So if you know me at all then you know that I love staying up all night. It was something that started my freshman year when I lived in a triple. Most college students stay up all night to get their work done, but that’s definitely not my reason. When you live with two other people in one room you get absolutely no alone time. So, the original reason for staying up was to be alone. I know this sounds silly because I wasn’t actually alone.My roommates were still in the room, just sleeping. However, those all nighters were some of the highlights of my freshman year. The one rule of it all was no work, just things that I enjoyed.
When you’re at school, especially as a freshman, it is really easy to forget about yourself. You forget how much you loved your alone time on the couch at home watching Netflix because now you’re constantly surrounded by people, and that’s okay! It’s great to have friends at school that you want to spend every moment with, but it’s also fine to want to take a break from that. In addition to that, it’s really easy to lose yourself at school. When I’m awake in those late hours of the night, I get to hang out with myself again for a bit. It's really a chance to remember what you really want from your time at school, and who you want to be. I know that’s so cheesy but it’s true! Think about the last time you focused on yourself for eight hours straight. You deserve time to reconnect with the person you want to be. Especially at the beginning of college, this is a time to recreate yourself. Being alone will give you a chance to make sure you're the version of yourself that you want to be.
The last thing I love about all nighters is how much it helps me feel like I get my life together. Because I’m awake, I can take a shower before an 8 AM and even go to the dining hall and eat breakfast. Sometimes, I’ll even get to go for a run in the morning and watch the sunrise. I wish I could say that I eat breakfast every morning (sorry mom) but realistically it’s not possible. I know it seems counterproductive because you’re losing sleep to get food, but it’s college and you can’t have it all always.
If you’re like me, you work better on no sleep at all than one or two hours. When I stay up, I get to enjoy just being me for a change with no interruptions. It’s a stress-free time to just watch a movie, or a few movies, and just be. I also understand that all nighters aren’t fit for all people, and some are more likely to crash than others. However, if you can function on no sleep I would highly recommend pulling an all nighter just for you.
