Hi Hive students, it's Abeegail again, welcome back. How have you guys been fairing. There's this saying that goes only the person carrying the load knows how heavy it is. Today I realize a burning question I used to ask myself. WHY IS EVERYONE ON CAMPUS TIRED? When I was staying with my sister, whenever she comes back from school, the first thing she does it to lay on the bed and say she's tired and shouldn't be disturbed, the same thing with my senior brother. They always sing the same mantra all the time and I never got to understand it until I started Uni.
There's this quiet exhaustion that comes from being on campus. It's not like we are doing anything outrageous demanding but everyone seems so exhausted, barely holding on. For someone who rarely deprives herself from sleep, sleep has now become something that is just squeezed in, so I won't break down, not something of priority. Between late-night studying, doom scrolling, keeping a social life, overthinking, and chores, sleep kind of get lost in the mix and this is not something that can be fixed with a eight hours sleepathon on Saturday. The body keeps scores.
And this is not only physical but mental exhaustion. Campus life is like working with 40 tabs opened at once. Assignment needs to be submitted, deadlines are approaching fast, grades are barely holding on, social life doesn't even exist, you don't have necessary documents for fast approaching exams, future plans looking blurry and even funds are threatening to leave you. The brain is always working, always calculating and even rest can feel illegal at some point, like something you'll have to pay later.
With all this we just add anxiety into the mix. Low-key everyone is scared that they are not doing good enough, not productive enough. The pressure to be productive is crushing, if you are not reading then you are left behind. Productivity culture in Campus has convinced students that exhaustion is proof of effort. Being tired becomes a badge of honor, even though it’s slowly burning everyone out.
And the worst part is no one question this exhaustion anymore, it so common that it's normalize to be tired, we just accept it as part of student life. Maybe constant tiredness isn’t normal. it’s a sign that campus isn’t just demanding our time, but also, our energy, our attention, our emotional capacity, all at once. I realise that everyone isn’t tired because they’re lazy or unserious but, because campus teaches you to live in survival mode and survival is exhausting.
It Still Abeegail,
Facing endless exhaustion
Thanks for reading,
The images used are mine.
