! Do not be afraid of mistakes!

Sometimes a good way to kill time is to exercise. I find myself often not getting enough exercise and at times when I'm bored or getting mid-daytime sleepiness, I'll pick up a couple handheld weights and use those for exercise after some stretches. Good news is a lot of exercises can be done indoors! Exercises is good for you, keeps blood flow going through the body, and decreases risks of some medical problems that can occur with lack of exercise being a primary or secondary cause.

Going for a walk can be a good option while bored if the weather is good and perhaps you have someone with you. You can go alone, just always take precautions while alone for safety sake.

Perhaps look up online a cool craft that you would like to make and learn how to do it. Perhaps learn how to make tissue paper crafts, oragami, or something else creative. Let your creative abilities flow!

Here are some other options for hobbies:

~Learn a language: (there are free language sites such as livemocha.com that can help you on this endeavor or if you have a friend that knows a foreign language you don't - ask them to teach you).

~Google a question you've never known the answer to: This could be something such as, "How do people make ships in a bottle?"/"Why is the sky blue?"/anything really.

~Learn a new card game: There are hundreds of games for a simple deck of cards all the way from Black Jack to Speed. Pick up a new card game, learn it, maybe even teach your friends.

~Learn how to play chess: It's generally easy to find a game of chess online, there may even be a version already installed in your computer. Many people enjoy this game and it can improve strategic thinking and problem solving. It's a game that anyone can always get better at!

~Write out a list of long-term goals: Write out a list of goals you want to accomplish in life. Some can be more simple, while others that take a longer amount of time to reach and write how you will reach those goals.

~Find a place to volunteer: Volunteering can look good on future resumes and generally have you only work 16 - 20 or so hours a month depending on the volunteer opportunity. This can be something to keep you busy and doing something.

~Bird watching: Go outside, sit around, or a good area with plenty of different birds and look around for birds. Perhaps even take pictures to identify the birds later, or bring a bird guide and some binoculars.  

[the mage-girl]

Wow! So many great ideas! Thank you, ladies! heart

My psychiatrist put me on Wellbutrin, first once a day, now twice a day. I think that is helping me quite a bit. I certainly don't get bad thoughts like I used to.

I had never even thought about chess, but that intrigues me. I was in the chess club in high school, yet it took me years to realize I was a geek. I bet I am really rusty right now however. I was never a good strategic player. redface

I seem to be distracting myself with Dragon Quest IX currently. There is always something to do in that game. If you don't want to advance the plot, you can grind, change your character's classes, look for alchemy ingredients, do side-quests... For being a DS game it is pretty involved.

I should be exercising more than I am. I am in physical therapy for my back and have daily exercises, but my physical therapist would like me to get in some walking every day too. But it has been so hot outside!

I made progress on my tiny Totoro cross-stitch. I just have part of one side and the ears left. smile

And I've been reading! After not wanting to read for so long, it's kind of nice. Just finished Apocalypse Cow, which was about as crazy as you would expect.

Thanks again for your ideas! Take care!