Written by Katie Costello |

One of the two main words I hear from the mouths of students at Morgan are “I’m tired” and “I’m bored.” Most people find that in a small town like Clinton there is lots of time to be bored, tired, and complain about the lack of  activities there are to do. I thought this would be a great time to investigate this era of boredom and extreme tiredness, considering we are about to start mid terms which aren’t the most exciting and awakening type of work.

First, I explored the general words, bored and tired. When I Googled the word “tired”, I found the definition which would be described as “in need of sleep or rest; weary.” As I scrolled down, I found websites that claimed to explain why people would be so tired, how you can never feel tired again, and all different reasons why the word “tired” is involved in your life. When I Googled “bored”, I found a very different and somewhat comical variation of what happens when you Google “bored”. Google came up with lots of different sites where people were telling you to click on the website and press the button to find interesting things when you’re bored, and even a list of things to do when you’re bored. There was even a website called “Bored Panda- the only magazine for Pandas” and that was the epitome of humor for the day on this topic.

Second, I wanted to explore why students are bored, when, and what do they do when you they bored. I also asked how often they actually feel deprived of sleep, and how often they hear the words tired and bored and are these words misused and overused. Brandon Novak explains ,” I’m mostly bored on rainy or snowy days because there’s nothing to do. I usually just watch Netflix or sleep. I have gone multiple nights without sleep.” Melissa Sullivan says ,”I’m bored when I’m in some classes I don’t like because I don’t find them interesting. I usually just talk to people when I’m in classes like this. I usually get really tired when I’m up all night doing homework. I think people overuse the words bored and tired a lot.” Aj Rai explains ,” I’m usually bored in school because I don’t like the education system. I just sit there when I’m bored. I feel tired a lot, and I think people overuse and misuse the words bored and tired.”

From this feedback, it seems as though school is one of the main reasons people are so called “bored” and “tired”. Although school seems to be at blame here, I don’t think this is the case. School is an unavoidable part of life that without it, we wouldn’t be educated. I find that when most people are busy and stay up all night doing homework, they complain because they have so much to do and are so tired. But when people have nothing to do and resort to doing all of their homework, they feel annoyed and bored because this small town seems to have nothing to offer them. I find that attitude is the most important part here. If I am so busy that I have to stay up to all hours doing homework, I make sure that in the morning I have everything ready and coffee at hand. If I’m so bored that I have nothing to do, I make sure that I have something to do after school with friends or a plan in order to keep myself busy. If you look at school as something that will never have your interest and never benefits you, then that will be true for you. But if you see school as something that you can at least somewhat enjoy and retain something from, then this will have positive out comes for you.

Some ways to enjoy school are taking at least one class a semester that really captures your interest-whether that class be an elective, or a science or math class that you would really like to learn more about. If you don’t have any time to work an elective into your schedule, try a study. A study is a great way to relax, get your work done, and avoid those late nights after sports or clubs. Also, listening to music during class can make your work enjoyable and entertaining. If you need to type an essay, plug your headphones in and type away! This is a great way to focus, get your work done, and still be able to have something you enjoy, that you chose to do. If you’re the type of person who is bored all the time, get involved! Although this phrase has also been overused, find something that you enjoy and fill your time with that: a club, sport, hobby, part time job, or gym membership. These are all great ways to fill your time with something that is purposeful, and you enjoy doing.

Although being bored and tired are usually unavoidable, you can change your attitude and make the best with what you have. No matter what seems to be making you tired or bored, you can always try and find something that can lighten your spirits.