Artwork by Haven Cha
As the finale of the first semester starts to creep in, this is the common time of the year in which students start to rear in the coffee, energy drinks, and espresso shots to stay up late and cram a few extra hours for the next exam. All the while consciously ignoring the yawning, heavy eyelids, and overall fatigue as our bodies try to tell us that sleep will be more beneficial than staring at an empty page for another 2 hours. Along with this, students are also trying to balance extracurriculars, community service hours, and external academies that all stack up to a single line on a college resume, as university admissions become even more challenging to rank up.
I’m not too sure who decided that being the best athlete, main role in a production, top of the class, and the president of some service effort, all within the same month is an achievable goal; however that became the reality for most high school students this year, as we all compete for the unspoken title of “academic weapon”
Especially with the hindrances of COVID-19, students found themselves trying their best to balance schoolwork and health, since we could no longer “shake off” a cold without wondering if we were the next victim to the virus. Now, the phrase “I’m not going to the hospital until ___” has become normalised, enough that people now start to question if ignorance is really bliss?
Although the next event may seem like the biggest thing in the world; holding off rest in efforts to salvage one more moment will be more damaging in the long run, as the event that a student puts into practice for performance is energy that’s much more needed to fight infection. This (although logical for most people) would help one’s performance for said event more than training a couple more hours at the end of the day.
Sleep is known to improve concentration + focus, build a stronger immune system, and reduce stress -> all things that a growing student will need in order to excel in their academics AND their extracurriculars. Now, some like to argue that exercise is better for sickness and disease rather than rest; exercise helps get the blood flowing more than sleeping does, but I’d like to emphasise that this is all about balance.
This will most definitely be mentioned in any blog written on this page by any author, since balance is so crucial to maintain a lifestyle that’s both sustainable and enjoyable. I like to picture every activity in my life (regardless of whether it's generally considered “productive” or “unproductive” in the eyes of society) as a yin-yang. Studying efficiently cannot exist without proper sleep, high-quality performance in my extracurriculars cannot exist without proper nutrition and hydration, proper sleep can’t be achieved unless I can de-stress for the day, and move into my “wind down” nightly routine.
While this won’t be the case for everyone, I’ve found that this has helped me justify the times when I need to care for myself more than the end goal I produce. Allowing myself to rest and recuperate at a later time has helped me more than pushing through, since my brain works differently.
Allowing yourself to try different things, and see how your body reacts to them will be the biggest step to listening to your body, and creating a healthier, stronger immune system in the long run.
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