The Art Of Being Unbothered
To be unbothered is to be at peace. In a culture obsessed with comparison and constant stimulation, being unbothered becomes less about not caring and more about choosing to be present. We live in a time where attention is currency, and we often don’t know how to be without it. There’s a constant pull to stay visible and relevant, and that pressure quietly shapes how we move through our days. Documenting our breakfast, lunch, and dinner, every time we work out or read a book, go to the beach, or have a night out with friends– it's inescapable.
A lot of people associate being unbothered with becoming detached, but it’s deeper than that. Being ‘present’ looks a lot different in the digital age. It’s when you go to a concert, and all you see is a sea of phones recording in the audience; when you’re with your friends and realize all of you have been silent for 30 minutes individually doomscrolling on your phones. Physically, you’re together, but mentally, you’re all somewhere else entirely.
The digital age hasn't just changed how we communicate– it’s entirely changed how we experience things. Moments don’t feel real unless they’re documented into our camera roll or our carefully curated Instagram feeds. We live in an era where everything becomes content, and “living in the moment” becomes a cliché and almost vintage concept. The pressure to capture everything, share it, and keep up with everyone else has created a culture where we’re physically somewhere but mentally everywhere else. There’s an underlying anxiety in always feeling like you have to keep up. You’re inside on a Friday night, watching everyone’s stories and feeling left out. Or, you get back from a fun night and check your camera roll to see that you didn’t get any videos or photos of it, and it seems like a waste. That feeling doesn’t come from the night itself; it comes from the absence of proof.
The truth is, the digital age didn’t just take us away from being present; it conditioned us out of it. We’ve become so accustomed to viewing our lives through our screens that existing outside of them feels unfamiliar. Before phones, we remembered things because they mattered, not because they were photographed. We felt connected to people because we were actually present with them, not because we were capturing it for later. There’s something almost nostalgic about that simplicity, even though many of us have never truly lived it. Presence wasn’t performative, and moments weren’t curated.
The art of being unbothered is remembering that presence is enough. To be unbothered doesn’t mean you have to be detached, just present. It’s the difference between disconnecting from the world and simply choosing not to be consumed by it. It’s the art of being in the here and now, without letting FOMO or the digital echo of everyone else’s life dictate the meaning of your own.
In the end, being unbothered isn’t about avoiding life, it’s about actually living it– without feeling the need to have an audience confirm that it mattered.
Strike Out,
Elise Archer
Boca Raton
Elise Archer is a Content Writer for Strike Magazine Boca. She has a passion for everything creative- and she’s a firm believer that everything happens for a reason. If you can’t reach her, she’s either busy shopping, lost somewhere, or writing. But if you would like to: elisearcher111@gmail.com or on Instagram @elisearcherr
Cover Image Courtesy: The Guardian / Beth Chatto
