There’s a strange phenomenon spreading these days. I hear about it in podcasts and see people talking about it in articles and on social media.

And I can’t quite tell if it’s a great new life hack or the flavour of the week. But it makes a lot of sense, and I can confirm its benefits.

What is it?

Being bored.

Seriously, that’s it. Sit and be bored for 10 or 15 minutes each day.

No TV, no phone, no music, no book.

No distraction.

And it’s a lot harder than you might think.

We’ve become so used to being distracted that going without drives most people wild with anxiety. Learning to sit with it and get comfortable with boredom has significant lasting effects.

I’m not a neuroscientist, so I can’t speak to what exactly happens when you work on this. But I’ve noticed two main benefits since practising this.

First, it’s calming. Training yourself to be comfortable by simply being, without the need to pacify every waking moment, is huge for reducing anxiety.

The second benefit I’ve noticed is the increase in creativity. Similar to certain types of meditation, this practice allows you to watch your thoughts materialize. And the more you sit and watch your thoughts — without distraction — the more creative ideas you’ll notice.

If you practice any form of meditation, sitting with boredom will be familiar territory. For the untrained, it will be a little more uncomfortable at first.

Either way, the act of being bored in our overstimulating world is a simple yet powerful act of self-care.