In the latest installment of the acclaimed School of Life series,
learn how to make peace with your down time--and even benefit from it.
Lethargic inactivity can be debilitating and depressing, but in the
modern world the pendulum has swung far in the other direction. We live
in a hyperactive, over-stimulated age. Uninterrupted activity can seem
exciting, but it can also leave us emotionally disorientated and
mentally depleted. How can we recover a sense of balance and a richness
in our lives?
In How to Be Bored, Eva Hoffman argues for the need to cultivate
curiosity and self-knowledge and to relish moments of unplugged idleness
and non-virtual contact with others. Drawing on psychoanalysis,
neuroscience, and a wide range of literature, she emphasizes the need to
understand our own preferences and purposes and to replenish our inner
resources. This book aims to make readers more vigorously engaged in
their lives and to restore a sense of depth and meaning to their
experiences.