There is little worse than the feeling of being constantly overwhelmed, yet bored. It almost seems impossible to be so busy, yet somehow feel bored or even over it all.

It may be a luxurious problem–but it’s still a problem

Sure, it’s great to have a job and all, but if you are bored and can anticipate every move in your work (or your life), you need to take some actions to remedy it for the sake of your brain and your job. And you are not just imagining the pain of boredom; your brain actually reduces its efforts when you are bored. And that can’t be good!

The fix is easier than you may think.

There is a considerable difference between exertion and challenge. You may be exhausted and overwhelmed because your job requires tremendous mental, physical, or emotional exertion, and sometimes all three, but that does not mean your brain is challenged.

Take some time to think about what activities and interests you do find stimulating (it does not have to be a Sudoku puzzle). Maybe cooking or worm farming or foreign films do it for you. Then, commit to finding a way to incorporate that aspect into your life ASAP. Perhaps it’s time to take that foreign language class you’ve always talked about or take apart an old car.

While you are at it, change up some things at work-stop doing everything the same way, and anticipating every action/response. Shaking it up a bit can go a long way toward stimulating your brain. You deserve to be excited about life and you have more control over your excitement than you may think.

Researchers at the University of Michigan, led by Daniel Weissman, studied the interactions that occur between multiple areas of the brain when boredom sets in, and discovered that, as attention fades, so does the intensity at which several nervous centers communicate.