N.B. The information in this article is just a suggestion, and not given by a medical expert.
Feeling exhausted, stressed and worried from time to time is perfectly normal. But when these feelings intensify, you begin to feel drained and borderline ill constantly, which when you’re at university, studying at a high academic level, seems and eventually becomes impossible. When this happens this a sign that you’re suffering from academic burnout. On a side note, I’d just like to point the irony of me writing this article, since at this very moment in time, I too am suffering from academic burnout and trying to find out how to get rid of this feeling!
Those that experience academic burnout may be experiencing some of the following:
- Exhaustion (regardless of how much sleep you’re getting)
- A lack of motivation
- Irritability
- Feeling that what you’re doing is pointless
- Loss of confidence
- Feeling alienated and alone
- No longer enjoying things that you used to
- Inability to meet deadlines
- Pain and tension in your body (especially through headaches or muscle aches)
- Tendency to become more ill (e.g. more likely to get ill with colds since the stress that you’re experiencing lowers your immune system, making you susceptible to viruses etc)
- Increase of bad habits (overeating, undereating, staying up far too late, biting your nails and basically not looking after yourself)
- Loss of concentration
- Feeling bored
- Procrastination
- Anxiety
- Depression
The important thing to remember, is that as patronising as it sounds, you’re not alone. Your peers and friends around you, are all struggling, many also with academic burnout. The downside of this, is that your friends and therefore your support systems are not going to be as emotionally available as you may want them to be. As a result, it can feel like your friends or others are not giving you the attention that you need or crave at this moment, which can make burnout feel much worse.
So how do I cope with burnout?
Be open
First and foremost, it’s integral to be open with how you’re feeling. Burnout is one of those things that doesn’t go away overnight, since the source of your burnout is your degree, you’re unfortunately in it for the long haul. This may mean that when you have a break you can effectively ‘get rid’ of your burnout for a while. It does also mean that burnout can come back, perhaps even worse than it did before. It is so important to talk about how you’re feeling with those around you. Whether that’s your parents, partner, friends, peers, personal tutor, module convenor or the Wellbeing services the university offers; making yourself heard is important.
Talking about how you’re feeling is also important since there may be other contributing factors to your burnout. This could be that you’re experiencing anxiety, a low mood or that there might be a more physical reason such as that you’re anaemic or suffering from an autoimmune condition that is masking itself as burnout – thereby making you feel much worse than you actually do. Now this isn’t to say that experiencing burnout means that you’re experiencing a physical factor, but that this is just a possibility.
Get some sleep
It seems silly to remind you that your mind and body both need enough sleep and rest, it’s something that you can’t function without. I think the thing with academic burnout, is that it preys on and influences your ability to control things. So by taking action and by creating a sleep schedule, it helps to take a bit of control back in a time where you may feel like you don’t have much control. Similarly, being organised also helps you to establish control.
Say no
The idea of cancelling plans or letting other people down can make you feel bad and guilty. But you need to remember that it’s okay to put yourself first and say ‘no’ to anything that isn’t necessary. I’m not saying you should say ‘no’ to a lecture or a seminar, but you can say no to anything that isn’t ‘necessary’. If it’s going to make you more stressed, then it’s just not worth it at this point in time.
Make time for yourself
It’s important to make time for yourself, especially when you’re experiencing academic burnout. This could be in the morning, evening or in between study breaks. Some ideas could be watching an episode of your favourite show (shows that have short episodes, such as The Office US version, that are on average 22 minutes long), going for a walk, a run or facetiming your best friend. That essay you’re working on or whatever university assignment that you’re doing, will be so much easier when you’re relaxed and have had a break from feeling so stressed.
Set realistic tasks and goals for yourself
You’re probably used to setting tasks and goals for yourself to complete. But when you’re experiencing burnout, you shouldn’t try to cram in everything that you have to do in one day. By doing this, at the end of the day it will make you feel like you haven’t accomplished anything and you’ll ultimately end up feeling worse than you probably did. Instead, you need to be realistic. Maybe plan your tasks around when you’re most productive during the day. For example, I’ve found that I’m most productive and work best in the mornings rather than the evenings. So, if I have any intense work or any form of writing that I need to, I’ll plan to do it morning. Then, if I have anything vaguely ‘relaxing’ which might be in the form of reading, I’ll plan to do that in the afternoon/evening where my concentration might be waning, but this task wouldn’t be too intense on my brain. Ultimately, it’s important to know what your limits are and what you can manage within a day. This will help put you on the right track and make you feel good when you can start to tick things off your ‘to-do’ list.
remember why you’re doing what you’re doing
When things get tough, you need to remember why you’re at university – what’s the end goal? Well, the end goal is to get your degree, so you need to focus on that. Even though it can seem daunting, it’s important to look at the bigger picture. By finishing this essay and the next one, it brings you one step closer to achieving that dream. You could maybe make a list of all the assignments that you have this year and tick them off one by one. Whilst it may feel daunting, ticking an essay off the list brings you one step closer and incentivises you.
Whilst there is unfortunately no one solution to getting rid of feeling burnout, these steps are all steps in the right direction, of trying to make you feel better. Some days will be better than others, and when you experience a bad day, hopefully these steps can help you. Remember to focus on the good days, and when things are bad, try to do something that makes you happy and helps you feel better.