Sleepless in New Brighton
The red digits on my bedside clock radio say 02:30.
I’m tired, my head’s empty. Sleep is a stranger on a hill far away.
My viva is in seven-and-a-half hours – correction, seven hours and twenty-nine minutes. I’m not worried. I don’t feel stressed.
I have two questions that keep running through my mind in a loop: Am I asleep yet? Why can’t I sleep?
Seven hours and seventeen minutes now.
What. Is. Happening.
I did the work. I’ve done weeks of prep. I’m really as ready as can be. I’m a little nervous, but not worried.
So why am I awake?
Six hours and fifty-nine minutes.
Seriously? Seriously! This is what I’m going to do? No sleep. No sleep before my viva. No sleep! No…
….
….
….
…wh-?
It’s almost 7am…? I got some sleep? I got some sleep! I’ll be OK! I’ll feel it later I’m sure, but I’m OK for now!
And I was OK, a bit tired, but OK. Years later I figured out that I couldn’t sleep because I didn’t really know what to expect from the viva. I was nervous, but didn’t want to look too much at that feeling, I wanted to avoid thinking about it. If you feel nervous, ask yourself why. See what you can do to explore the root causes and address the situation. It’s not wrong to feel nervous about the viva, but do everything you can to put those nerves in perspective and address any worries.