Dissociating due to boredom

[HealingMama]

My ability to stay grounded when I don't have to interact with other people, and when I don't have activities with deadlines, is suffering. I am having a hard time staying grounded due to boredom. I am not dissociating when stressed, just getting bored and staying in this yucky halfway here halfway not mind space. I have to find a way to deal with this because I cannot spend all this time fuzzy headed. It is happening at work but then I still need to interact with people so I try to front like I'm feeling normal but I don't at all and I have to find a way to stop doing this.

I have tried listening to music. If I can get up and move around it's fine. But I have a desk job with a lot of reading to do and the current pattern isn't sustainable. Help?

 

[RecoveryGuy]

Do you make a schedule for yourself and set your own deadlines? That was my first thought.

 

[Ronin]

So ADHD problem. So... there.

If can't physical, find engaging mental / emotional games.

Lots of playing to move the bored.

Or things kickstarting hyperfocus spell.
Nothing like deciding I needa read years of research in something in three months to tell my brain to f*ck off with its mood related problems. ;)

 

[grit]

I have had similar feelings in the past where I simply have hard time with idleness especially when I need to get things done.
I do not know what may work for you but for me I do not resist... I acknowledge it... And try to understand what it means for me and I listen to my body energy. Often for me I find I am resisting depression and when I allow depression to engulf me.... Then it is kind of cyclical.
This is what it sounds to me and how I experienced. I just know trying to stop doesn't work for me but seeing as information my body is telling me something... Usually makes me become more conscious and dissipates the heavy cloud.

 

[HealingMama]

I have had similar feelings in the past where I simply have hard time with idleness especially when I need to get things done.
I do not know what may work for you but for me I do not resist... I acknowledge it... And try to understand what it means for me and I listen to my body energy. Often for me I find I am resisting depression and when I allow depression to engulf me.... Then it is kind of cyclical.
This is what it sounds to me and how I experienced. I just know trying to stop doesn't work for me but seeing as information my body is telling me something... Usually makes me become more conscious and dissipates the heavy cloud.

That is a great point. I might be running from an emotion and need to sit with it instead.

So ADHD problem. So... there.

If can't physical, find engaging mental / emotional games.

Lots of playing to move the bored.

Or things kickstarting hyperfocus spell.
Nothing like deciding I needa read years of research in something in three months to tell my brain to f*ck off with its mood related problems. ;)

I wonder if my childhood diagnosis of ADHD has something to do with this then.

 

[Ronin]

Not saying *yours* is ADHD...

Just that I know that symptom set as veery familiar, from the (my) ADHD angle.

But yeah. People don't grow out of that disorder, if the dx was done right. :)

 

[TruthSeeker]

My ability to stay grounded when I don't have to interact with other people, and when I don't have activities with deadlines, is suffering. I am having a hard time staying grounded due to boredom. I am not dissociating when stressed, just getting bored and staying in this yucky halfway here halfway not mind space. I have to find a way to deal with this because I cannot spend all this time fuzzy headed. It is happening at work but then I still need to interact with people so I try to front like I'm feeling normal but I don't at all and I have to find a way to stop doing this.

I have tried listening to music. If I can get up and move around it's fine. But I have a desk job with a lot of reading to do and the current pattern isn't sustainable. Help?

I have retired and quickly found out that it was so very hard to stay grounded-I stayed fuzzy-it was quiet but not having clear vision and clarity of thought-so very irritating. First I organized my house so I'd have to get out of bed and be somewhere else besides working on my laptop in bed so I have another place in the house for art and computer/bills....my natural comfort zone is the bed. Also, having a variety of things to do has helped with time (having a loser schedule created a time-warp (oops-it's three hrs. later than it was...how'd that happen?) So make a schedule.
Build a routine (and I reward myself with one fudge yogurt freezer bar (80 cal) after getting the main things done during the day
and no reward if I sat in a daze.
3-4 times a week.....intentional exercise either walk the gym 2 miles, water aerobics, or weights (exercise really wakes me up and clears up the vision! It's very grounding)
1 time a week....conscious effort to do animal photography away from the house-beach walk, a hike, a drive in cold weather-but I have to be grounded to see the wildlife.
1 trip to look forward to per month.....sometimes to a girlfriend's house
1 outing a month to a local play, musical, mystery dinner, or movie
1 time/month-I have people to my house (sometimes this is hard)-that takes music practice, cooking (cause we eat at my place), and house cleaning beforehand
2-4 times per month/I do some kind of art that makes me happy in a class setting.
I write 3-4 times a week for my business (but lately that's been hard...hum).
Then there's all the other stuff like bill-paying, trash, etc. that has to get done, too.

So, the more I do that is fun, the more stuff to look forward to, the less I'm finding the need to dissociate cause I'm thinking, planning, texting, all which is grounding.

 

[HealingMama]

Not saying *yours* is ADHD...

Just that I know that symptom set as veery familiar, from the (my) ADHD angle.

But yeah. People don't grow out of that disorder, if the dx was done right. :)

Yeah, I don't know if my childhood diagnosis was accurate or if it was early trauma symptoms. I definitely struggled in college so it's probably legit but I have other more pressing issues at the moment.

 

[HealingMama]

I have retired and quickly found out that it was so very hard to stay grounded-I stayed fuzzy-it was quiet but not having clear vision and clarity of thought-so very irritating. First I organized my house so I'd have to get out of bed and be somewhere else besides working on my laptop in bed so I have another place in the house for art and computer/bills....my natural comfort zone is the bed. Also, having a variety of things to do has helped with time (having a loser schedule created a time-warp (oops-it's three hrs. later than it was...how'd that happen?) So make a schedule.
Build a routine (and I reward myself with one fudge yogurt freezer bar (80 cal) after getting the main things done during the day
and no reward if I sat in a daze.
3-4 times a week.....intentional exercise either walk the gym 2 miles, water aerobics, or weights (exercise really wakes me up and clears up the vision! It's very grounding)
1 time a week....conscious effort to do animal photography away from the house-beach walk, a hike, a drive in cold weather-but I have to be grounded to see the wildlife.
1 trip to look forward to per month.....sometimes to a girlfriend's house
1 outing a month to a local play, musical, mystery dinner, or movie
1 time/month-I have people to my house (sometimes this is hard)-that takes music practice, cooking (cause we eat at my place), and house cleaning beforehand
2-4 times per month/I do some kind of art that makes me happy in a class setting.
I write 3-4 times a week for my business (but lately that's been hard...hum).
Then there's all the other stuff like bill-paying, trash, etc. that has to get done, too.

So, the more I do that is fun, the more stuff to look forward to, the less I'm finding the need to dissociate cause I'm thinking, planning, texting, all which is grounding.

Thanks for your thoughts. I definitely have noticed the busier I am the less this is a problem.