Since I’ve started a college, although I have gained freedom, I have lost access to a car, familiar surroundings and the people I am closest to. I’m not saying college is all bad, but at first it is hard and can become very lonely. I have made amazing friends, but with differing schedules, clubs, and the pounds of homework given from each class, unwinding is something that becomes sacred. I used to be the person who would spend their free time out with friends; whether it was just grabbing some food or having a sleepover, this has become nonexistent since college has started.
In high school, I played sports, clubs, had school and a job, but I have never been more exhausted than since I began college. Two naps a day and binge watching Netflix have become a distraction. I’ve started and finished close to 10 TV shows since I moved in to my dorm towards the middle of August. This may sound excessive, and it might sound crazy that I get anything done, but there is logic behind it. Most people listen to music while studying in the library, but I choose to lay in bed, watch Netflix and do homework in the background of finishing a series. Everyone works differently, and with the limited activities to do in Boone, I have chosen to hibernate every chance I get.
People tell me that watching too much Netflix is unhealthy, and that I should go out and “explore my college”, but since my college is only three miles across I have seen all I want to see. I enjoy my room, I decorated it to make it special to me, and it is my favorite part about college. My parents refuse to let me have my car, however the whole point of being 18 and being independent is to get out and explore! If they think taking the bus around Boone is going to open my mind to anything new then they are kidding themselves. So yes, as a way to keep myself sane from staying in a shoebox room, in a three mile campus, I watch Netflix. It is not a way to cope, or a reason to keep myself in my room, but something to enjoy in the meantime while I decide what experiences are right for me.
