Life with a chronic illness can be so dull.

Sticking to our baseline can be very mundane. The same restricted routine, the same chair or bed, the same four walls. It’s hard not to use too much energy, especially when the post exertion malaise debt may only come due days later.

Part of the reason it's so hard is the difficulty of under-stimulation. We know we need to stay within our limits to avoid crashes, but being bored can be agonising.

Perhaps surprisingly, boredom is a sign we’re in a healing state, which is where we need to be to allow our body to recover.

If we’re in a state of sympathetic nervous system arousal, i.e. fight or flight, we can’t be bored because we’re on high alert. It’s only possible to be truly bored if we’re relaxed. That means we’re in a parasympathetic ‘rest and digest’ state, where our guard drops and our body can start focusing on itself.

Boredom can also be a spark for creativity. It’s often when we’re doing routine or dull activities that we get unexpected ideas. Our minds need time and space to wander, meandering off the beaten track to make new connections.

Sitting with boredom takes practice and we don’t have to be perfect saints. It’s normal to get frustrated. If you’re struggling with being bored, it helps to plan times during the day when you’ll get to do something you like, then enjoy the anticipation. That makes the boredom temporary. It’s a great time to do some mindfulness or meditation as well.

We don’t need to be in a healing state all the time, just enough of the time to tip our overall balance towards recovery. Boredom can be a signpost that we’re on the right track.