Many college kids go through a winter burnout. Sometimes it’s hard to get into a better mindset, leaving many students to feel lost and down. In this article, I am going to explore a few ways to boost morale during these times.
1. Prioritize self-care
Prioritizing self-care is essential to making you feel your best. Some ideas include getting your nails done, taking an everything shower, or doing a mindfulness exercise like yoga or a light walk. Self-care is important because it can reduce stress and improve your overall well-being. For more information about why self-care is important, check out this website: Why Is Self-Care Important For Mental Health? | BetterHelp
Self-care isn’t only taking care of your physical self; you also have to cater to your mental health. That leads me to my next point.
2. Find a New Hobby
According to Harvard Medicine, “having a hobby is good for your health, mood, and more.” This can be especially important for those going through a burnout because it can ignite creativity, relaxation, and a more positive mentality. Some hobbies that you could pick up include cross-stitching, reading, journaling, running, climbing, and cooking. All of these things can turn into passion and reignite the motivation needed in life. Personally, I have found crocheting and reading very helpful to escape the pressures of reality and allows me to have time to breathe and destress. But being indoors all the time isn’t always the most beneficial thing.
3. Get Outside
Being outside has many positive mental and physical aspects. You could go hiking, swimming, running, or walking for exercise. But getting outside doesn’t have to be active. You can go on a picnic, watch the sunset, or even go to a park to do your new hobby. Just being outside can boost your immune system, help your mental health, and can help your sleep quality (UCLA Health, 2025).
4. Find goal oriented Activities
Sometimes, creating a goal for yourself can give you the motivation to get up and get moving. Personally, I like signing up for 5k races. This gives me a goal to work towards, and each time I sign up for one, I want to get a better time. This motivates me to get up and train for the upcoming race. Some other goal-oriented activities can include finishing a project by a certain day, a reading goal set each month, signing up for a local art show, or an active challenge like 75 Hard.
Overall, you know yourself better than anyone, so only you know the things that can bring you out of burnout. But I hope you found some new ideas to help during this time.
For more resources about getting out of burnout, please use these sites:
7 health benefits of spending time in nature | UCLA Health
Having a hobby tied to happiness and well-being – Harvard Health