How apathy can kill

The researchers behind the study were quick to point out that boredom itself is not dangerous.

But they said it appeared to be a trigger for depression and for harmful behaviours such as excessive drinking, smoking and taking drugs. Over a lifetime, this led to double the risk of early death from heart attack or stroke.

Love life, live long..

This research makes good sense to me. Almost all the examples of people I know who've lived to a ripe old age have the same quality: they never tired of life or learning about new things.

Just look at Sir David Attenborough who, at 83, is still charging around the world discovering new facts about the natural world and relaying them to TV viewers with the same enthusiasm he did at 30.

And botanist David Bellamy, 77, with whom I've worked on TV, is another who is still thrilled on a daily basis by what he does for a living. And, of course, there's Nelson Mandela, at 91, who still campaigns tirelessly for equal rights - not to mention the Queen, at 83, who is still fascinated by world affairs and travels constantly.

But you don't have to be famous or a world leader to be fully engaged by life - one of my best friends plays tennis with a 90-year-old chap who is so full of beans he gives her a real run for her money.

Keeping things interesting..

Let's be honest here - a lot of day-to-day life IS boring.

So, unless you make an effort to find things that really engage you, new ideas to learn about or hobbies to try, it's easy to slip into inactivity and dissatisfaction with our lot. Here are my key tips for banishing boredom:

● Get involved: I think the antidote to boredom is getting involved with people and life - committing to things. Looking for short-lived excitement in the form of affairs, alcohol or other risk-taking is not the solution and can leave you feeling emptier than ever.

● Find your thing: The trick to staying engaged is finding what really makes you tick - interests or social activities you can lose yourself in which give you a reason for living. For me it's medical research - I can become enthralled reading about a new,
well-thought-out health study - but music, art and family life also play a big part in keeping life interesting for me.

● Be open-minded: I have a rule that all comers are welcome. I try to learn from and listen to anybody and everybody. Every person has something interesting, often surprising, to say - whatever their job, or whatever walk of life they come from. I find that this helps to keep me young.

● Learn about the latest thing: When it comes to new technology - whether it's a BlackBerry or different ways to use the internet - I always want to know more. It's dangerous ever to think: "I'm too old for that now."

Trouble-shooting

Here's my advice for banishing boredom from some of the key areas of your life...

● Work: If you are finding your job dull, the first thing to do is to
talk to your manager.

It's best not to say you're bored but that you feel you could be stretched more.

Ask if there are any courses you can go on because you're keen to learn more, whether you could take on more responsibility, or if there are any other opportunities in the company.

If that doesn't work, it's always worth getting your CV together and looking to see what other jobs are out there - or investigating retraining if there's something you've always fancied doing.

● Family life: If you've slipped into a routine of dinner in front of the TV every night, it can help to think of ways to get the whole family involved in something new. This might be starting a project on something the kids are interested in - dinosaurs, perhaps.

Every night the family could find out more about the subject using books or DVDs and plan a trip to the Natural History Museum.

Or if you're planning to visit a certain place on holiday, you could also research the culture, the history and the food before you set off.

● Marriage: If you feel bored with your partner, the chances are the standard advice of having a romantic weekend away together or buying some new underwear won't do the trick. You need to be honest in this case, talk to each other and say: "I think we're getting in a rut, what should we do about it?"

● Retirement: When you stop work after many years, life can suddenly seem a bit flat and boring. To overcome this and not slip into apathy, you need to rediscover old interests that you now have time to enjoy. A friend of mine who retired spent the first few months vegetating in front of daytime TV but then slowly began to get back into his first love - music.

He set up a stereo in the spare room and started reading biographies of musicians and getting CDs of their music to listen to - from classical music through to rock and pop. He's discovered a whole world of music he never knew existed - and hasn't felt bored since.

Don't flog a dead horse

Sometimes you have to bite the bullet and admit you're bored with your job or relationship and it might be beyond fixing. It's down to you to change it - even if it means going through a difficult period to get there. Kick yourself into taking action to change things for the better so you can engage with life again.

Source: Daily Mirror

Pic: Simon Cataudo