The Cure for Boredom

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo, vwo
• Leerjaar 2,3

The cure for boredom

Do you ever feel bored? In this video, find out about the problem of boredom and a way to never be bored again!

Tasks

Do the preparation task first. Then watch the video and do the exercises. Remember you can read the transcript at any time.

Preparation task

1. ...... a gadget

2. ...... boredom

3. ...... a capacity

4. ...... to encounter

5. ...... to meditate

6. ...... to distract yourself

7. ...... to pay attention

8. ...... contemplation

9. ...... an inoculation

10. ...... blissful

Match the definitions (a–j) with the vocabulary (1–10).

a. feeling unhappy because something is uninteresting or because you have nothing to do

b. to experience something, especially something bad 

c. a device or machine, for example a phone or tablet 

d. to stop thinking about a problem by keeping busy 

e. someone’s ability to do a particular thing

f. to become calm and relaxed by thinking about one thing

g. to watch, listen to or think about something carefully or with interest

h. extremelyorcompletelyhappy

i. serious and quiet thought for a period of time

j. an injection that protects someone from a disease

Put the ideas in the order they are mentioned.

Once you know how to meditate, you might still find that some activities are a waste of time.

People avoid boredom by watching things, reading and communicating on their devices.

But if you always distract yourself, you will never learn how to do nothing.

People experience boredom less nowadays than they did in the past.

When you meditate, you pay attention to your breathing and feelings.

Learning to meditate will cure you of boredom – you will never be bored again.

1

2

3

4

5

6

Now...............

Watch the video again and then do the task on slide 8

Write the activities in the correct group.

Distracting yourself from boredom

Meditation

listening to a song

watching a film

paying attention to breathing

reading a book

being interested in the feeling of boredom

paying attention to your experience

finding a deep feeling of well-being

texting a friend

Discussion:
What do you usually do when you’re bored?

Have you ever tried meditation? Would you like to try it?

Adapted from The British Council: Learn English Teens

https://learnenglishteens.britishcouncil.org/study-break/video-zone/cure-boredom