You wake up. Your head is spinning and you feel like you have an unquenchable thirst for water. You know it’s far too early to be awake on a Sunday morning. Then, you look around only to notice that this isn’t your room and that there’s vaguely familiar stranger snoring away next to you. You think to yourself, “Oh my god, I must’ve slept with this dude last night.” What do you next? And how can you avoid that inevitable awkward morning after hookup conversation?

Well, your next step is to take the dreaded “walk of shame” – That is, getting home with a small amount of your dignity still intact. Here’s how you do it:

  1. Get up slowly, and quietly. Try not to knock anything over or turn on the light as you are desperately searching for your bra, panties, purse, and clothing from the night before. If you make any sound at all, you risk having your hookup wake up which will lead to the awkward morning after conversation – and trust us, that is never fun because you can’t even remember the dudes name.
  2. Exit the house. The risk that comes with leaving is bumping into one of his roommates. Don’t make small talk, just say hi and get the hell out of there. Once you’re on the street, take some time to fix your hair and check to see if your make up is smudged.
  3. Assess where you are, and how you are going to get home. Walk strong and confidently towards your destination and don’t be surprised if you see other “walk of shamers” along the way. Feel free to nod at them, they feel your pain.
  4. Entering the home stretch. When you see your home in sight, it’s likely that you are going to pick up your pace because God knows that a giant glass of water, your bed and your sweatpants are screaming your name. Try not to run no matter how tempting it may be. Once you enter your home, head straight for your room where you will hibernate and recover for the next couple hours. You need this time to recuperate and prepare for your re-entry into the world – i.e. your friends questions and their stories about how drunk you were last night.
  5. Deal with the repercussions. It’s likely that you will see this guy sometime, somewhere in the very near future. You can ignore him, make small talk or initiate round 2. The choice is yours.

Remember to make sure that you didn’t leave anything behind as you do not want to have to meet up with this person under awkward circumstances.