Daylight Savings & Falling Back, But Trying Not To Fall Behind
The opinions expressed in this article are the writer’s own and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at CU Boulder chapter.
When the sun goes down, my day is done. At least, that’s the mindset I had when the sun set at 8pm. Now, with the sun beginning to set around 4:30pm, I have to keep my day going. How am I supposed to push through? I’m still not really sure. My schedule lately has been incredibly busy, forcing me to get things done and find ways to fend off my desire to crawl back into bed. I’ve been preventing my desire to stop because I know– at least for me– it’s a slippery slope of not doing one assignment, and then suddenly not getting anything done at all. Despite the heavy workload leading up to Thanksgiving break, I know there will be lulls in assignments and I will have to find other things to do. In an attempt to find ways to stay motivated, I searched for ways to keep moving forward.
Daylight Savings ended on November 2, and I can confidently say that I started out strong. Since I usually wake up around 7am, the time change was helpful because I could sleep longer and feel well rested. However, these past two weeks I’ve progressively been getting tired earlier, so I felt the need to search online: how to push through falling back. That wasn’t specific enough, since what immediately popped up was how to save yourself when you fall down. I mean, I was searching for ways to catch myself, just not in the literal sense. After an adjustment, I found multiple websites that outlined different advice. The most popular tip across the websites I looked at said that developing a routine is one of the best ways to curb being tired. It’s never the “groundbreaking” or “secret life-changing hack” technique. It’s always the basic and simple shifts that do the most. A common sentiment was that incorporating something you enjoy throughout your day– especially at night— is a productive way of continuing engagement. For me, cleaning, showering, and watching a movie or show before going to sleep is how I’ve been ending my day. It’s nice to look forward to, and it feels rewarding after spending my day going to class and completing work.
Another important activity mentioned was getting outside. Living off-campus this year, I’ve explored more places outside of campus this year. With the weather getting chillier and nights getting darker, it can seem hard to want to be outside. However, I found it helpful to stay outside as much as I can. Something important about surviving Boulder weather is knowing the value of layering, and understanding this helps in wanting to stay outside more. I’ve been wearing heavier sweaters and jackets, which keep the outdoors from seeming daunting. Taking longer routes to my classes and a few extra loops around campus allows me to spend more time in the sun while getting the chance to people watch, where I’ve seen people running outside and doing their homework in little pockets of sunlight. An important thing that I sometimes forget is that everyone is going through daylight savings. Although there are a number of resources that offer opinions on the best way to handle the change, the websites offer options. No one way is best for everyone, and when trying to develop a routine, it’s okay to try things out and not have them work.
Something that hasn’t been helpful for me is having a strict regimen. Although there are certain things that I have to get done, I try to avoid negatively talking to myself if I don’t get them done. I remind myself that, despite it getting darker earlier, there is still time. There are five months until Daylight Savings starts again in March, offering the opportunity to try new things or find a new hobby. However, this is also a time to indulge in things that you already enjoy, making– at least parts of your day– something to look forward to.
