Millennial Memories: How 90s Boredom Became 2000s Burnout

Some of us remember the before times, when staring out a window was normal and waiting in line without doomscrolling was standard. A time when silences weren’t awkward, they just were. When we whined to our parents about being bored, they’d call it a choice. And it was. But when did that choice disappear? When did it become impossible to stop overthinking, cut out commercial culture, sit down and enjoy the sunset without worrying you should have worked late instead?

As a frazzled and disillusioned 90s kid, I remember well my mother scooting my sister and I out the door on summer mornings and telling us to figure out ourselves what to do for the day. No TV, no computer, no phone — just making up games in the woods and wandering downtown to find friends whose parents had similar philosophies. In fairness, we did have to check on our Tamagotchis a couple of times a day.

RIP to all the digital pets I accidentally starved to death.

On long car rides, we had to rely on our own inner dialogue for entertainment… or hold the MapQuest directions for your dad while watching miles of corn fields for the next turn-off. And we hated it. But we had no idea that boredom — and even the choice to merely relax for a bit — would disappear, never to return. Even to become demonized.

And now I am so burnt out I would literally sell my children if someone promised me an afternoon of boredom.

How the Art of Doing Nothing Got Disappeared

Modern life has taught us to fear stillness and worship stimulation. At a restaurant table alone? Scroll your phone. Have a free evening? Binge-watch HBO. Kids whining on a long car ride? Hand them a tablet. We used to manage stress by taking moments to be quiet and decompress. We’ve removed that quiet and replaced it with social media, games, ads, movies. Turns out, not everything can be transferred to the cloud — daydreaming is one of them.

But here’s the thing — our brains crave blank space. Just like you need a rest in between supersets at the gym, your brain needs moments — and even whole days — of recharge time. But we don’t do that — many of us straight up can’t, so as a collective, we are unwell, unrested, unhappy. Even the last vestiges of a brain break — sleep — is being eroded; our productivity-obsessed culture reveres 100-hour work weeks and 24/7 hustle. It never stops.

What’s worse is that this isn’t something that’s being done to us anymore; it’s something we’re doing. If you’ve recently tried to sit down and do nothing, and it made you feel even more stressed than you already were, it’s likely because your nervous system has forgotten how to stop overthinking. Scrolling, likes, game points, online purchases — these all release dopamine and serotonin; you feel good, satisfied for a moment.

But like most things that stimulate those feel-good chemicals, you get less and less sensitive to it so you need more and more. We’re not tied to our phones because we’re lazy — we’re tied to them because we’re addicted. That’s why you fidget like an addict when you try to sit still.

Rebranding Boredom as a Form of Healing

Boredom has been unfairly branded as associated with apathy and sedentism. But boredom often precedes some of the clearest moments, the best ideas, the most creative solutions. Without room for empty space, there’s no room for new growth. You’re just doom piling all your thoughts and feelings, never really going anywhere. So what if we stopped thinking about boredom as stagnancy and started thinking about it as self-care?

Chronic stress has worn down our resilience, and chronic stimulation has worn down our emotional autonomy, so reviving the ability to have a blank stare and a blank mind really is a form of healing. For the older generations, it’s getting to know a long-lost friend again. For the younger generations, it’s a new skill that’s going to serve them well as they navigate this overstimulated world.

A few gentle habits to consider:

1. Disconnect on purpose. Do you really need your notifications on after you leave the office? Do you really need to be pinged about the 5am email from your PBIO professor? That was rhetorical; the answer is no.
2. Repetition is your friend. Routine doesn’t just beget consistency, it begets time for mindlessness. Run the same route every day, wash dishes by hand on purpose, actually DO your doom piles twice a week. Repetitive tasks leave room for your mind to wander. It’s sneaky productivity, because it’s also rest.
3. Schedule time to just exist. Have a 30-minute meeting with your nervous system each day — she’s tired and needs support. Sit somewhere and don’t do anything. Listen to a record. Meditate. Watch a thunderstorm roll in.

Sometimes nothing is exactly what you need so you can be your most productive self and feel good, too. So let your mind wander. Zone out. Sit still in a quiet room without a screen to reach for. You’re not wasting time, you’re prioritizing recovery. And if you need a little boost from a wellness supplement that works with your biology instead of against it, consider trying a month of MTE. It’s a daily nootropic and adaptogen supplement with a formula that prioritizes recovery just as much as productivity so you can get to that more-room-for-nothing space where you feel less pressured and more present.