For someone who sends an average of three texts a day, I spend a ridiculous amount of time checking my phone. Those three to four numbers at the bottom of the screen have a way of sucking me into their twisted little world and not letting me out. Once I take one peek at that clock on my phone, I’m addicted for the rest of the day. I find myself sneaking glances while in the bathroom, in the cafeteria, during conversations and especially in class. Checking it during class is my greatest temptation. The less I want to be there, the more the phone comes out. I check it once, wait for what seems like forever and check it again. I wait another two minutes and then check it again in the hopes that somehow I read it wrong the first time and will soon be free to get some food in my empty stomach. No such luck. So I spend the rest of my class just waiting for it to be over and constantly looking to see how much longer I have in the strange-smelling classroom.
Now I’m no psychology major, but I can certainly spot an addiction, and I’m definitely addicted. I decided I needed to do something about this. I’m not a science major either but I do love conducting a good experiment, particularly with myself as the guinea pig. For the record, I make a fantastic guinea pig. The goal was to see what kind of difference it would make if I shut off my phone during class and only checked the time when absolutely necessary. It was an attempt to break free of the constant stress of going from one thing to another. I intended to just relax and enjoy the moment I was blessed with instead of hurrying to the next. It was a grand decision. After conducting this experiment for a few days, I discovered that I was less stressed and found that I enjoyed the generally mundane tasks so much more. Classes were interesting again and I no longer had to employ my sneaky ninja skills to keep from getting caught with the “forbidden contraband.” Life was peaceful (well, as peaceful as it gets for a college student working two jobs), and generally better. I would call it a very successful experiment.
After all is said and done, I’m still struggling with my time addiction, but to a lesser degree than before my experiment. It’s incredibly liberating to set aside the constant pull of obligations and the homework assignments that nag the corner of the mind and just live in the moment. I don’t mean to sound clichéd, but we are not promised a tomorrow. This day, this moment, is a precious gift, not to be wasted away in anticipation of the next moment. Imagine how much more we would enjoy life if we slowed down and chose to embrace the moments as they come.
Try it. You’ll discover that you never loved life so much.
