Photo by Analyn Cuarto
Despite what the internet tells you
By Katie Czenczek, Staff Writer
With finals being finished for the winter term, you might start to feel like there’s a big rush to get everything that you wanted to do during the semester done right now. Temperatures are rising, as are the number of posts showing people going out, and so too does the pressure to go out and have fun.
I’m not sure why we feel the need to update 600 people about our travel plans, beach days, or concerts, but after seeing what feels like every single person you know—and some you don’t—doing “something,” it’s easy to start feeling like you’re missing out.
That’s not to say people shouldn’t post everything they do online (they shouldn’t), but this is more a suggestion to keep in mind that there are times when the people who post a lot feel the exact same way you do. In fact, I’d even argue that many people post things just to prove that they’re having fun and actually going out.
It becomes a feedback loop: Someone posts about all the wonderful adventures they’re having; the person who views it feels like they’re missing out, so they start posting about something, and it goes around again. I don’t think cutting out social media is the solution to this, because it’s more about catching yourself when you start to feel that itch of dissatisfaction with your life. Ask yourself why you feel that way, and, if it turns out that it’s just because you’re comparing your life to some fitness model online who just went to Bali on a paid sponsorship, then you should know what your problem is.
What I’m trying to say is that it’s totally fine to be doing nothing at all, and we need to stop putting so much pressure on ourselves and each other to be going out and doing more.
Everyone needs an inside day to just relax, surf the web, and recharge. Our generation, especially, puts way too much emphasis on going out, and I think a lot of that has to do with us constantly seeing other people’s embellished lives online. Who cares if it’s hot outside and your friends are asking you to hang out? If you aren’t up for it, don’t feel pressured to go out.
Moreover, no one thinks to themselves, “wow, so-and-so never does anything, ever.” People are inherently self-centred and are so busy being insecure about their own stuff that they won’t even notice if you’re going out or not. For all they know, you could be living it up!
At the end of the day—and the end of this article—you just have to do you, whatever that is. Read a book, binge your favourite TV show, eat a ton of junk food and then regret it later. It doesn’t matter what it is, all you need is to be content with yourself. Just remember that it’s completely impossible to do absolutely nothing, and if getting out of bed is all you do for the day, then that’s enough.
