Ups and Downs of Burnout

Burnout. A word we are seeing more and more of now. What does it mean? How is it affecting us? Why are we all experiencing such high levels of burnout?

Burnout and lack of motivation to work. It can be really tough to accept the fact that something you love and have such a strong desire to achieve no longer interests or motivates you to keep going.

College students, especially, are feeling the effects of burnout and having difficulty fighting and coping with it. We have lived in a Covid world for over a year now, and there’s a huge realization that needs to be made: the world will never be the same. Throughout this year, we’ve learned how much we can accomplish at home and on our own. We’ve also learned how much we can’t.

It can be hard not to be able to spend time with others or go out and do things as we normally did. Not having a separation between home life and work/school can be extremely draining mentally. We had to adjust to a whole new way of learning, living, communicating. A lot of us are scared about the uncertainty of the future. The careers we worked so hard for in school may not be currently available, or the field may be suffering. It can be hard to work towards something when you don’t know if it’s even an option.

On the other hand, burnout can be turned into something positive. You may find something you enjoy doing more. Many doors have opened, and people are more willing to branch out! This generation is warming up to the idea of working remotely and not having the 9-5 job.

I have changed my path throughout all of this. Even though I’m still very exhausted from it all, I am more excited than ever about what my future has to offer. The opportunities are endless! We just have to be willing to look for them!

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