Once spring break has come and gone, students pile into their cars and travel back to their university, feeling fresh after a week of relaxation. You feel a surge of motivation— you only have a little over a month left! And just as you sit down at your desk, it’s all sucked away.
Burnout has hit, and it has hit hard.
The definition of burnout is exhaustion of physical or emotional strength or motivation usually as a result of prolonged stress or frustration.
It’s not uncommon for college students and young adults to feel stressed from time to time, but burnout is a little bit different. Burnout occurs when the stress has been prolonged for an extended amount of time and can cause you to feel uninterested in your tasks, and for you to have an extremely hard time completing them. Burnout can reduce your rate of productivity and your energy levels, and eventually can begin to impact other aspects of your life.
Burnout can affect you physically, mentally and emotionally, and show side effects in each of those aspects. You may begin to feel physically tired or exhausted, have a decreased level of satisfaction when it comes to your work and beginning to withdraw from any responsibilities you may have.
For seniors, burnout can be even worse with the addition of senioritis. The weather is getting warmer, the days are long but the course load continues to grow.
With only a month left before sweet, sweet summer, here are some tips on how to avoid burning out within the final weeks.
- Manage your time and schedule breaks. One of the most important things you can do is making time for yourself, whether that means retail therapy, chilling in bed with Netflix or hanging out with your friends. Recently, I’ve been using a few different meditation apps such as Headspace at the end of the day to help me rewind, and it’s more beneficial to me than laying in bed, scrolling on Instagram for an hour before I fall asleep. Remember that your planners aren’t just for homework and appointments— use it to give yourself downtime, too!
- Cut down and start saying “No.” I know that I personally have a very tough time using this word. I love to help everyone, and eventually, it becomes my demise. Things begin to pile up that aren’t even my own responsibility, all because I was too afraid to say no to helping. Definitely be there for your friends, but know your limits. If you’re already insanely busy, politely decline from a few favors. People will understand.
- Exercise lightly, or even take a quick walk outside. Exercise is probably the last thing that comes to mind when you’re stressing, but it’s actually very beneficial to keeping your mind and body in tip-top shape. Even if it’s a brisk walk in the sunshine, it can do wonders for you. Being able to step away from what’s burning you out will make you feel refreshed and motivated when you get back to it. According to Mayo Clinic, exercising releases endorphins, which in turn can brighten your mood.
And if worse comes to worst, just remember: you are so close to the end of the spring semester. You can do it!
If you are concerned you may be on the verge of burnout, or you would like to just read more, you can visit Helpguide.