Sigh... I hate this type of content. This is just trying to use an archaic term for something which is basically a symptom of a current mental health pandemic (depression). I feel the same vibe as with borrowed concepts like Hygge or other crap with the only purpose of selling something or driving traffic. Pseudo-scientific bullshit is what it is, half-baked superficial advice with a protestant work ethic and self-sufficiency tone. Hey, we found a subtle difference between some terms so here's some free subpar mental health advice from an anonymous unqualified internet entity. Pls like and share. Cheap self-help porn targeted at overachievers.
> The term ‘ennui’ is often used interchangeably with ‘boredom’. However, various distinctions have been drawn between these two terms, and in general, the main difference between boredom and ennui is that ‘boredom’ refers to a mental state that is short-tern and driven primarily by situational and environmental factors, while ‘ennui’ refers to a mental state that is chronic and driven primarily by dispositional (personality-based) factors.
so... chronic boredom?
Shit, just talk to a professional, don't read online articles about how to deal with your mental health challenges. Just reach out and ask for help. The stakes are too high. If you feel chronically bored, you're most likely heading towards burnout or you're depressed but not realizing it yet. The tone of the article is very shallow wrt to depression. It more nuanced than ' it’s possible for someone to suffer from depression but not ennui, as in the case of someone who experiences deep chronic sadness and lack of energy, but not the existential boredom that characterizes ennui'.
That does somewhat sum up things. For me, many of these self-help things are there to self-help the author more than anybody else.
But the whole aspect of boredom leading into depression is not wrong, when we keep raising the bar for what we define of happiness, we only increase the scope of what is boredom and deny our brains it's dopamine hits. Over time, we start to redefine ourselves and the long roads of self loathing and useless start to divide the mind down paths that serve no useful destination.
For me, redefining happiness and finding enjoyment in the small things in life works better than any single bit of advice I would give a younger self of mine. Others will have their own ways, but everybody is different. Advise, however great is like a pair of shoes - one size does not fit all perfectly.
> The term ‘ennui’ is often used interchangeably with ‘boredom’. However, various distinctions have been drawn between these two terms, and in general, the main difference between boredom and ennui is that ‘boredom’ refers to a mental state that is short-tern and driven primarily by situational and environmental factors, while ‘ennui’ refers to a mental state that is chronic and driven primarily by dispositional (personality-based) factors.
so... chronic boredom?
Shit, just talk to a professional, don't read online articles about how to deal with your mental health challenges. Just reach out and ask for help. The stakes are too high. If you feel chronically bored, you're most likely heading towards burnout or you're depressed but not realizing it yet. The tone of the article is very shallow wrt to depression. It more nuanced than ' it’s possible for someone to suffer from depression but not ennui, as in the case of someone who experiences deep chronic sadness and lack of energy, but not the existential boredom that characterizes ennui'.