Every Pakistani student knows this feeling. You're lying in bed, AC on full blast, curtains closed, and getting up feels like the hardest thing in the world. I used to think I was just being lazy. Turns out, my brain was actually working against me.
Summer in Peshawar is no joke. Just going outside for 30 minutes makes you feel like a pressure cooker. And if you have school on top of that — congested vans, no AC in classrooms, load shedding, water problems your brain is already tired before you've done anything.
So why does this happen?
When it gets really hot, your body uses most of its energy just to keep you cool. That leaves less energy for thinking and focusing. The part of your brain that controls motivation and decision making actually slows down in heat. And dopamine — the chemical that makes you feel like doing stuff — drops too. Basically your brain goes into survival mode and productivity goes out the window.
This is why the bed feels impossible to leave. It's not a character flaw. It's just biology.
But here's the thing you can work around it.
This summer I noticed something. When I stayed in my AC room I got almost nothing done. But when I moved to another room without AC, I actually started focusing. A little discomfort kept me awake and alert. There's actual science behind this — mild discomfort releases just enough cortisol to sharpen your focus.
A few things that genuinely helped me:
- Exercise early. Gym or even a walk before 8am, before the heat gets unbearable. It sets your mood for the whole day.
- Plan the night before. Waking up already knowing what to do saves a lot of mental energy.
- Do something instead of just watching. Apply for something, build something, write something. Scrolling drains you. Creating actually gives you energy.
- Use the heat as motivation. If you can be productive in 45°C Peshawar with load shedding and no AC, you can be productive anywhere
