Near the end of the school year, how do you feel? Relieved? Excited? Maybe you feel tired instead – frustrated, exhausted, and lacking the motivation to do anything. If so, you’re not alone. Many students end up experiencing burnout throughout their lives, especially in stressful times, like finals, AP testing, and more. Right now, most students are on summer break – the perfect time to re-energize and learn how to prevent future burnout!
According to the APA Dictionary of Psychology, burnout is defined as “physical, emotional, or mental exhaustion, accompanied by decreased motivation, lowered performance, and negative attitudes towards oneself and others.” Burnout can exhibit some symptoms that are similar to depression, but there are some differences. Depression is diagnosable, but burnout isn’t. Additionally, burnout tends to be a response to a specific trigger, while depression is much broader. Nevertheless, burnout is a major issue, especially for students and working adults, and should be taken seriously.
Symptoms
The main symptoms of burnout include fatigue (feeling like sleeping all the time or taking a long time to perform simple tasks), apathy or dissatisfaction (asking, “What’s the point?”), and a lack of motivation to do anything. Burnout can also manifest as physical symptoms, like headaches, tension, and soreness. It’s important to recognize the symptoms of burnout, and treat them when they occur. Don’t ignore it – it’ll only get worse. Burnout can cause increased bad habits, along with a higher frequency of illness due to stress.
This condition occurs as a culmination of many weeks or months of studying the same topic or working on the same project. It’s not the same as feeling tired after studying for hours or pulling an all-nighter; rather, it’s more of a chronic condition from long-term studying or working.
For academic burnout, there are some more specific symptoms. Burnt-out students often experience:
- Less creativity
- No motivation to work on assignments or attend classes
- Loss of confidence in academic abilities
- Inability to concentrate on work, and an incapability to meet deadlines
- Exhaustion, no matter how much they sleep
- Increased irritability and frustration
- Lack of interest in activities they used to enjoy
Recovering
If you are experiencing burnout, here are some strategies to recover:
- Seek outside help: Talk to a counselor, family, friends, teachers, or a therapist. They can help you with your issues, and it’s easier than dealing with them on your own.
- Make important changes: Establish a healthy daily routine that includes proper eating, drinking water, socializing, sleeping, etc. Make sure to add time to take breaks and check in with yourself.
- Manage stress: Burnout often results as a consequence of too much pressure and stress. Set aside time to relax and reduce stress.
- Exercise: Exercising and going outside has proven to have significant health benefits, including improving mood.
- Pick up a new hobby: Try something fun and relaxing to decrease stress.
- Take a break: While it can be difficult to do, especially while school is ongoing, try to take some days off from studying, or just make sure to include downtime in your day.
Just remember that it will take time to recover from burnout – be patient.
Preventing
Even if you’re not experiencing burnout or if you’ve recovered, it’s important that you try your best to prevent it. Burnout is a serious issue and it really takes a toll on those that are affected.
- Make time for enjoyable activities, and not just on the weekends. Add some fun things throughout the week so you’ll be in a better mood.
- Stay healthy – this includes exercising, eating well, and staying hydrated.
- Socialize with others, like family and friends, to give your mind a break.
- Set reasonable goals, and make sure to stick to them. You can use calendars, daily reminders, to-do lists, etc. to make sure you achieve what you want to do. In addition, try to avoid procrastinating. It’s just gonna be worse for you in the future.
- Get better at time management! There are multitudes of resources online, you just need to find them. 🙂
- Make sure to maintain a healthy work-life balance. School can be incredibly competitive and challenging, but be sure to take care of yourself at the same time.
