Last year, I always had my AirPods in.
Whether I was listening to a podcast as I walked to class, playing music as I did homework or watching Netflix as I brushed my teeth, my headphones were rarely out of my ears. I had them in so often that my mom joked that they were becoming part of my body. Rationalizing this rampant use of my headphones pretty easily, why would I want to listen to my own thoughts or the sounds of the world when I could listen to something more interesting? To me, the choice was simple.
Unfortunately, my AirPods extended past being a tool to entertain me — they became a way to help me tune out the world around me. I was moving through life like I was on autopilot.
It took me a while to understand the full extent of this issue, but when I did, I realized that I wasn’t alone. I cannot walk ten feet on campus without seeing a peer wearing headphones of some sort. Most students here have their headphones on nearly at all times. If you want to talk to someone you have to wave at them as if hailing a cab or awkwardly tap them on the shoulder. For most, our headphones serve as barriers that prevent us from fully engaging with the outside world or our own minds.
This semester, after coming to terms with my reliance on my earbuds, I decided to make myself the guinea pig of an experiment. During the first week of this semester, I left my AirPods at my dorm; I wanted to see how I would feel without constant stimulation being blasted into my ears and brain.
While the first few days were challenging and almost uncomfortable, I began to see the merit of avoiding headphones. When my AirPods aren’t my constant companion I have noticed that I think more clearly, am more creative and don’t accidentally ignore people when they say hello. As I am writing this, it is week eight of the semester, and I still leave my AirPods at the dorm most days.
When I tell people about intentionally taking on the day without my AirPods they look at me like I am insane. Choosing to immerse ourselves in near-constant stimulation has almost become a societal expectation. It has become so normalized to drown out everything that choosing not to is almost unthinkable.
But why is that? Why is the choice to lean into stimulation such an easy one? This constant need for something to occupy our senses serves as a defense mechanism. We live in a world where reflection has taken a backseat to endless distraction. Headphones have become tools that allow us to protect ourselves from uncomfortable or inconvenient thoughts and conversations. It’s much easier to get lost in a song than it is to confront our feelings or work through our thoughts.
Whether we realize it or not, drowning ourselves in this ocean of stimulation hampers our ability to think deeply and reflect on our lives.
