This summer I spent two weeks in the Swedish mountains, hiking from Grövelsjön to Åre. I realized that as you hike over hard trails, the mind goes to a different place. There is a level of attention on your surroundings and where to place your feet for every step. But it’s a very different brain mode than when I am looking at a screen. It felt really good, actually, to be in that place, despite the discomfort that comes with hiking six to ten hours per day.

In the “Comfort Crisis” book, the author explains that the human brain has two modes, focused and unfocused, and we need to spend enough time in unfocused mode. The problem in modern society, however, is that we are always in focused mode, mostly by looking at screens. All moments where boredom might enter our lives, we immediately grab our phones and open one of the social media apps.

The claim in the book is that we need time in unfocused mode to allow the brain to recover, but also to be more creative, have new ideas and solve problems that we are struggling with. It may even help reduce mental illness and anxiety.

So, next time you feel the need to grab your phone, turn on a TV or start a podcast, I challenge you to not do that but instead just be, lean into the boredom and let things bubble up for a while.