As we come out of the middle weeks of the semester, and the end of midterms there is one thing that is prevalent for the students here on campus, Burnout.
Burnout is a form of exhaustion that stems from extended periods of physical and emotional stress, and a common cause of burnout is school and jobs. If you look around campus you can see the subsequent effects of burnouts, firstly being the number of colds and non-covid sicknesses on campus. As cold and flu season is upon us, one of the most important preventative measures is sleeping enough. With the pressure of exams and classes, it is not uncommon to see buildings filled with studying students in the early hours of the morning.
There are ways that can prevent burnout, many requiring reducing your schedule and taking time for yourself. I know personally that this is not always an option. The variety of clubs and activities at Loyola makes it difficult to have an empty schedule, let alone take time for yourself. I have talked to many students here on campus and many of them have found that they are going long stretches throughout the day, some lasting12 hours, without a break. With schedules like this, it is not surprising that burnout is such an issue here on campus.
I cannot talk about burnout without addressing my own, I am a sophomore with a full schedule and moderate burnout. These last few weeks have been demanding across the board, with classes and extracurriculars I had no time to just breathe. I found that I am just running from class to class with meetings between. My weekly schedule became suffocating, every single box filled with pen and my google calendar full to the brim with appointments. I had no time to do the things that I enjoyed since when I had a moment to myself, I was either doing work, asleep, or hanging out with friends.
There are so many resources here on campus that can help students with this, the study being one of them. The study provides tutoring and helps with time management skills. This allows you to use your time most efficiently so that you have more time for yourself. Another huge thing to help combat burnout is being easy with yourself. It is unrealistic to think that you can keep everything up when you are doing so much, so do things for yourself if that means canceling plans to get a good night’s rest, then so be it. You cannot produce your best work unless you are well-rested.
Experiencing burnout is inevitable here at Loyola, no matter how well you try you will experience it at least once. The important thing to remember is that you are not alone, the students that sit with you in boulder or in your classes have probably experienced that too.