My Periods of Removal
In Jenny Odell’s “How to do Nothing”, she encourages individuals to take a break from constant stimulation, whether that be work or technology, in order to better appreciate the things around us, and as an act of self preservation. Odell says “…there is nothing to be admired about being constantly connected, constantly potentially productive the second you open your eyes in the morning — and in my opinion, no one should accept this, not now not ever.”
I personally underwent a very eye-opening experience concerning “doing nothing” around one year ago. During my senior year, I took a social psychology elective course where we learned about numerous topics, one being addiction. My teacher described the word in layman’s terms, saying that addiction is the point at which your indulgence (to anything) makes your life unmanageable. When hearing the word “addiction” most of us tend to think about drug and alcohol abuse, however it has become more apparent that a great deal of individuals are addicted to their phones, computers, and social media. Especially now during the age of the Coronavirus, there is less to do while maintaining safety, so many people resort to spending more time using technology. It can be difficult to recognize such addiction in one’s self due to the fact that technology and social media are so prevalent, useful, and normalized in everyday life. In chapter two Odell introduces Levi Felix, a young former VP of a startup tech company in Los Angeles, who was hospitalized due to immense stress caused by work and overconsumption of technology. Felix later founded a company called “Digital Detox”, whose goal is to help people become more present, and to encourage a healthy balance of technology in everyday life. Odell says,
Felix was particularly concerned with the addictive features of everyday technology. While he wouldn’t disavow technology entirely, claiming to be a ‘geek, not a Luddite,’ he thought that people could at least learn a healthier relationship to it.
Various studies and articles have outlined the similarities between drug or alcohol addiction with that of technology. While seemingly very different, each can cause the user to experience neurological, psychological, and social, disturbances or complications. It is important to indulge in moderation.
In this class, my peers and I were required to perform an experiment where our teacher took everyone’s cellphones for two days. Our job was to document how we felt, or what we did and thought during this time. My experience was quite strange, as it included many ups and downs. During the time this social experiment was conducted, I was on crutches because I had previously injured my ankle seriously while playing soccer. This resulted in me feeling very physically limited. Without my phone for two whole days, not only did I feel physically limited, but also socially limited. I couldn’t text friends, check up on social media, or even google something I was curious about. On a typical day, during my off periods I would usually reach out to different friends and meet up with them, either to leave campus to grab a quick lunch, or just sit and talk in the library. While on crutches and without my cellphone, it was very hard to meet up with people that I wanted to see, because I had no specific routine with anyone, and plans were usually made on the fly. Contrarily, if I had not been on crutches it would have been much easier to simply walk around my three story high school in an attempt to find a friend to spend my time with, but because moving around on crutches was so laboring, I decided it wasn’t worth the trouble. Although these factors were upsetting, I was also able to focus better on my homework without the distraction of my phone by my side, and was able to converse more openly with the people around me who I might have otherwise overlooked, rather than friends over text. I realized that although not completely enjoyable, the mini “digital detox” I went through was beneficial to me, and I began to be more mindful about my technological use.
Aside from technology use, my experience after being injured was quite interesting as well. Throughout the course of my life, I have remained incredibly active in sports, constantly spending time with friends as well as participating in school clubs and activities. For years, I played soccer and rowed without injury; I always considered myself very lucky. In the last three minutes of one of my last school season games as a senior, I tore four different ligaments across the top and both sides of my ankle. I was utterly devastated. Not only was I unable to finish my last season, but it was also a very painful experience, and a difficult injury to heal. The recovery process spanned over the course of multiple months. As others may have experienced, or can at least imagine, it is a very difficult experience physically and emotionally. I felt isolated as a result of my physical limitations.
Although it was very frustrating not being able to do certain things anymore, I noticed that in this time I was able to “do nothing”, without pressure or fear that I was being unproductive, because it was justified. I had a valid reason to not participate in certain activities, and it was very refreshing. For once, I didn’t feel the need to constantly be on the move and doing something. I had time to reflect, relax and take things slow. It was much more than a quick weekend getaway, rather a prolonged sort of “detox” from my typical busy schedule. I was often discouraged and impatient when trying to perform activities I could once do with ease, but as time progressed I acquired a greater sense of patience and self appreciation. I learned to be thankful for what I was still capable of, and to allow myself time to rest and heal. Although seemingly different, I can find similarities between my experience, and that of Odell’s father when he took time off from work. After quitting his job, Odell’s father “read a lot, rode his bike, studied math and electronics, went fishing, had long chats with his friend and roommate, and sat in the hills where he taught himself the flute.” After this interval of time, he returned to his previous job with a new mindset and sense of inspiration, making it possible for him to work his way up within the company. While what Odell’s father chose to do in those two years may not seem conventionally productive, it proved to be a period of self realization and growth; in reality it was quite productive because he developed as a person, and was better at his job afterwards. Upon returning to work, he was described as having a “renewed energy and a different perspective.” Of course my experience was very different in the sense that my “period of removal” was neither from a job nor from school, and it was also not voluntary, instead my “period of removal” was from my ordinary busy life.
I feel as though I grew emotionally from my experience; I learned to be more patient with myself, and that not everything can, or should be rushed. Healing an injury can be long and grueling, as well as emotionally draining and overwhelming, but there is no way to rush the process. I was compelled to do more things that I enjoyed that did not require physical activity, like spending more quality time with my family at home, rather than constantly being on the go, reading, and catching up on movies and shows. While in school, I would go to the library during my lunch and off periods, usually I sat alone, but would occasionally make conversation with those around me who I wouldn’t have otherwise. Learning to appreciate my own company was an important, but difficult lesson. Although lonely at times, I became more accustomed to spending time alone and having more autonomy in what I decided to do with my time. Contrarily, sometimes I conversed with peers who I did not know well that sat near me, if I had been with friends I’d likely be caught up in a conversation, or on the move, unable to chat openly with someone less familiar.
I do feel as though being previously injured in a sense prepared me for life during lockdown amidst Covid. While still very difficult and undeniably different, I became more accustomed to “doing nothing”, and had adopted other methods of keeping myself occupied, as mentioned before, that did not require extreme physical activity or going out in public. Alternatively, I would be very curious as to how much my experiences without a cellphone, or being injured would have been different if they had happened during quarantine. On one hand I feel as though being on crutches would be easier, because I would never really have to, or even be able to, leave my house. Whereas being without technology would have been extremely difficult. At the height of Covid-19 outbreaks in my home state of New York, when everyone was quarantined, I spent a great deal of time on my phone and computer, doing anything ranging from FaceTime friends, to watching Netflix or YouTube, and playing various games. While technology undoubtedly has its downsides, I think it played an incredibly important role in unifying, distracting, and informing people worldwide during the pandemic. In a normal scenario, without technology, one would have an abundance of things to do to occupy their time like going to the beach, hanging out with friends, going to the library or shopping, but throughout Covid-19 it was impossible to go anywhere without risking one’s safety. Perhaps older generations may not see the difficulty in abstaining from technology, but as a generation that was raised in a technological society, it can be extremely difficult.
In hindsight, my experiences during my short digital detox, prolonged injury, and life during Covid were far more similar than I would have ever thought. Each were quite different circumstantially, however all scenarios were similar in the sense that they were some sort of “period of removal”, or a “detox”, whether that be from technology, physical activity and a busy schedule, or normal everyday life; I was granted time to “do nothing” and reflect.
