I knew what I did in the months of January and February while preparing for and writing exams.

No, I did not survive on energy drinks or coffee.

No, I did not dip my legs into cold water just to stay awake. 

My mind was enough to keep me awake.

 Studying in the cold, with the constant companionship of mosquitoes, was also enough. I was like a vagabond, my hostel room rarely smelt me. I spent my days and nights at the hostel library, my back aching from the lack of a soft bed to lie on. In fact, I had most of my meals in that library. 

How could I not do all these when I had to write 11 exams in one semester?

Each course carried its own weight and I had to ensure I understood everything about each one before stepping into the examination hall. Anything less could lead to stories that touch the heart.

Just imagine reading every single topic except one in a course and that one topic you skipped turns out to be question number one, the compulsory question carrying the highest marks.

Yes, exactly.

That is why I had to understand the entire course before writing the exam. And when I was in the examination hall writing one paper, believe me when I say I was already strategising about how I would prepare for the next exam happening the very next day.

Yes, you can call me the queen of back-to-back exams.

To be honest, this semester's stress was on another level. It was demanding. It was draining.

Yet, it was also the first semester where I did not have to take drugs or injections just to show up for exams.

However, when all the exams, projects and presentations were finally done and hopefully dusted, the meltdown came.

The breakdown.

The one that had me stuck to my bed almost 24/7, surrounded by drugs and meals that I would normally have devoured energetically, now staring back at me untouched.

What many people do not see is that sometimes the body waits until everything is over before it reacts. During exams, adrenaline, fear and determination keep you going. But once the pressure disappears, your body finally says, Now you can feel everything you ignored.  The exhaustion arrives all at once.

Maybe that is the hidden reality of student life. We push ourselves through sleepless nights, endless notes and the silent pressure to show up. During the exams, we feel almost unstoppable, running on determination alone. But once the last paper is submitted and the tension fades, the body finally demands its rest.

And so the breakdown comes, not as a sign of weakness, but as proof of just how much strength it took to keep going.

After months of running, my body simply tells me that I may now find rest, finally.