Not Being In Daylight Savings Time Certifiably Sucks

Ahh turning back the clocks, the absolute worst part of the year. 6 p.m. becomes eerily indistinguishable from midnight. 3 p.m. dusk mocks summery 9 p.m. sunsets. My mom begins sending me near-daily screenshots of her countdown until daylight savings starts again. It happens every November without fail, but in a year defined by plagues, contentious elections, murder hornets, and the essential destruction of time, the sun setting earlier and earlier offers a devastating blow in already tough circumstances. 

So why, exactly, do we do this? Time shifts were first proposed in late 19th century New Zealand, with the intent of having more time to hunt bugs and soon after in England in the early 20th Century. Germany was the first country to actually enact daylight savings time in 1916 as a way of conserving energy during the first World War, According to National Geographic. In 1918, the United States, like many of the other countries that participated in World War I followed suit. Since then, the concept of moving the clocks has become a contentious topic across the U.S., as most of Arizona, aside from the Navajo reservation, opted out of the practice in 1968, with Hawaii never even recognizing the time shift. As of 2020, a number of other states including Arkansas and Massachusetts are contemplating dropping daylight savings alltogether or keeping the clocks forward year-round. 

But it's more than just a political issue. Time shifts can lead to a host of tangible consequences, including increased rates of depression, as well as higher numbers of heart attacks, and car accidents. It also has links to workplace injuries, miscarriages, and suicides, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac. Yikes. 

Yet as we wait for our government to figure out how to best handle this yearly annoyance, and bust out our Happy Lights,  there is one coping mechanism nearly guaranteed to bring some semblance of a smile to our faces in these trying times --  a series of certifiably dank memes and Twitter posts.

"Daylight savings got a lil extra twang to it this year. Why 4:48 feel like midnight??," mused user @innateNY.

"So the sun just sets at like 12 PM now, huh? The clock strikes noon and the sky darkens with an insect cloud in the shape of a man? The voice in the walls is getting louder and blood is running out of the faucets, and we're just supposed to get used to it? I hate daylight savings," wrote @limitlessjest.

"Not to be dramatic but the sun setting at 5:00pm everyday has ruined my life," quipped @lukasbattle, summarizing pretty much all of our thoughts. 

For some, the time shift has been so bad, only reaction images and gifs can only sum up how particularly bad this year has been. 

"i just know this cannot be the same daylight savings that we have every year because-," wrote @thechynnabee, including a picture of an eyebag-clad Edd from 90's classic, Ed, Edd n Eddy.

"Daylight savings is kicking my ass, got me feeling like this at 6pm," added @itsbriancuh alongside an image of a clearly exhausted DW from Arthur. 

One user even compared the end of daylight savings to an iconic Jersey Shore moment featuring Sammi Sweetheart. "the sun at 3:48pm," wrote @ryanntweets_ alongside a video of Sweetheart dramatically exiting a room after confronting Ronnie, her gymmed, tanned, laundried, and most importantly, cheating boyfriend.

Now only if we could get our nation to make like the Jersey Shore star and say goodbye to all these time shifts. Come on, we're tired!

For more internet nonsense, follow Carly on Instagram @HuntressThompson_ and on Twitter @TennesAnyone.