Smartphones. Job stress. Netflix.
For good reason, ours is a stimulated, restless generation. With so many ways to spend our time, and so many distractions begging for our attention, it’s understandable that many of us have a hard time simply sitting still. Thankfully, at the end of the day, when all is said and done, most of us are still capable of winding down to enjoy some relaxation, even if we need a glass of wine (or several) to facilitate this process.
That’s not the case across the board, though. Some of us, whether due to disposition, ADD, or our immediate environment, struggle to ever accept being in a state of non-doing. We’re chronically restless, and it interferes with every aspect of our day-to-day lives.
You Can’t Relax… Like Ever…
Thanks to streaming video sites, people today have more options than ever when it comes time to turn off your brain after you get home from work. The “binge-watching” sessions common among millennials allow us to, when we’re feeling less-than-ambitious, spend an entire weekend consuming a season or two of our favorite show, with few trips off the couch.
If I’m watching TV or a movie with friends or a significant other, I can somewhat justify the experience as a social activity, though I’d much rather be doing something a little more, well, active. On my own, though, I can barely sit through an episode of The Simpsons. And I love that show. Yes, even though it kind of sucks these days.
I feel compelled to do something with my time. Even if I put in a solid day of work beforehand, I still struggle with the idea of simply giving in to relaxation. I become anxious, feeling as though I’m lazy.
Many people probably know the feeling, but for some of us, this experience is taken to an unhealthy extreme.
You Can’t Stand Slow Work Days…
Few people truly enjoy the slow day at work, even though we imagine that we will. While it’s nice to dream that you’ll be able to indulge in a fairly easy shift once in a while, not having anything to do can get boring.
Or, if you’re chronically restless, utterly maddening. You can barely sit still for five minutes without having some task to distract you. How could you be expected to do so for eight hours? You may understand that you should try to accept the situation, but your mind rebels very violently against that idea. Feeling lazy is one of your least favorite experiences in life, and few things make you feel that way more than spending a day at work when you do very little actual work.
You Hate Low-Key Social Activities…
College students don’t hold back when it comes to socializing. They party, they bar-hop, they play beer pong, they do anything but stop and chill.
Well, most of the time… There were some days when a group of us, waiting for everyone else to get out of class, might just sit in someone’s dorm, Family Guy playing in the background, doing, well, nothing. Granted, this was still a form of socializing, but as far as I was concerned, it was Hell.
Sometimes, it was too much, and no matter how rude it seemed, I’d up and leave, fleeing to my dorm and hoping I still had a paper to write or studying to do. Any assignment that had slipped my mind.
When you’re chronically restless, even when you’re spending time with other people, if the way in which you’re having fun isn’t sufficiently distracting, that inner voice begins to tell you that it’s a waste of time.
Your neurotic mind will have none of that.
You Always Need A Project…
Full disclosure: this side of the situation may be beneficial, to a degree, but it can get in the way of your attempts to simply enjoy yourself from time to time.
Most people are trying to reach certain accomplishments in life. We’re not content to be entirely lazy. We want a job, we want responsibilities, we want people with whom to spend our time. That said, upon hitting these goals, plenty of people are able to relax and appreciate their lifestyle.
Not the chronically restless. That feeling exists, whether it should or not.
So, I’m writing a screenplay. And developing a stand-up routine. And maintaining a regular workout regimen. And marketing a family member's business. And curating a reading list dedicated entirely to addressing the academic areas I feel I should have focused on more in school. And self-publishing short stories. And meditating twice daily. And never, ever feeling as though I’m doing enough.
You can’t sit still. You need to feel as though you’re on a constant mission of self-improvement. On the one hand, this does allow you to constantly grow – I accomplished many of my goals simply because I felt I would be lazy if I didn’t accomplish them – but it also prevents you from ever feeling completely comfortable in your own skin.
I mean, if I were comfortable in my own skin, I might get complacent. Then I might drop one of my side projects. Then another. And another, and another, until I’m out-of-shape, broke, and completely useless to society.
See how crazy that is?
