Having stayed up until 4:00 a.m. the night before in order to finish a paper, student Ryan Smith took a few hours on Thursday afternoon to savor the fleeting moments between his previous crisis and the inevitable one just around the corner.
“It’s really nice to just take a few hours, watch Netflix on my couch, and try not to think too hard about whatever shit’s gonna hit the fan next,” said Smith. “Maybe I forgot to pay rent, maybe I’ve got some quiz coming up that I have no idea about. I try not to think about that kind of thing when I’ve got the chance.”
Smith said he often prefers to “roll with the punches,” given that he is frequently the subject of an onslaught of panic and anxiety-inducing events seemingly outside of his own control.
“Between papers, job applications, and all the other stuff I have to deal with, it’s nice to take a break and just not even think about it,” added Smith. “That way I’m well-rested for the next thing that totally ruins my entire week.”
Smith emphasized that the crises often begin as manageable tasks, but grow into “full-blown shitstorms” because they are ignored in favor of more pressing matters.
“I’ll be having a perfectly good day, and then I’ll realize that I forgot to pay all of our house bills,” said Smith. “Then I’m up until two in the morning doing work, which completely fucks up the rest of the week.”
At press time, Smith had received an email reminder that an essay he thought was due next week was actually due at midnight tonight.
