Boredom and depression can feel similar. But boredom is a common human emotion, while depression is a clinical condition that affects your daily life.
Feeling bored often may increase your risk of experiencing depression — especially if other factors like attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) or loneliness are present.
Therapy can help you understand whether you’re bored or experiencing depression and provide tools to manage both.
You may sometimes feel empty or numb, like nothing excites you anymore. And you might wonder what’s causing these feelings. Boredom and depression are different things, but they’re linked in many ways. For example, you might have low motivation and not know why. Depression and boredom can also sometimes feel similar, which can make it hard to tell them apart.
But it’s important to understand whether you’re bored or depressed — or both — because depression requires mental health treatment, while boredom can be addressed in different ways. Professional mental health support can help you manage both.
The line between boredom vs. depression
Boredom and depression share many traits [1], which can make them hard to tell apart. For example, both can make you feel:
Like you’re lacking meaning in life
Less excited
More impulsive
Both can also lead to certain behaviors like missing school or work, unhealthy coping habits, and withdrawing from your friends and family.
Although they’re linked, boredom isn’t recognized as a symptom of depression. Depression is a clinical mental health condition characterized by symptoms like:
Persistent sadness or emptiness
Loss of interest in activities you used to enjoy
Fatigue or low energy
Difficulty concentrating
Sleep changes
Appetite changes
Feelings of guilt or worthlessness
Thoughts of death or suicide*
Some of these symptoms can look a lot like boredom. For example, if you’re bored, it might feel like even activities you used to enjoy no longer fulfill you. You might feel bored no matter what you do, which can look like an inability to feel pleasure.
Other signs of boredom include:
Difficulty staying engaged with tasks like school or work
Restlessness or feeling like you need “something new” constantly
Trouble focusing unless something is highly stimulating
Feeling like nothing is exciting or meaningful in life
But boredom is a common emotion or temporary state. Everyone feels bored sometimes. You usually don’t need mental health treatment if you’re bored. Boredom usually lifts by finding the right activity.
Depression is more long-lasting. How long your symptoms last can sometimes fluctuate. But generally, depression doesn’t go away without treatment.
*If you or a loved one is experiencing suicidal thoughts or thoughts about harming themself or others, please call or text 988 on any phone for the Suicide & Crisis lifeline, contact a local crisis line, or head to the emergency room immediately. Any of these resources will ensure that the person in crisis receives support right away. For more information on getting help, go to 988lifeline.org
If experiencing a life-threatening emergency or you need immediate help, please call 911.
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How boredom and depression are connected
Even though boredom isn’t recognized as a symptom of depression in diagnostic criteria, research shows that the two are highly connected. In one study [2], teens who rated higher for boredom were also more likely to experience depression. Another study [3] found that being bored with your job was linked to higher rates of depression and lower life satisfaction.
Other research [4] has found that boredom can also be a risk factor for depression. This doesn’t necessarily mean that being bored directly causes you to experience depression. But if you're easily bored or tend to feel bored more often, you may be more likely to experience depression as well.
Many factors can contribute to a higher likelihood of feeling bored. For example, even though boredom is also not recognized as a symptom of ADHD, research highly links them [5]. People with ADHD are also much more likely to live with depression.
Boredom is also often linked to social isolation. Both loneliness and boredom — resulting from not having many social connections — can lead to depression, especially for older adults [6].
Unfortunately, boredom and depression can get locked in a vicious cycle. Frequent boredom can lead to depression for many people. But when you’re experiencing symptoms of depression, you may be less likely to engage in activities that help you become less bored. You might spend a lot of time bed rotting or scrolling social media. You may be less likely to meet new people or try new things. All of this can make you feel even more bored.
Managing boredom-induced depression
Boredom is often thought of as a less intense emotion compared to grief or anger. But research shows [7] that boredom can significantly damage your health and well-being. Not only is it linked to depression, but it can also lead to impulsive or self-destructive behaviors.
If you’re feeling chronically bored — especially if you’re also experiencing other symptoms of depression — it’s important to address it. It’s OK to feel bored sometimes, but you also deserve to feel fulfilled and satisfied in everyday life.
Here are some tips to overcome boredom-induced depression.
Seek novelty in safe ways
You might be feeling bored because your life has become routine. Try to seek out novelty, even in small ways. For example, take a new route during your commute to work. Maybe you ask to contribute to a different team at work. Or perhaps you join a local club or group.
