Ah, it's finally those final few weeks of the semester when the campus is filled with stress and exhaustion. Many sleepless nights pass by and we still have final papers to write up and hand in. Not to mention, there's a lot of studying we have to do if we procrastinated more than we should have ever since coming back from Thanksgiving break (guilty as charged). Here's something to remind us of the gold ol' times when we were human beings who slept, instead of mere carcasses of what we used to be.
1. You're actually awake.
A no-brainer but it's still worth mentioning. I'm sure we've had that one class where, no matter how hard you try, you just can't seem to stay awake the entire time. Now that it's almost finals week, we're probably nodding off during lectures a lot more frequently.
2. Your memory hasn't gone on vacation.
What did I eat for breakfast this morning? (Most likely.) Did I even eat breakfast this morning? (I hope so.) Where did my OneCard go? (Oh, sh*t.) What did my professor just say? (I'm sure it wasn't vital information.) Why do I feel like it was important? (...Well, f*ck.) Did I have plans to do something important tonight? (A nap would be nice but let's be honest.) Yep, our memories and alertness to our surroundings greatly diminishes during this time of the year, more so if we survive the week with only a total of three hours of sleep (all-nighters become our best friends...). We may never know what thought ran away until much, much later.
3. You don't have the attention span of a goldfish.
If you've nearly walked into a door/wall (a classic gag, I tell you), almost went headfirst towards your death in a busy intersection (...) or have simply diverted your attention elsewhere (probably your thoughts) when you should really be focusing on what's in front of you, you're not alone. I'm glad you're safe, though.
4. You're not eating the stress away.
Granted, this may not be entirely true, but sleeping for roughly seven or eight hours per night helps curve those midnight munchies at least a little bit. But since we're all at that tipping point, it's somewhat rewarding to eat some jumbo chicken wings and a large basket of cheesy fries at midnight. Food always tastes better after that point and it's a nice break from the mounds of problem sets and projects you have to finish (hang in there, Econ and Psych majors). We'll probably regret it later, though.
5. You have more of a social life.
This is a case-by-case situation but I think it applies to many people in some way, shape or form. Whenever you have some free time in between or after classes, be it half an hour to a few hours, you either use it to get more work done or to go to close your eyes for a couple minutes (which ends up turning into a power nap, but that's besides the point). Again, it depends on the individual; this is just a trend I've been seeing.
We're almost at the home stretch, so let's try and make it out alive. Best of luck to you all and I wish you a happy, sleep-filled winter break!
