The account follows a university student through an exhausting cycle of study, social commitments and anxiety about missing out.
At 9:30 PM, the student is in the library, where strained eyes are lit only by a dim lamp.
An unfamiliar person entering occasionally draws attention, while a vibrating phone provides a more frequent distraction, usually bringing spam email or a news notification rather than anything useful.
For no more than an hour, words on the laptop and a blinking cursor have waited for the student to begin writing.
The library remains largely silent apart from occasional footsteps and the rustle of papers.
Outside, however, movement can be heard.
Voices are loud but muffled beneath music, leaving their speakers anonymous, although the student begins to recognise friends among them.
The music grows louder and seeps through the open windows until it cannot be ignored.
An uncomfortable, hollow feeling develops in the stomach.
Whether prompted by a message from a friend, a particular song or an unconscious decision to investigate, the student eventually reaches the college bar.
It is crowded, noisy and full of familiar faces.
Conversation and alcohol provide some relief, with the latter playing the greater role.
Amid the drinking and noise, a plan emerges to visit another pub or club.
The student agrees despite a chronic inability to refuse, then watches other groups pass while wondering what they might be doing.
At 3:08 AM, the student is outside with a takeaway container of chips covered in salt and soaked in vinegar, regarded as a reward for surviving the evening.
Seated on some steps, the student joins the surrounding conversation as far as possible.
A chill settles over the skin, fatigue gathers behind the eyes and the head throbs, with alcohol identified as the likely cause.
The earlier hollow sensation has become a heavy weight in both the stomach and chest, evoking an essay due the following day while also highlighting the conversation being neglected through excessive thought.
On returning to college, the student tries to delay going to sleep.
A stop at the JCR is made to see whether anyone remains inside.
The student offers to walk friends home, check that nobody has drunk too much, prepare food and volunteer for a side quest.
For several hours, conversation continues within metres of the room.
Remaining awake until last ensures that nothing is missed.
At 5:02 AM, the student finally reaches the room, and an alarm sounds at 7:00 AM.
The weight remains throughout the day and evening, as well as during the following days and weeks.
Submitting an essay or finishing a class can briefly distract from or ease the feeling, but further assignments and social events are always waiting.
There are additional pressures, deadlines, opportunities for procrastination and more people with whom to procrastinate.
The result is a vicious cycle in which nights become later as the student attempts to do everything, while mornings become earlier because of urgent essays and rushed reading.
Attempts to sleep more often fail because the fear worsens, causing sleep to be sacrificed again until the accumulating weight becomes paralysing.
Although people encourage students to become involved in every aspect of university life and to seize every available opportunity, some of the friendships formed there can indeed last a lifetime.
Missing out is also part of the university experience, particularly at Oxford, where students’ experiences differ and they have freedom to pursue their own interests.
The difficulty lies in balancing academic work, a social life and other activities, with personal welfare often the element that slips through the cracks.
Trying to participate in everything can prevent enjoyment of any single activity.
Time alone is therefore necessary, including time when activities are deliberately missed.
Solitary options include walking, reading a book for pleasure, cooking, listening to music, watching a film, writing and exploring the city.
Space away from other people allows stress and accumulated pressure to ease before they become overwhelming.
Fear of missing out will remain, but allowing sufficient time and resources for other experiences creates room to benefit from the opportunities still ahead.