Stasis. Purgatory. Lockdown. 

An inescapable, imposed standstill that you could not escape. 

Being trapped at home, taking precautions to stay safe and secure from the coronavirus has been a near universal experience for most people since the start of our first nationwide lockdown in March 2020. Whilst we can see the end in sight, a light bursting over the horizon like a rising sun, it’s important to remember that this time of isolation from loved ones and laziness through inaction is something we can all draw a level of commonality from.

You might look now at this period and think you’ve wasted it. 

Thinking back to the very start, remind yourself of the ambitious goals you wanted to achieve to make sure you used this time wisely. If you managed to succeed, congratulations! But to the majority of us that didn’t manage to get that book written, didn’t manage to exercise and lost sight of their dream look, or lost all sense of identity beyond a YouTube recommended screen or a Netflix account profile pic…

… looking back can be painful. 

Boredom comes from mental fatigue and lack of interest in whatever we’re doing. Normally, that might be from something that happens every day. Maybe you don’t spice up your lunch menu enough or are sick of the same tasks in your administrative job. Maybe you need something fresh and new to stimulate your creative spirit. 

Only when it came to lockdown, with the same four walls surrounding you, the lack of new scenery to inspire new ideas, and the blinking line on the solidly white page of a word document you knew deep down you had no words to fill — that’s where boredom came at its worst.

As we hopefully come to the definitive end of this testing time, it’s important to remind ourselves of the small wins. Just getting through every day in spite of the repetitive tedium is a win. 

You don’t need to have done something extra special and world-changing to have value. Just being able to say that you’re ready to go back into the wider world again is a success in itself. 

Of course, the toughest part of your journey is still ahead of you. When you’ve tasted boredom continuously for so long, training your appetite to hunger for greater things by going out into the wider world will be a challenge. 

Take gratitude in everything that was taken away. Slowly come back. Remind yourself that whilst the past is set in stone, the future holds many more possibilities. 

It’s time to take advantage and beat back boredom for good!

It’s important that we come back to reality refocused, honouring the past by striving to do whatever we can to become the best versions of ourselves. Choosing to seize the day, direct your life and using this boredom as a blossoming experience for future endeavours will help you transform boredom into productivity. 

This blog is a reflection on “Legacy” by Martyn Pentecost, which explores the impact that you can leave on the world and other people through transforming your own life. Find out more here.