What to do when you wake up at 4:45 pm
Undoubtedly a niche issue, but one I had to come to terms with today.
I have an abusive relationship with sleep. I feel most at peace when enveloped in a cloud-like duvet, escaping the persistent murmurs around (and inside) me. Truth be told, I could sleep for a very long time. Sometimes I romanticize films about astronauts who dabble in cryogenics. It must be nice.
I love sleep, but when I prioritize it too much, I don't love myself.
I woke up at 4: 55 PM on Saturday, March 1st. This was not premeditated, and it was not positive. What do you do when you wake up that late? How do you possibly go on as normal? I wrote some ideas below.
1. Take it easy.
It's very easy to punish yourself when you've spent the entire span of daylight with your head on a pillow. But frankly, you don't have time to be upset. Embrace toxic positivity and be scrappy enough to work with what's left.
2. Flip through a Nigel Slater cookbook.
Nigel's books are made up of recipes that feel like a hug. They're the kind of plates that make you feel as if you're in a country cottage and a local just showed up unannounced with a cassoulet. Make his bubbly potatoes draped in camembert and dill-a crusty gooey mashup that will instantly make you forget you've only been awake for 45 minutes.
3. Drink.
Why not? You made it to happy hour without even waiting. When you spend the whole day sleeping, you have no choice but to embrace the night. Go out, take shots, dance on tables, do what you need to do. It is obligatory that you celebrate the dark.
4. DANCE
Put on what makes you feel alive. You need to let go of inhibitions and say hello to a different kind of light. Bounce around, sing out loud, and excite yourself about what's still left.
5. Don't go back to sleep.
Sometimes when you sleep this much, you feel like more sleep is the only redeemable option. It's not. Make something great out of something unfortunate. Your bed doesn't miss you.
Call someone
Let them make fun of you. Tell them you love them. Make an exciting plan. Goof around.