Struggling to open your eyes to the burning light, because your mascara from last night is gluing them together, as you sit up your head spins, and the familiar taste of tequila shots rests, metallic in your mouth. You attempt to stand, and stumble to the bathroom, take one look in the mirror and everything from the night before (the bits you can remember) come rushing back to you. Sitting on the toilet, for longer than usual, head in hands starting to thump and then you stumble back to your bed, makeup wipe now in hand scrubbing your eyes awake. (Oh and by this point, I usually have downed about 2 litres of water…from my bathroom sink).
Hanxiety. We’ve all been there. I think it’s up there with one of the worst feelings. No one else to blame, all self-inflicted, sometimes regret follows, but at least it was fun right?
Is it all worth it though?
Also, I don’t know if this is just me, but I feel like hangovers always feel so much lighter in summer, its like the sun absorbs it out of you, at least you can stumble outside into the sun, instead of into your bed, which I think most of us struggle to leave again once we are slumped back into it. Until you are salivating for something salty… that’s a whole other struggle we will get too later on.
The shakes, the sweats, then the worst, the paranoia, the anxiety which pumps through not just your body but your mind, looking back on the photos and videos from last night, your friends begin listing the things you were doing, things you said, what you cried about, who you shouted at, what you fell over, it goes on and on. The money you spent. Oooo that one always hits hard.
Here is my ‘remedy’ to a hangover and how I’d (try to) avoid hanxiety (if that’s possible)…
This is not in any way ‘the fix’ to hangovers, but in my eyes, this is how I’d like to attempt curing a hangover especially when I cannot go outside and let the sun absorb it out of me, whilst eating fresh fruit, and drinking a fresh orange juice (a girl can dream).
Step 1: Get yourself out of bed, as hard as it is, just get up. There is no worst feeling than laying (more like rotting) in bed all day, still in that dreaded top, smelling and overthinking, until the sun goes down and then leaving yourself with no other choice than eating your breakfast at 8pm, showering and plopping back into bed.
Step 2: Have a shower babe. Seriously. You may have to crouch, depending on how heavy you went, but shower. It is the best.
Step 3: Eat. My go to is toast, maybe pasta. Just get something substantial, and drink LOADS. Personally, I always crave a juice or squash, just a flavour to get rid of whatever it is you drank.
Oh… I forgot BRUSH YOUR TEETH. (If you haven’t already, I’m not here to judge, but brush em)
Step 4: I think at this point, you can do what you want, just avoid that damn bed. Sit with your housemates, go outside, just make yourself feel like you’ve done something other than be ‘hungover’. I actually think the best way to get over a hangover is to just go to work, or uni or whatever you usually have on the agenda, as at least you are getting paid to be hungover, or maybe doing something productive.
Realistically, the idea of being hungover can prevent us from letting go, and making memories but at the end of the day, if you are a drinker, maybe a pub quizzer, even a clubber, just do it. We are young, and we won’t get this time back, so enjoy it whilst you can. At least we have the chance right now, when we are all dragged into that working lifestyle, we won’t have the choice to go out, or you can, but remember hangxiety exists…