The Paleo diet has gotten a bad rap for being a boring, bland diet that is much too simple for our complex taste buds. In reality, though, it’s simply about stripping down the crap that’s made its way into our diet over the years. Going Paleo allows our bodies to get back to the basics of functioning on real, nutritious food. Interestingly, we can see this concept in our daily lives, as well. Everyone is afraid to simplify their lives, in fear that they will become bored or be perceived as boring. The question is, when did boredom become a negative thing? Why is everyone so fearful of boredom in their diet and life?
Siegfried Kracauer wrote about something he dubbed “radical boredom” in an essay titled Boredom—the idea of completely disconnecting from everyday stimulants. Kracauer argued that it can be valuable to “stay at home, draw the curtains, and surrender oneself to one’s boredom on the sofa.” In doing so, we can dream up unapologetic, enthralling fantasies that allow us to reconnect with the true essence of the human spirit. While being bored tends to make us feel useless and lazy, it just might be one of the most enticing, beneficial situations we can find ourselves in, aside from meditation.
Kracauer was definitely correct in suggesting that taking the time to sit on your sofa or a bench, with your phone silenced and put away, with no music, book, or newspaper, and just letting your mind wander, should be an essential part of your day. Aside from delving into radical boredom on a daily basis, meditation can also help simplify and improve areas of your life. A study conducted at Massachusetts General Hospital revealed that those who meditate are generally calmer and better able to regulate stress, with improved memory. They also found that it took as little as eight weeks to reap the benefits of meditation.
Take a moment to walk outside and look around you—isn’t it amazing all the things you often miss that might spark a new idea or a magical dream? You may start to wonder how you could truly ever be bored again.
Kracauer observed that the world’s stimulants hinder the blossoming of creativity—and that by taking a moment to disconnect and allow the basics of the world to surround you, you can make more space for creativity and connectivity. According to Kracauer, “People today who still have time for boredom and yet are not bored are certainly just as boring as those who never get around to being bored,” said Kracauer. He observed that people “are pushed deeper and deeper into the hustle and bustle until eventually they no longer know where their head is.”
It’s easy to see this when you look around. Everyone has their computer, phone, iPad or Kindle, headphones, and a television all within arm’s reach most of the time. If that’s not overstimulating the senses, what is?
This is similar to the stimulants found in our Standard American Diet and how they affect and interrupt the basics—what is naturally meant to be. Just like our society getting lost in the “hustle and bustle” and “no longer knowing where [its] head is,” our bodies get lost in the roller coaster of hormone-stimulating foods, no longer knowing how they are truly supposed to feel and function.
So how do we use this idea of radical boredom to simplify our lives, both mentally and nutritionally? For starters, skip the grocery aisles laden with sugary, artificial, processed foods, and start feeding your body a Paleo diet. Try removing any additives, processed, packaged foods, and sugars from your diet. Focus on filling your cupboards with foods that are healing, soothing, and nutritious. Allow your body to revel in foods that benefit your hormones and see how it reacts. Then take note of how switching over makes you feel. This is such a good way of connecting and creating a newfound bond with your body.
Then apply that Paleo model to the rest of your life. Just as you stripped down the foods in your diet, remove the noise and distraction from your routine. This means eliminating, as best you can, constant connection with your electronics or whatever else is eating up endless hours in your day.
Now, this isn’t an excuse to skip out on work you need to get done—it’s highly unlikely your boss will go for that idea. We are, however, suggesting that you use the bare minimum electronic stimulation possible. When you’re about to reach for your phone to pass the time, instead allow yourself to embrace that boredom, let your mind wander, and see what it comes up with.
Find somewhere in nature, away from visual pollution, to plop down and take in the elements. What does it smell like? How does it look, sound, and taste? This boredom is your portal to another fascinating, radical world—one created by you.
Applying this idea of “radical boredom” across all planes of your life will be sure to clarify, simplify and reconnect you with not only your body, but also your mind. When you begin by detoxing one area of your life (like your diet), it will be an easy transition into detoxifying other areas. After converting to a healthy Paleo diet, you should find you’re able to think more clearly and have more energy throughout the day. By combining a Paleo approach with radical boredom, you’ll find that your mind has never been clearer.
Starting today, allow yourself to find the beauty in boredom by simply disconnecting.
References
- Holzel B, Carmody J, Vangel M, Congleton C, Yerramsetti S, et al. “Mindfulness practice leads to increases in regional brain gray matter density.” University of Massachusetts; Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction. (2010) DOI: 10.1016/j.pscychres s.2010.08.006
- Warner M. Pandora’s Lunchbox: How Processed Food Took Over the American Meal. Scribner, 2013.
- Kracauer S. The Mass Ornament: Weimar Essays. Harvard University Press, 1963.
- Bronson P, Merryman A. “The Creativity Crisis.” Newsweek. July 2010. http://www.newsweek.com/creativity-crisis-74665
- Levy D, Wobbrock J, Kaszniak A, Ostergren M. “The Effects of Mindfulness Meditation Training on Multitasking in a High-Stress Information Environment.” Proceedings for Graphics Interface. (2012): 45–52.
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