Not Playing At A Theatre Near You: “Return of the Office Zombie”

As an NPR intern getting adjusted to the “nine to five” life, and being in this fast-paced, sometimes frenetic environment (which I love most of the time), I feel I’ve been transitioning pretty smoothly. However, it does require a lot of energy and I’m not exactly the most chipper person on the block. After years of late nights, erratic schedules, and confusing my biological clock to no end, I admit it’s a struggle to find that energy at times.

To avoid becoming a permanent fixture on the Halloween horror movie scene yourself, I've come up with a few suggestions I think are more realistic than the usual “go to bed at 9pm” dictate that the establishment likes to recommend. I mean, really, we all know how unlikely it is we’re going to bed early.

Beating the Zombie Syndrome:

1) Let’s face it, when the time comes to get ready for bed, it’s probably not anywhere near a reasonable hour. Common sense says try to squeeze in at least six hours of sleep.

2) It’s sorely tempting to crash on the couch immediately after getting home from work but beware—those 3 hour "naps" will keep you from getting great zzzz’s at night.

3) Personally, my bedroom has morphed into a multi-purpose kind of room, which includes me doing activities other than sleeping like watching movies. But experts suggest we only use our bedroom for sleep.

4) If you’re already at the office and feeling tired, a simple walk around the room may re-energize you. Plus, an added bonus is that when you’re at NPR, interesting things always seem to be going on and you never know who you might run into.

5) If all else fails, turn to the drink that never lets you down. I knew a girl who used to call coffee “ambrosia of the gods” and I think she was right.

-confessions from a former office zombie