The past couple of weeks, I have been feeling frustrated with the amount of free time I’ve had. I know it sounds crazy and that I should enjoy any amount of free time that I can get my hands on, but for some reason, I have felt so down about it lately.
For as long as I can remember, and especially throughout college, I have been the queen of busy. Working, interning, tutoring, studying… I’m used to my days starting early and ending late. But since I am transitioning to a new position at my job, and my classes are beginning to wrap up, I have found myself feeling unproductive, lazy, and have almost experienced a lack-of-purpose feeling.
Sure, some of you may think it’s just senioritis, but anyone who knows me will tell you that it’s very unusual for something like that to affect me. So anyway, as a result of having so much free time, I took to my cell phone, my laptop, and Netflix to fill the void. Horrible idea!
A couple of days after watching Netflix around the clock and checking texts, Snapchat, and Facebook in between, I started to feel really gloomy and decided that I would get out of the house and do something constructive. So what did I do?
I went for a slice of pizza by myself, let my phone die, and went to Barnes and Noble where I sat and read halfway through one of the three books I purchased.
It was really eye-opening for me. I enjoyed the alone time I had at the pizzeria, as simple as it was. And walking around Barnes and Noble without knowing the time or feeling the need to look at my phone constantly felt really nice too. I was able to really be present and enjoy the experience for what it was. I also thoroughly enjoyed all of the people-watching I did. It amazed me how many people were there doing the same thing I was doing. Cool.
Actually, as I sat in the Starbucks section of Barnes and Noble, I saw a young girl probably in her twenties who was sitting with a woman who appeared to be her mom. The older woman, like me, also seemed to enjoy simply being there (phone-less.) The young girl, on the other hand, hardly looked up to her supposed mother, because the entire time she was on her phone.
I definitely felt a little shameful after observing her, because I know that on any normal day, I would be doing the same exact thing.
Since that day, I am trying to wean myself into spending less time in a technology trance. Apparently, it can make you happier.
I encourage you to give it a try. Try unplugging for a couple of hours, and you'll be in for a taste of liberation! I think it will do you a lot of good.