The past year and a half have been filled with more havoc than anyone could have ever expected. Many are looking to get back to normal, but after the year we just had, how does that feel possible? How can we return to working constantly, constantly being outside of the house, and socializing to the extent we used to in person? It will be and has been difficult, for me at least. For college students, we have roughly one and a half months left, and burnout is setting in. I want to emphasize the importance of resilience and wellness as we move towards the end of the year. Here are some important beginning steps to preventing burnout.
Take time for yourself everyday
Take 30 minutes to an hour just for you. You can do anything during this time. Some examples include showering and doing some skincare before bed, journaling, or meditation. Anything that makes you feel better, and more like yourself!
Stepping away from the screen
With everything being online, we spend more hours a day looking at a screen than we do sleeping. Whether it’s a computer, a TV, or a phone, it is not helping our eyes or brains. These screens transmit blue light, which is good during the day for attention, reaction times, and mood. However, as it gets later in the day, being exposed to blue light tricks our brain into thinking it’s daytime and can impact our sleep. Bad sleep may contribute to exhaustion, obesity, diabetes, etc. according to a Harvard Health Letter. Stepping away from the screen will help productivity in the long run as well as your health.
Eating healthy and exercising
Keep in mind that this does not necessarily mean never eating junk food, exercising every day, and feeling guilty when you don’t follow the “rules”. Thinking of it this way can lead to unhealthy habits and poor body image. Eating healthy and exercising means doing things for your body that gives you energy and makes you feel better. For eating, this means eating food that gives you energy instead of draining your energy. For exercising, this means doing movement you enjoy and exercising to make you feel stronger and better.
It’s not a competition
It is not a competition to see who got the least amount of sleep, who is the most stressed, or who is doing the most. People talk to you about everything good they are doing, but they will not talk as much about the bad parts of their lives. You don’t know what they are going through, what happens behind closed doors, and what they are sacrificing to do all of the things they are doing. Taking time for yourself and preventing burnout does not mean that you are not doing enough or are selfish.
Taking a few simple steps to prevent burnout can help your productivity and your health in the long run. This whole month, we will be providing resources for preventing burnout and taking time for yourself.
To put it simply: Care about yourself and what you are doing with your body.