iExamen 1

            Every day, we communicate with numerous people without thinking twice about those interactions. With modern technological advancements, we can easily contact and communicate with hundreds of people per day. After completing my day of observation for the iExamen 1 assignment, I have become more aware of my interactions with other people throughout my daily routine. At first, I did not think I would successfully observe myself and others enough, however, I surprisingly gathered very interesting information about the way I communicate with myself, my family, and my friends.

            The day that I chose to dedicate to self-observation was Saturday (September 26). I woke up to multiple alarms throughout the early morning, but I decided to snooze them all until noon because I have not been getting much sleep during the week. When I woke up, I was still exhausted and, therefore, in a bad mood. I went downstairs to where the rest of my family was, and they greeted me very energetically. This immediately annoyed me because, even though it was technically the afternoon, I am not a morning person. My mom asked if I wanted to go to Target with her and my younger sister, so I immediately went to get ready. My mom and I regularly bicker because, although we are extremely similar in most ways, our differences are complete opposites. I noted that I can be kinder to my mom, even if I do not agree with what she believes. I plan to start this immediately because you ever know what could happen in the future.

During this shopping trip, my sister and I annoyed each other on purpose, as we always do, but we got over it a few minutes later when we found something to laugh about. My sister is 12 years old, six years younger than me, so we do not have a lot in common regarding our stages of life. However, I always make sure to include her in little things with me such as smelling all of the candles in the store to pick out a new one for our room or getting cake mix to make cupcakes later. Overall, I noticed that while shopping, I smile at everyone I pass and try to make it obvious with my eyes since I am wearing a mask. I also fidget with my jewelry, hair, hands, and legs a lot because I have anxiety and it helps me focus on something else for a few moments. Finally, I noticed that I checked my phone countless times because my friends wanted to hang out later that night and needed to solidify a plan.

With my friends, I am extremely generous, especially when it comes to driving people. Before actually arriving at my friend Joe’s house that night, I picked up my friend Sadie from her house, Aidan from work, Henry from his college dorm, and Matt from his house. This took over an hour and a half, but I remained patient the entire time. I picked up Sadie first and closely observed our conversations. I realized that we communicate on a different level with each other. We know exactly where the other is thinking based on random gibberish, facial expressions, or even silence. When we all arrived at my friend’s house, I was surrounded by many different personalities. I watched as Sadie quietly sat next to me and only spoke to me unless spoken to by someone else in the group. Joe quickly finished his homework in a panic while we were all there because he realized it was due at 11:59 that night. Matt talked about living on a farm with his future family, while Henry sang along to the background music. Aidan chaotically danced around trying to get everyone more energized and Claudia sat there laughing and helping Joe with his homework. Everyone appeared relaxed and at ease in each other’s presence. Some people fiddled with their hands or continually checked their phones to keep busy and others kept the conversation going with new topics.

When it was time to leave, I took everyone back home in order of geographic proximity to my house. This meant I dropped Aidan off last because he lives three streets away from me. I have known him for 13 years, but I have never closely observed how we interact with each other. I noticed that we argue a lot and we snap at each other over stupid things, but we end up laughing 30 seconds later. We fought over the volume of the music, the temperature in the car, and how quiet I was being on the ride home. It was 1:30 A.M., so by then I was already exhausted and ready to go home, which is when I start to dissociate from reality. Despite our extreme yelling at each other all of the time, he still told me to text him when I got home to make sure I was safe. I realized that, although we fight and get angry with each other often, we still care about each other’s well-being.

When I got home, I took this as my hour without any technology. I realized that without my phone or computer, I could not communicate with anyone because my entire family was already asleep. I reflected on my day that I had and how my self-observation changed my perspective on communication. When I went back on my phone, I quickly checked in with my friends and went to sleep. The next morning, I woke up more aware of my surroundings and communicated cautiously with other people. This exercise made me more aware of how different people communicate in various situations, specifically how I interact with them. I acknowledged a few anxious tendencies I have and noticed how I need time to recharge after long hours of social interaction. I think this exercise is a great way to become more aware of how you communicate with different people verbally and physically while observing how they respond to you in return throughout the day.