We are starting to reach a point in our lives where we are struggling with the concept of time. With papers to write, finals to study, and family that you are preparing to go visit, it seems as though people do not really have time for themselves.
I am one of those people. As I am writing this article I have a bunch of papers that I need to write and finals to study for—while at the same time I'm trying to make time for my friends and relaxation. I am the definition of busy. You may be thinking that this is going to be one of those time management posts that you normally see during finals week, but this is not the case. This post is more on how dependent we are on time and how the concept of schedules control our lives.
Scheduling is one of the biggest things that you deal with when coming to college. From your class schedule, to a work schedule, and club meeting schedules, people all seem to have their time booked up. I know that I am one of those people whose life seems to be run by a schedule. I spend most of my days running around from class to class and then to work. It can be pretty tiring. No one really realizes how busy they are until they sit down and look at the schedule that they have in front of them and feel the anxiety about how all of it will get done.
One of the biggest things that I have discovered recently is what it is like to not depend on time. I recently went on a retreat where one of the main aspects was taking away your concept of time. There were no phones, clocks, or watches allowed.
At first I was so anxious at the idea of not knowing what time it was. I was afraid that I was not going to go to bed at the right time and wake up extremely late and things like that. I was so afraid, but that weekend showed me that not having to depend on time can be such a freeing experience. I felt myself worry less because I was disconnected from the idea that all of my papers were due in a week or that I had meetings that I needed to attend when I got back to school. I also felt a lot more rested because I didn't know exactly how many hours I slept.
It was an amazing opportunity to be able to disconnect from the busy schedule that college life brings and to be able to connect and find myself for the first time in a long time. I feel as though everyone needs to have a chance to experience something like that.
Time and schedules are things that people take very seriously and let control their lives. People are constantly checking their phones to see what time it is in case they are late for something. We spend a lot of our lives running from place to place and we try so hard to be on time, but we all need a moment to step back and be in the present.
I challenge you this: try to take a day to not worry about what time it is. Don't worry about the packed schedule that you are going to have next week, or even the next day, and take some time to just be one with yourself. It really helped to put some things into perspective for me and I'm sure that it will for others too.
