I have a very easy time dealing with most situations I don’t enjoy. I can “check out” mentally and perform most routine tasks on autopilot, entertaining myself in my mind very easily. I used to love chores like mowing the lawn as a kid for this reason; walking in straight lines was pretty easy to do without paying attention to it, and my mental holodeck was a fine playground.
The downside to this is that I don’t do very well when the situation I don’t want to be in requires my active participation. It’s easy for me not to be bored, but it’s far more difficult (for example) for me to participate in a conversation I don’t want to have. If the person I’m unwillingly talking to requires more than occasional nods and affirmative grunts, my energy drains rapidly.
Most of the time, this isn’t a huge problem. I arrange my life in such a way that I mostly don’t do stuff I don’t want to, and it’s pretty great. But no one can pull this off 100% of the time, so it’s good to practice a little perspective. I try to focus on the positive outcomes of my active participation, rather than the situation itself. It’ll do, when autopilot won’t.
The Opportunity Machine 