How to discreetly have a breakdown in the library

Will these books hide my tears?

brum crying guild of students library selly oak students tab the tab the tab brum university of birmingham UoB

It’s coming to that time of year where tensions are running high and you can almost smell the stress in the air. Essays are piling up, exams are almost upon us and dissertation deadlines are just around the corner. When everything’s piling up, it’s ok to just let it all out, although you might not want everyone in the library to know that things aren’t exactly going your way. Here’s a suggestive guide on how to discreetly have a breakdown in the library.

First off, you could pretend to sneeze to cover up the sound of your sobs, maybe people will just think you have hay fever, especially if your eyes are all red and runny. This technique if executed well, is known to be very effective leading up to summer.

You could rub your eyes and complain loudly that your contact lenses are acting up, no one will be any more the wiser. You could even pretend to rinse them out for added effect.

Whack on your sunglasses and just act like you’re hanging but somehow still studious. No one will even question why you’re wearing sunglasses inside if you’re also dressed in your most comfortable outfit that could easily be confused with pyjamas.

Grab a hot chocolate from the library café, sometimes just taking a break can help clear your mind. Treat yourself to a chocolate muffin as well while you’re at it, chocolate has that magic ability to make a bad situation better so why not double up on the stuff to get those endorphins flowing.

Then why not get yourself to the toilet to freshen up a bit and enjoy a moment of private reflection. Richard Branson didn’t get a degree right?

If all else fails, just give in and have no shame, we’ve all been there at one point or another so no one should really be judging. But if you can’t take the heat, maybe it’s just time to pack up your stuff and head on home to bawl your eyes out, hopefully it’s raining and for once you can thank the British weather that no one can see your tears. Sometimes it can be helpful to just remove yourself from the situation so that you can just let it all out in the private comfort of your own bed or on your housemate’s shoulder. The work will still be there later and hopefully coming at it from a more positive and fresh perspective can help.

We can all feel like this one day.