AGONY!

On Thursday, September 2nd, I decided to suck it up and resigned myself to the inevitable.


After I recorded all media usage throughout Tuesday, I decided it would be most beneficial to do my fast on the most comparable day of the week. Since Thursday is also the day that I have the most classes, I figured I would have the most distractions from media.

So, instead of waking up to music, I ate breakfast in silence. I found that it was a little more difficult to look over the notes for my Literature quiz that morning due to the clamor of students around me, but I managed.

Walking to class was a bit more trying than usual. Living in Skyline, hills going to and from class are a given, but with music it is usually easier to ignore the burn in my legs. The journey seemed more trying than usual without the distraction of media, but again, I persevered.

I left my phone off, which could have been the most excruciating experience of all, but since I had made plans with my friends for meeting times, lunches, etc., the day before, it turned out to be surprisingly painless.

When I arrived back at the dorm, I immediately hauled my homework to the study room where I would not be tempted by our television. I also managed to hide my iPod and cell phone in a drawer out of my sight in a rare moment of strength.

As time went on, it became increasingly more difficult to concentrate. I found myself wondering about Facebook, itching to turn on my iPod, and longing to check my messages. Abstaining from media grew into something more than just irritating…it became agonizing. More than anything in the world, I wanted to turn on my iPod. I had never studied without it, and not having it seemed to distract me rather than help me. I typically use music to block out the outside noise of my peers when I desperately need to concentrate. Every single sound seemed magnified without my music, but luckily, I found other ways to distract myself.

I visited with friends after I finished the homework I had to do. I avoided my room at all costs…there were too many temptations. To my surprise, abstaining became easier and easier. Homework put my fast on the forefront of my mind, but doing something where I would not normally use media made things less stressful.

I went to bed early, something I rarely do when I have the enticement of media to distract me, but it was definitely refreshing to wake up the next morning without exhaustion.

The only time media was unavoidable for me was in the bathroom where we have a radio. With girls crowded around the sink fixing their hair, cowardice blocked me from turning off the music. That was the only time I cheated, and it was only because I could find no way around it.

I was also much more aware of how prevalent media usage is in our culture. My jealous eyes spied multitudes of earbuds and phones throughout the day. People gossiped about happenings on Facebook, texts they had received, and music they hated. Most conversations I heard at least mentioned some form of media usage. Although I felt jealousy and admittedly like I was experiencing some withdrawal symptoms, the ordeal was definitely eye opening.

Overall, fasting from media usage is certainly not something I want to ever repeat, but it allowed me a brief outsider’s view of what has become the foremost addiction in our country. For that, I am grateful, just not grateful enough to repeat the experience.