At one point or another, we have all found ourselves struggling to fall asleep. Going to college can make that feeling worse—being away from home, your own bed, everything that’s familiar—and it can be hard finding ways to get over the restlessness.
Between late-night study sessions, unpredictable schedules, and the constant hum of dorm life, sleep can feel impossible to come by. Even when you are completely exhausted, the mind rarely quiets as easily as we wish it would.
What I have found works best: night walks around campus and town.
What began as a random attempt to tire myself out one night quickly became something I rely on. It grew into a ritual—one that made the chaos of my thoughts feel more manageable.
There is something about being outside when the rest of your world is silent and tucked away. It creates the illusion that you are the only one in existence, almost apocalyptic in its stillness.
Everything is quiet.
Yet the very things that create this eerie feeling—the empty sidewalks, closed buildings, and dim lights—also bring a calming energy. The usual noise of the campus just disappears. Classrooms sit empty, and the sidewalks that feel crowded during the day now belong solely to you.
It feels like stepping into a different world, one where you’re untouched by deadlines and expectations.
The crisp breeze that comes when the sun sets has a way of making you feel alive. It doesn’t interrupt or judge; it simply moves with you, steady and constant, reminding you that you’re not as stuck as you might feel.
Its gusts seem to carry away every troubling thought that plagues the mind as they pass. No matter how difficult it is to keep going through the dark, that same breeze—the only friend along on the walk—catches you from behind and keeps pushing you forward. Â
The chill leaves goosebumps in its wake, grounding you in the physical rather than the mental. The breeze pulls you out of your own head. It gives you reason to remember where you are and why, anchoring you to the present moment.
The wind takes your secrets, holding onto them, and never letting so much as a whisper of your thoughts slip to the next ear it passes. Maybe that’s why everyone loves to run to the night with their problems; they trust that what they share will never see the light of day. Â
The quiet exchange, the unspoken understanding between you and the night, that is what makes these walks feel like the perfect cure.
Of course, the beauty of night walks is that they don’t solve everything. They give you enough space to return to your dorm, crawl into your bed, and finally rest.
Sometimes, that’s all you really need.