This semester has been so draining for a lot of students. Online classes seem to be giving more work than usual, with almost no break. I find myself pulling up my assignments, but not able to type a sentence out. I know I have deadlines coming up, but my bed is too comfortable to get up from.
How does one want to complete work when it just feels never-ending? The days are grey and short and it feels like I’m constantly running out of time. I look forward to each weekend so I can sleep in, but I feel guilty doing so because of the work waiting to be done.
Everyone speaks about how COVID has impacted them negatively, but I try to be the one to say that it has impacted me in a motivational way. I am lying to myself by saying this because I am tired of the back to back classes and meetings and barely having a chance to relax.
It feels easier to get work done while just sitting at the desk all day, but the burnout that comes after hits hard. I swear I never want to look at a screen again but this is a new reality for us. I scroll through Tik Tok daily, watching people go to the gym and reach their goals. I save the videos thinking I’ll use their advice, but I haven’t stepped foot in a gym once this semester. The feeling of regret of not using my quarantine time to work on myself physically and mentally fills up inside me.
I am so tired when I go to bed at night, but it feels like forever until I can fall asleep. I feel like I’ll miss something, so I can’t put my phone down, even when nothing is happening. There are only a few weeks left of this semester, but I know they’ll drag themselves out as much as possible.
The mid-semester burnout is real, and it’s important to remember to take breaks. I have to remind myself that a lot of people feel this way, even if they don’t want to talk about it.
Just because you had a bad day, does not mean you have a bad life. It’s okay to feel the things you feel.