“A golden box is still a box.” -Unknown

This small yet powerful quote has forced me to see how easily we can trap ourselves in our own lives without even realizing we are trapped. Despite being an adult and having a lot of freedom, we can still be trapped. Instead of enjoying our life by hiking and spending time with friends, we have unconsciously chosen to fill our lives with obligations and mundane daily routines. Our whole lives we have been looking forward to adulthood and the freedom it entails. I never thought once I was given this freedom I would trap myself with it. Instead of enjoying the wings I have earned, I am stuck struggling to just get by. I am trapped in my golden box.

Young adults always say they want to independence and freedom: they want to have wings. However, most of the time we end up putting ourselves in a golden box. We forget how fragile this life is, and how many beautiful things there are in this world. We get so caught up in routines, we forget to make time for things that make us feel alive. We forget to take weekends off from our crazy lives to relax and improve our mental health. In a world where physical health is seen as more important than mental health, we need to take time for us and our mental health.

We get caught up in obligations and relationships and forget about the so-called freedom we once so desperately desired. We have 15+ hour days filled with work, school, and other obligations that wear us down. At night we lay down our exhausted bodies and complain about how there are not enough hours in the day to get everything done. We wanted to become adults and have freedom, but instead we’re stuck in a golden box. Although it’s golden, we are still stuck.

Weekend trips we once dreamed of, have become a time to reset our abnormal sleep schedule. Nights filled with friends and parties ended up becoming nights filled with schoolwork and work. We rarely take the time to enjoy the wings we are given. We rarely take the time to step out of our self-built golden box. We get stuck in a mundane routine, which we call our lives. We essentially get trapped in our own freedom.

I challenge you to wake up every day with the mindset of genuine freedom and appreciation for this life. Instead of living in a mundane routine, live in freedom. Go out and do something that makes you feel alive. Make time for your mental health and well-being. I challenge you to break out of your golden box.