When I first opened this assignment and read through the instructions my heart kind of sank. I was scared of sitting alone with my thoughts for fifteen minutes. No music, no talking, no people watching. Just sit with myself and analyze my thoughts. I thought my anxiety would take over and I would just start stressing myself out more. Being able to think  of anything from an awkward encounter the other day to the scary prospect of what my future may or may not hold seemed paralyzing. 

Once my roommate left, I closed my laptop and phone, took out my headphones, and layed on my bed. My thoughts immediately began racing but without music playing in the background I was actually able to slow myself down and evaluate each one before jumping to the next. The first thing that popped into my head was my homework for the week. What I need to get done and when I can get them done. Since I had no other distractions I was able to objectively look at my schedule and successfully mapped out my week. What breaks I have and whether I should study in the library, Trabant or Perkins. Surprisingly I did not allow my nerves to  take over and the overwhelming thoughts I was scared of were seemingly non-existent. These fifteen minutes allowed me to take a breath and actually made me feel a lot more prepared for the week. 

A task that scared me, became one of the most therapeutic aspects of my Sunday night. Completing this made me rethink my view on music. Music was the thing that I thought kept me sane but really distracted me from being truly productive. Although I will continue to  listen to music, I hope to do this every Sunday night because it will allow me to take a deep breath.