The feeling of restlessness is the most persistent annoyance that I face in my life. Growing up military, I moved around a lot in my early years. I attribute this to my need for change after a certain amount of time. I have now been living in Chicago for over 5 years. I’m starting to have feelings of restlessness.

This is not something that everyone struggles with.  My boyfriend is in his late twenties, and he has only ever lived in the state of Illinois. He is entirely content to live here until he dies. This is a point of conflict for us because in my mind, I would be happy to move on to the next place as soon as we are financially stable. For him, it is hard to leave friends and family that have lived around him his entire life. Both feelings are completely normal and natural depending on personality type, upbringing and background. However, I personally believe that these feelings of restlessness give us motivation and desire to move forward and experience new and exciting things.

Restlessness is not a great feeling. It’s annoying, uneasy, unsettling and it causes disruption in other areas of our life. But ultimately, I see restlessness as an opportunity. You only have one life; if you are truly feeling deep feelings of restlessness, it might mean it is time for you to move on to the next opportunity. Maybe that is at a new school, a new extracurricular activity, a new job or even a new location. All of these changes can be really scary, but ultimately these situations force us to grow and learn and develop as people.

Don’t suppress your feelings of restlessness; be mindful to understand if they are temporary or persistent. If these feelings are long-term, consider the opportunities you have available to you. Don’t dwell on the hopeless emotions that can go hand-in-hand with restlessness; seek out new and exciting adventures. It is important to continuously try, learn and grow. Complacency is a death sentence. Use feelings of restlessness as a propeller to advance you to your next place in your life, and then you can continue on your journey to seek and find happiness.

-       Bria