--- title: Funny Bit. Serious Problem. description: Des Bishop's joke about mindfulness hits harder than it seems. Kids today aren't bored. They're overwhelmed. Here's why it matters for schools. image: https://www.ceresant.com/hubfs/Screenshot%202025-06-11%20at%2011.12.52%20AM.png --- [Skip to the main content.](https://www.ceresant.com/blog/desbryant#main-content) [![BrainDash by Ceresant](https://www.ceresant.com/hs-fs/hubfs/braindashbyceresant.png?width=450&height=150&name=braindashbyceresant.png "BrainDash by Ceresant")](https://ceresant.com) [![BrainDash by Ceresant](https://www.ceresant.com/hs-fs/hubfs/braindashbyceresant.png?width=450&height=150&name=braindashbyceresant.png "BrainDash by Ceresant")](https://ceresant.com) Search Toggle Menu Search Toggle Menu [Linkedin](https://www.linkedin.com/company/braindash) 1 min read # Funny Bit. Serious Problem. [![Picture of Todd Feldman](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/3894a7185ff53b220c2c24e4d20baeb0) Todd Feldman](https://www.ceresant.com/blog/author/todd-feldman) : Updated on June 11, 2025 [mindfullness](https://www.ceresant.com/blog/tag/mindfullness) [crisis](https://www.ceresant.com/blog/tag/crisis) [mental health](https://www.ceresant.com/blog/tag/mental-health) ![Funny Bit. Serious Problem.](https://www.ceresant.com/hubfs/Screenshot%202025-06-11%20at%2011.12.52%20AM.png)   Comedian Des Bishop has a great bit about mindfulness. He says in the '80s, we just called it boredom. It’s funny because it’s true. Back then, we had space to just…be. No dopamine drip. No infinite scroll. Just you, your thoughts, and maybe a cloud to stare at. But Des is doing more than making us laugh. He’s holding up a mirror. And what we see in that mirror? It’s not so funny anymore. ##### **Kids Aren’t Bored. They’re Overwhelmed.** We’re raising a generation that doesn’t get bored-they get anxious. They’re not just distracted-they’re drowning. In [*The Anxious Generation*](https://jonathanhaidt.com/anxious-generation/), Jonathan Haidt lays it bare. We replaced play with phones. Stillness with stimulation. And now we’re watching the fallout in real time. When a kid stares into space today, we don’t think they’re daydreaming. We wonder if they’re okay. ##### **From Crisis Response to Prevention** Schools are trying. Counselors are maxed out. Parents are searching for answers. And yes, mindfulness apps are fine. But when they show up, it’s already late. If we want to change the trajectory, we can’t keep reacting. We need tools that show us risk before it becomes crisis. We need infrastructure that sees what kids can’t say. ##### **This Isn’t a Punchline. It’s a Wake-Up Call.** Boredom used to be free. Now, it’s been replaced by burnout. There’s nothing funny about that. If we want to give kids more great days, we need to catch the signals earlier, act smarter, and work together. Watch the clip. Laugh. Then let it land. [![Kids Are Sicker. Earlier. We Can’t Wait to Intervene.](https://www.ceresant.com/hubfs/kidshandraised.jpg)](https://www.ceresant.com/blog/we-cant-wait-to-intervene) #### [Kids Are Sicker. Earlier. We Can’t Wait to Intervene.](https://www.ceresant.com/blog/we-cant-wait-to-intervene) ![Picture of Dr. David X. Cifu](https://www.ceresant.com/hs-fs/hubfs/Cifu_1266_square_bw.jpg?width=30&name=Cifu_1266_square_bw.jpg) [Dr. David X. Cifu](https://www.ceresant.com/blog/author/dr-david-x-cifu) : Jul 8, 2025 2:02:52 PM A new study published in JAMA confirms what many of us in clinical neuroscience and rehabilitation have been seeing for years: American children are... [Education](https://www.ceresant.com/blog/tag/education) [Predictive](https://www.ceresant.com/blog/tag/predictive) [Prevention](https://www.ceresant.com/blog/tag/prevention) [mental health](https://www.ceresant.com/blog/tag/mental-health) [Read More](https://www.ceresant.com/blog/we-cant-wait-to-intervene) [![What Heart Health Gets Right That Mental Health Still Gets Wrong](https://www.ceresant.com/hubfs/redefining%20early.jpg)](https://www.ceresant.com/blog/redefiningearly) #### [What Heart Health Gets Right That Mental Health Still Gets Wrong](https://www.ceresant.com/blog/redefiningearly) ![Picture of Todd Feldman](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/3894a7185ff53b220c2c24e4d20baeb0) [Todd Feldman](https://www.ceresant.com/blog/author/todd-feldman) : Aug 11, 2025 7:56:05 AM When it comes to heart health, we’ve built a system that knows how to prevent problems before they start. We check cholesterol. We track blood... [Prevention](https://www.ceresant.com/blog/tag/prevention) [mental health](https://www.ceresant.com/blog/tag/mental-health) [braindash](https://www.ceresant.com/blog/tag/braindash) [AI](https://www.ceresant.com/blog/tag/ai) [Read More](https://www.ceresant.com/blog/redefiningearly) [![We’re Creating a New Category in Mental Health - Because We Have To](https://www.ceresant.com/hubfs/shutterstock_666980425.jpg)](https://www.ceresant.com/blog/were-creating-a-new-category-in-mental-health-because-we-have-to) #### [We’re Creating a New Category in Mental Health - Because We Have To](https://www.ceresant.com/blog/were-creating-a-new-category-in-mental-health-because-we-have-to) ![Picture of Todd Feldman](https://app.hubspot.com/settings/avatar/3894a7185ff53b220c2c24e4d20baeb0) [Todd Feldman](https://www.ceresant.com/blog/author/todd-feldman) : Apr 4, 2025 8:30:00 AM Why we’re creating thePredictive Preventioncategory in mental health — before more kids fall through the cracks [Education](https://www.ceresant.com/blog/tag/education) [Counselors](https://www.ceresant.com/blog/tag/counselors) [Predictive](https://www.ceresant.com/blog/tag/predictive) [Prevention](https://www.ceresant.com/blog/tag/prevention) [Read More](https://www.ceresant.com/blog/were-creating-a-new-category-in-mental-health-because-we-have-to) [![Ceresant Solutions, Inc.](https://www.ceresant.com/hubfs/White%20logo%20-%20no%20background.png)](https://www.ceresant.com) © 2026 Ceresant Solutions, Inc. Return to top ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Todd Feldman", "url" : "https://www.ceresant.com/blog/author/todd-feldman" }, "dateModified" : "2025-06-11T15:35:13.803Z", "datePublished" : "2025-06-11T15:33:21.000Z", "headline" : "Funny Bit. Serious Problem.", "image" : [ "https://www.ceresant.com/hubfs/Screenshot%202025-06-11%20at%2011.12.52%20AM.png" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://www.ceresant.com/blog/desbryant", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://www.ceresant.com/hubfs/braindashbyceresant.png" }, "name" : "Ceresant Solutions, Inc." } } ```