Lack of sleep, and student blues

By Eman Magdy

Managing Arabic Editor 

For the past few days, I have been going through a lot, like most of my fellow students. I think this is the time of the semester when all students are cramming with deadlines and midterms.

As a junior, I know I should be used to this by now.. But no, I am not.

I have become aware of the fact that I am stressed and anxious 99 percent of the time, deadlines and midterms stress me all the way through to the end of the semester, and I think it has reached its peak.

And the worst is yet to come.

Nour, my sister and a professor, noticed that I do not look okay this week, perhaps because I have not slept well since I have been spending my nights editing and submitting assignments for my courses.

Another professor was passing by The Caravan’s newsroom and stopped by to say “you look so tired”. I did not know what to say, because yes, I am tired and I need to sleep for the rest of the semester.

The irony is that when you reach the epitome of stress, people expect you to be okay even though you are not, they wonder why editing articles and completing assignments stress you out.

I can tell you why.

Because professors expect you to do all that is required as if you don’t have a life, and as if you don’t have other courses, which require commitment and work

And because mentoring junior reporters drains one from the day articles are pitched to the writing process and finally putting the paper to bed.

And then your friends expect you to chill and hang out with them whenever they are free.

At the end of the day, right after you step inside your home, your family expects you to watch a movie with them because it’s been a long time since you watched Netflix together.

The truth is that you do all of this, you do not say “no” because you cannot let people down, you cannot let the people who love you down.

I cannot let people I love down, no matter what it takes.

Am I letting myself down?