Unplug

“Alright, okay. I’ve got this, right? Right. Geez, it’s loud in here. I wish I could just… oh yeah! I have my headphones in my bag. Good deal. Alright… and there we go! Now we’re up and running, a little AC/DC to kick things off. Let’s do this!”

The above dialogue is an accurate representation of me, my sophomore year of high school in study hall. Like most study halls, as many students as possible are shoved into a library and are expected to study with their closest friends mere inches away. Let’s be real here, we’re doing more messing around than we are working. Well, everyone except me, especially during one of high schools busy weeks. Determined to get things crossed off my list, it was not uncommon for me to plug into my favorite bands and drown out the background noise. This is a little trick I would carry with me to college.

I am a type “A” person. If there is a plan, I stick to the plan. Freshmen year of college did not go according to plan.

I came to college very close to a few specific people. After close to two weeks of classes, my world as I knew it came tumbling down. With one of those specific people, I had a major falling out. To the point where I was uncomfortable and anxious seeing them in public.

Original Plan: Go to college, join three picked out clubs, spend quality time with specific people, explore campus.

“Plan“ after two weeks: Hide in my room in an empty house…

“I’m nowhere near home. I have hardly any friends up here. I have all of this homework to do that I know I am no good at. If I ask for help, I’m a failure. I can’t go to campus unless it’s for class. What if I stray off my path and see “them”?! That’s going to put me in an awful mood, I might freak out. AND WHY IS IT SO LOUD IN HERE?! I need something to quick… I… my headphones. I have my headphones…finally! Relief.”

If I could get plugged into my headphones, then all of the bad stuff went away. I could work in peace, distracted from the world around me. Nothing would bother me until I unplugged again.

Eight months, two pairs of headphones, and countless hours of music played later, I reached my wit's end. Every time I started to get panicky or stressed, I would plug in. And every time I did that, I needed to find a new song or a new sound to district my racing thoughts. Soon I ran out of genres that would work, so I turned to volume.

Cut to me wearing a pair of headphones fraying at the seams, volume at one hundred percent, blaring a song talking about the end of the world. All because I had a “rough day”, consisting of me running into a specific person I hadn’t seen in a while.

Something had to give. I was losing friends and my family began to worry. I was finally honest with myself. I wasn’t solving any problems plugging into music, I was running from them. Instead of standing up and addressing my situation, I cowered away. Through Faith, I decided to face my fears.

What are you running from? What lies are you telling yourself to make it through your current situation? Are you like me, using something to distract you from all of the bad stuff?

Iowa FFA, stop running. Unplug your self created distraction. Turn around and take on your issue. The more you avoid it, the worse it gets. You are strong enough to get through it. You are! Face the music of your reality.

Go Get Em,

Chandler Jahner

2018-2019 South Central 

State Vice-President