Just remember to stay safe. Extreme novelty-seeking can lead to impulsive or self-destructive behaviors.
Address loneliness
Both boredom and loneliness are linked to isolation and a lack of meaningful connection. Consider your social support network and whether you’re feeling satisfied with it. Do you have people in your life who you genuinely enjoy spending time with?
You don’t necessarily need to have dozens of friends to satisfy your social needs. Even spending some time with people you feel connected to can make a big difference.
Practice mindfulness
Mindfulness is the practice of sitting with the present moment, no matter how uncomfortable. If this sounds challenging, you’re not alone. Fortunately, mindfulness is a skill that can be practiced and strengthened. You can try mindful walking [8], explore meditation, or consider volunteering.
These exercises can help you learn how to regulate your emotions and may lead to other healthy habits.
Get mental health treatment
If your sense of boredom isn’t going away, it’s important to reach out to a mental health professional. It could be a sign of underlying depression or another condition, like ADHD. Therapy can provide a safe space for you to process your sense of boredom and where it might be coming from. It can also help you learn practical skills to manage depression symptoms.
Medication can also be an important component of treatment — especially if you live with depression or ADHD. Medication can address any brain differences or chemical imbalances that could be contributing to overwhelming feelings of boredom or sadness.
ADHD boredom often lifts when there is novelty, movement, urgency, or interest. With depression, stimulation doesn’t restore engagement, and a person can feel unable to settle into or enjoy anything. Fortunately, working with a therapist can help with these challenges.
Ashley Ayala, LMFT
Clinical reviewer
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If you’re feeling bored all the time, to the point where it’s affecting your mood, therapy can help you sort through what’s going on. A therapist can help you understand whether you’re experiencing depression, boredom, or both and help you feel more engaged in your daily life.
At Rula, we’re here to help you feel better. Rula makes it easy to find a licensed therapist or psychiatric provider who takes your insurance. That way, you don’t have to choose between great care and a price you can afford.
Rula patients pay about $15 per session with insurance, and 93% say they feel better after getting care through Rula. We have 21,000+ providers, and appointments are available as soon as tomorrow. We’re here to help you take the next step — wherever you are in your mental health journey.
References
- Disentangling boredom from depression using the phenomenology and content of involuntary autobiographical memories https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-52495-5
- The development of leisure boredom in early adolescence: Predictors and longitudinal associations with delinquency and depression https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26214227/
- Job boredom as an antecedent of four states of mental health: life satisfaction, positive functioning, anxiety, and depression symptoms among young employees – a latent change score approach https://link.springer.com/article/10.1186/s12889-024-18430-z
- Boredom–understanding the emotion and its impact on our lives: an African perspective https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10342197/
- Why Are Individuals With ADHD More Prone to Boredom? Examining Attention Control and Working Memory as Mediators of Boredom in Young Adults With ADHD Traits https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40730822/
- Understanding Boredom and Leisure in Later Life: A Systematic Review https://academic.oup.com/innovateage/article/7/8/igad109/7281873
- Boredom Proneness, Impulsive DecisionMaking, and Self-Control: Investigating Their Interconnected Roles https://www.ijfmr.com/papers/2025/6/60551.pdf
- Mindful Walking in Psychologically Distressed Individuals: A Randomized Controlled Trial https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3747483/
Saya Des Marais
Saya graduated with her Master in Social Work (MSW) with a concentration in mental health from the University of Southern California in 2010. She formerly worked as a therapist and motivational interviewing trainer in community clinics, public schools, mental health startups, and more.
Her writing has been featured in FORTUNE, GoodRX, PsychCentral, and dozens of mental health apps and therapy websites. Through both her clinical work and her personal OCD diagnosis, she’s learned the importance of making empathetic and accurate mental health content available online.
She lives in Portland, Oregon but you can find her almost just as often in Mexico or in her birthplace, Tokyo.
Ashley Ayala, LMFT
Ashley is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who specializes in generational healing and family dynamics. Ashley has worked in schools, clinics, and in private practice. She believes that people’s relationships, including our relationship with ourselves, greatly shape our experiences in life.
Ashley is committed to empowering others to show up authentically and deepen their self understanding. This passion stems from taking a critical lens on her own life story and doing inner healing. One of her favorite quotes is “Be yourself and the right people will love the real you.”
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