I’m certainly someone who dislikes monotony. They say variety is the spice of life and I have always liked to lead an interesting and varied life. There are ways to cope with monotony and cope with a 9-5 existence. Even though every day is different for me, there is still monotony in my life: grocery shopping, housework and the day to day monotony that very few of us escape.
So what can you do to cope with monotony?
Create short term and long term goals
When you have a sense of purpose, that ‘umbrella’ can help you to get through the monotony. No job or task comes without some boredom. I for one, don’t enjoy the admin that comes with my job as a mental health therapist but I know it is necessary in order to do my job properly. That understanding of the usefulness of the monotonous tasks make them easier to perform. My short term goals involve seeing clients for 6-12 sessions and help them become their own therapist. Long term goals involve expanding this blog and writing a book as well as perhaps entering the corporate world. These goals help to place perspective on the monotony. It’s all part of the process. There’s good and bad to everything. Very little in life is all good.
Have something to look forward to
To help me cope with monotony, I make sure I have something to look forward to. This keeps me going when life is boring and seems to be a daily repeat. I particularly enjoy travelling and often have a holiday planned for sometime in the future. If I haven’t booked something, I get great pleasure from planning and looking through ideas of possible destinations. There are others ways to plan a future fun event – it could be going out with friends or a day alone at home binge watching box series – whatever takes your fancy. It’s great to give yourself a reward for getting through the monotony.
Maintain positive thoughts towards the monotony
When we think negatively about monotony, we set ourselves up for resistance against something that we can’t avoid. It’s a much better tactic to accept monotony as a part of life. We have to brush our teeth and shower/bath every day. Most of us have to work and get stuck in traffic en route. We have to eat etc etc. Resenting monotony will bring you unnecessary stress. Look at reframing your thoughts around monotony. Instead of thinking, I hate the boredom if my life, try: There are some boring bits but there are also fantastic parts too. I need to take the good along with the bad – that’s life.
That’s not to say you can’t try to make life more interesting but trying to eradicate all monotony from your life will probably end in anxiety, stress and/or depression.
Make time for fun
All work and no play makes a person dull and gray. Ensure you have fun – get out, watch something funny and act silly now and then. This helps to balance out the monotony.
Focus more on the fun rather than on how much the monotony drives you crazy. Life is all about balance.
Mandy X
Photo by Kinga Cichewicz on Unsplash
Author: Mandy Kloppers
Mandy is a qualified therapist who treats depression, anxiety, OCD, PTSD, trauma, and many other types of mental health issues. She provides online therapy around the world for those needing support and also provides relationship counselling.
