On Friday September 29th, I
woke up in a frenzied panic at 10:07 realizing I forgot to set an alarm the
night prior which led me to oversleep. I had 23 minutes to get ready and make
it to work on time. I threw on my clothes, put my hair in a careless ponytail,
brushed my teeth and left my apartment. My frazzled appearance and speed-walking
conveys the message to others that I was in a rush and had no time to waste. I was
in the zone and was determined to make it to work without being stopped by anyone.
I made it to work with barely a minute to spare. My heavy breathing and disheveled
look communicated to my boss that I was having a rough morning which caused her
to give me a sympathetic look.
I left work and made my way to my only
class of the day, a 50-minute Psychology lab. By the early afternoon, I had
calmed down and composed myself. One of my lab partners asked me about the
stickers I have decorating my laptop. I realized that my stickers give off an
impression to others about what kind of person I am. It shows my favorite
animals, foods, colors, and pop-culture references. Without saying anything, my
laptop paints a simple picture of my personality.
After lab I had an event for a service
organization I am a part of. We had a canvas painting event as a part of
recruitment for Tau Delta Omega, a community service society focused on mental
health. I decided to use this time to unplug from technology for an hour. I put
my cellphone in my bag and took off my Apple Watch. The hour seemed to fly by
as I bonded with my friends and made new friendships with potential members of
our organization. I painted a mini canvas of something completely from scratch.
Normally, I would use the internet or Pinterest to look up ideas that I could
copy. Instead of replicating someone else’s work, my painting was completely my
own. I am not the most artistic person so my canvas was a little sloppy but the
fact that I did it all on my own made it more special and personal. While I was
not using my phone, I noticed that others seemed dependent on it. I was
reminded of the hectic start to my day. I was reliant on my phone to wake me
up. Because I forgot to set my alarm the night prior, I lost out on time to
shower and eat breakfast. It is interesting how technology can have such a
heavy influence on the tone of our day. While the assignment only called for an
hour without technology, I ended up not reaching for my phone for another 3
hours. It was nice to unplug and make friends without having my phone in my
right hand like it usually is.
I assumed I would have an easy enough
time being disconnected from technology because I although my phone is always
on my person, I don’t usually check it often. My friends often express their
annoyance with me because it takes me so long to reply to their text messages. It
is funny how I can either be glued to my phone for hours or I can completely
ignore my phone and then see how much I miss. I can miss major news from my
best friend or updates from my sister.
I ended my day with dinner at the
Papermoon Diner with my roommate. When we go out to eat, we usually put our
phones in a pile at the edge of the table. We have been doing this since
Freshman year and we find that we always have more fun without our phones. Without
our eyes glued to our screens, we can take in our environment and connect with
one another. There have also been times when my roommate and I will text each
other before bed even though we’re in the same room, 4 feet away from each other.
This exercise has taught me how to pay
attention to what I am telling people without even uttering a word. My facial
expressions, appearance and personal items can tell a story. It also has made
me think about the assumptions I make about other people who I do not know
simply by taking in their appearance. Is someone just having a rough start to
their morning, or do they usually wear sweatpants and t-shirts on a daily
basis? We communicate and interpret things all the time without even being
aware of what we are doing. This exercise has allowed me to stop and reflect
about my thought processes and examine their origins.
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