Do teenagers get into trouble because they are bored?

Boredom is the root of all evil – the despairing refusal to be oneself

Søren Aabye Kierkegaard

Before we discuss how boredom is the root of all evil, let’s understand what is boredom?  The feeling of being bored or uninterested in what you're doing is boredom. Everyone experiences boredom sometimes. The feeling that nothing catches your interest, everything's dull and flat, sums up the state of boredom. Now the question arises does boredom really exists? Yes boredom does exist and it has its own advantages and disadvantages. Boredom can be good and beneficial if you do it right but it has a darker side as well that can lead to troublesome things. Boredom gives us the time to think and it’s us who choose how to get to decide how to utilize the time and what to think. We can either make the most of it or waste our time doing nothing. Unfortunately teenagers end up overthinking and thinking negative and don’t really think about the consequences and that’s what causes the trouble. Easily bored people are at higher risk for anxiety, drug addiction, depression, alcoholism, eating disorders, anger and bad grades. Depression, anxiety, overthinking, negative thinking all can lead to suicides especially when you are bored. Boredom isn’t something bad or negative, it just exists and it’s us who decides how to deal with it. I believe parents and even friends play a significant role in our lives and so parents can help teenagers to become aware of their feelings and they can help them in dealing with it in a positive way, such as helping them to develop a skill or to let them explore their hidden talents. Parents need to realize it is responsibility to teach the kids how to use the time creatively, how one needs to think out of the box, how important imagination and day dreaming is. Imagination is the key; you really need to have a strong relationship with your imagination. Boredom can be so much fun if you learn to see it other way and not focus on the dark side. Teen boredom definitely leads to a destructive behavior, if they are not aware of how to deal with it. Boredom can be healthy as it can motivate people to learn a skill or it helps one in finding different ways to reach to a specific goal. People often end up making some important decisions while they were bored. I believe boredom can be used as an opportunity to become constructive. Boredom doesn’t always cause trouble, but it definitely has its own examples on why it can lead to trouble and is negative.