It sounds counterintuitive at first. Possibly even like a straight-up lie. Why on Earth would we ever romanticize exhaustion? That doesn’t seem to be the case around us as we watch out peers and family members constantly complain about the work that lies ahead and the sleep they’ll be missing because of it. No one ever tries to lose sleep to be fashionable or sought-after; there’s no competition with regard to being the most sleep-deprived. We need sleep for survival. So why am I saying exhaustion is glorified?
My answer is simple: because it is.
I recently came across this photo online, and the first line stuck out to me.
The style of the graphic suggested that of a typical thought about self-care, written in a journal and posted online to remind others on online communities like Tumblr to love and take care of themselves. The message, however, contrasted the style. Usually, posts like these pertain to issues concerning body image, self-confidence, and the management of mental disorders. I didn’t understand why a graphic about sleep was getting the same attention as these other common issues.
After some more thought, I realized the people who are romanticizing this type of exertion may not be the sources of the issues that preceded it – the teenagers, the millennials, the online community preaching to one another while trying to find their place in the world. Instead, the proponents of this overexertion are the ones from whom they learned: their school systems, their employers, their political leaders, and maybe even their parents.
“Work hard for success” is what we’re often told. “Work harder than you thought you were able. If you have all Cs on your report card in high school, but at least you tried your hardest, then that is enough. But this is only true if you really tried your hardest.” This is what we’re told over and over. And even then, we’re warned that continually earning straight Cs won’t get us anywhere; we won’t land our dream jobs or get into the colleges of our dreams. The solution? Work hard, hard work, work hard. That’s the key to success, and success is the key to happiness.
In my opinion, it seems incredibly difficult to achieve happiness if I won’t be awake to experience it. I have a personal history of overworking myself to exhaustion for the sake of academic excellence, leadership achievements, and essentially the avoidance of others’ disappointment if I were to fall short on a commitment I made to them. This has been true for as long as I can remember. In the seventh grade, I fainted from exhaustion because I’d stayed up too late the night before, studying for a test that I wasn’t well enough to take that next day. My experience is probably atypical, and it is representative of my personal work ethic and standards. However, when my sister sent me that same photo one day – after I’d seen it the first time – as a reminder to look after myself, knowing I’d be tired as always, I realized its message may have more validity than I gave it credit for.
The fact remains: we need sleep to survive. When schools condition us with so much homework that we can’t look after ourselves properly, it’s time for some serious perspective taking and self love. I now wholeheartedly agree with the statement that, “we have to stop blurring the line between ‘commitment’ and self-endangerment,” or we otherwise risk burning out too quickly. We’ll become unmotivated and exhausted, lacking in hope for our futures before they even begin because we’re too tired to open our metaphorical eyelids enough to see the fruition of our efforts.
That’s not to say I don’t believe in the important of applying yourself to achieve goals and success. This is endlessly important, especially now, in an age where youths are criticized so harshly for complaining, protesting, and becoming activists for everything they deem mildly inappropriate in their lives. While change for the better and acceptance for all is insurmountably necessary and worthy as a cause, the newly realized glorification of over-exhaustion may not need as much attention. Sometimes you do just have to suck it up and do it. One night of little sleep won’t kill you, and it’s important to build character, discipline and a strong work ethic by pushing yourself to succeed. However, it becomes a problem when it’s a habitual routine that results in emotional or mental turmoil, as it often does for so many.
I wanted to share this message now as we resurface bravely from the academic massacre that was the middle of the semester and brace ourselves for the storm of finals. We can make it through, but only if we remember that who we are is more important than the grades we receive.
Take care of yourselves this semester and every semester. Get some sleep.