Sleep deprivation is basically a part of the welcome package when you sign up for an IB school. I can’t remember the last time I slept more than 5 hours on a weekday. It’s not like I necessarily want to, because if I could I’d be in bed by 10 every night. But hey, it’s 2 AM by the time I’m writing this. Yay.
I seriously don’t know what I do with my time and exactly why and how my sleep schedule ended up being this bad. Some kids physically don’t have the time to do everything in a day. They have sports, they have clubs, and they’re still pulling 7s. I seriously don’t know how you guys do it, please teach me your black magic.
Definitely not the case for me, since I’ve been picked last in P.E more times than I can count. At this point I stand in a corner of the field so I don’t end up getting in the way of the ball, but that aside. Even I, as someone who probably has more free time than most of the kids in the whole upper school, still struggle to make ends meet. I’m still doing assignments 5 hours before the submission deadline. I’m still pulling all nighters and passing out in class from exhaustion.
Being a member of the Upper School means juggling your academic success, your happiness, and your physical and mental health. You physically can’t have all 3. It’s like if you want to excel at school and have a somewhat normal sleep schedule you throw out time for your hobbies. The cycle keeps going and going, and it’s how students get burnt out.
I don’t know who needs to hear this, but please. Close the review package. Turn off your laptop. Just take a good nap. Call a friend who you haven’t really had the time to text. Play that video game you haven’t had time to log into for weeks. You’re a kid. What you’ll remember from high school are gonna be the good times, are gonna be the days where you enjoyed what you were doing. Not the days you spent crying over math homework.
Close your laptop and go touch some grass. Get some sunlight while there’s still the last few sunny days of fall. You’re still a teenager. You can afford a hangout with a friend. You can afford to watch youtube for an hour. I’m kinda sounding like a hallmark movie, but still. If you’re busy to the point where you don’t have time for yourself, you’re just burning yourself out and you need to acknowledge that.
Please, just go take your nap. It’s two forty, so I’m gonna be taking my nap now as well.
See ya!
Tarrence.
The Blue and White 