1166: Boredom: Your Nervous Systems Secret Ally Part 1
The Anxiety Coaches Podcast
Gina Ryan
4.6 • 1.8K Ratings
🗓️ 10 August 2025
⏱️ 19 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
In today's episode, Gina discusses boredom and how it is only a mildly uncomfortable state not to be feared. Using the advice in this podcast, you may actually be able to transform boredom into a useful state in which you can feel safe, centered and under control. Listen in and come to better understand the potential benefits of boredom and feel better today!
Please visit our Sponsor Page to find all the links and codes for our awesome sponsors!
https://www.theanxietycoachespodcast.com/sponsors/
Thank you for supporting The Anxiety Coaches Podcast.
FREE MUST-HAVE RESOURCE FOR Calming Your Anxious Mind
10-Minute Body-Scan Meditation for Anxiety
Anxiety Coaches Podcast Group Coaching link
To learn more, go to:
Website https://www.theanxietycoachespodcast.com
Join our Group Coaching Full or Mini Membership Program
Learn more about our One-on-One Coaching
Find even more peace and calm with our Supercast premium access membership:
For $5 a month, all episodes are ad-free! https://anxietycoaches.supercast.com/
Here's what's included for $5/month:
❤ New Ad-Free episodes every Sunday and Wednesday
❤ Access to the entire Ad-free back-catalog with over 600 episodes
❤ Premium meditations recorded with you in mind
❤ And more fun surprises along the way!
All this in your favorite podcast app!
Quote:
Boredom always precedes a period of great creativity.
-Robert M. Pirsig
Chapters
0:26 Introduction to Boredom
1:20 Boredom's Hidden Benefits
3:34 Understanding Boredom
5:14 Boredom vs. Depression
8:20 The Nature of Boredom
10:12 Boredom and Anxiety
11:42 Retraining Our Response to Boredom
13:53 Boredom is Not Danger
14:58 The Science of Safety
16:13 Looking Ahead to Part Two
Summary
In this enlightening episode of the Anxiety Coaches Podcast, I delve into the often-overlooked topic of boredom and its surprising role as an ally for our nervous system. Many of us, especially those who experience anxiety, tend to view boredom as a negative state—something to be avoided at all costs. However, I challenge this perspective and invite you to explore the hidden benefits of boredom. It can actually serve as a pathway to mental clarity and tranquility, helping to restore our natural peace.
I begin by discussing the common aversion to stillness and unstructured time that many anxious individuals face. In a world saturated with constant stimulation, the very idea of being bored can trigger discomfort. This discomfort often leads us to fill our time with distractions—social media, snacking, or busy tasks—in a bid to escape that empty space. Yet, I argue that this avoidance keeps our nervous systems in a perpetual state of low-level stress and robs us of essential moments for healing and reflection.
In this episode, I redefine boredom as a signal rather than a problem. It indicates that our brain is seeking something to engage with. It’s not inherently bad; instead, it can provide a needed pause for mental rest. I outline how this state of mental restlessness differs fundamentally from feelings of depression and apathy, which can mislead individuals into fearing they are fundamentally unwell when they’re merely experiencing a temporary state of boredom. Recognizing boredom as a safe and natural experience invites us to engage with it more gently and curiously, rather than as something to escape or dread.
#DeepRest
#MindfulnessMoment
#AnxietySolution
#BoredomIsGood
#InnerPeaceJourney
#DigitalWellbeing
#QuietRevolution
#ConsciousLiving
#VagusNerveHealing
#EmotionalFreedom
#CreativeFlow
#ProblemSolvingPower
#SelfAwarenessBoost
#StressDetox
#MindfulPause
#UnplugAndRecharge
#StillnessPractice
#BrainBreak
#HolisticWellness
#LifeBalanceTips
#MentalClarity
#InnerGuidance
See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Transcript
Click on a timestamp to play from that location
| 0:00.0 | Searching for a romantic summer getaway. Escape with Rich Girl Summer, the new Audible original |
| 0:05.2 | from Lily Chew. The exquisitely talented Philippa Sue, returning to narrate her fifth |
| 0:10.2 | Lily Chew title. This time, Philippa is joined by her real-life husband, Stephen Pasquale, |
| 0:15.5 | set in Toronto's wealthy cottage country, aka the Hamptons of Canada, rich girl Summer follows the story of Valerie, |
| 0:22.1 | a down-on-her-luck event planner posing as a socialite's long-lost daughter, while piecing |
| 0:26.5 | together the secrets surrounding a mysterious family and falling deeper and deeper in love with the |
| 0:31.7 | impossibly hard to read and infuriatingly handsome family assistant, Nico. Caught between pretending to belong |
| 0:38.2 | and unexpectedly finding where she truly fits in, |
| 0:41.3 | Valerie learns her summer is about to get far more complicated |
| 0:44.0 | than she ever planned. |
| 0:45.8 | She's in over her head and head over heels. |
| 0:48.5 | Listen to Rich Girl Summer, now on Audible. |
| 0:51.2 | Go to audible.com slash rich girl summer. |
| 0:53.3 | Music on Audible. Go to Audible.com slash rich girl summer. |
| 1:11.4 | Welcome to the anxiety coaches podcast, a relaxing and informative show where we explore anxiety, panic, and PTSD, sharing how you can overcome them for life. |
| 1:23.7 | Aloha. Welcome back to the anxiety coaches podcast. I'm your host and coach, Gina Ryan, |
| 1:31.7 | and I am so happy to be with you again today as together we can consider the many ways to bring your mind and body back to its natural peace and calm. In today's episode, I'm talking about |
| 1:39.3 | boredom, and I want to talk about boredom as being your nervous system secret ally. |
| 1:46.5 | Bortem is in your corner. |
| 1:49.7 | So today we're going to talk about the benefits of boredom. |
| 1:53.3 | Because especially for people who are listening to this show or myself, like myself, when I was very anxious, |
| 1:59.8 | or if you are leaning toward the neurotic side of life |
... |
Transcript will be available on the free plan in 18 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.
Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Gina Ryan, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.
Generated transcripts are the property of Gina Ryan and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.
Copyright © Tapesearch 2025.