Fall semester is full of fun events and plenty of breaks to see beloved family members, which usually results in time flying by in the blink of an eye. Yet, the spring semester always rolls around eventually. Winter break passes and upon coming back to college, students are thrown into the deep end with no life preserver. It forces you to sink or swim. There aren’t as many breaks, the classes get harder each semester that passes, and summer knocking on the door can be a distraction.
For those that are getting closer to graduation and the real world, the spring semester brings a whole other flurry of worries as well, such as: Will you get that internship which will provide invaluable experience? Do you have enough connections to network after graduation? If you plan on going to grad school, do you have enough experiences to get in?
If these are the emotions you have been feeling lately, it could just be stress, because after all this is a stressful time for college students. Yet, if these emotions have been plaguing you for a while now and are starting to affect your day to day life, it could be something bigger than stress. A little thing called burnout. So what exactly is burnout, you may ask? College burnout can develop when a student goes through extended periods of chronic stress, according to Malvern Behavioral Health. Burnout is different from simply being stressed out, because it results from an accumulation of stress that has been disregarded for too long. Aside from college specific stressors mentioned above, excess stress from all areas of life that is not handled properly has the potential to lead to burnout.
Symptoms of burnout include: overwhelming mental fatigue, lack of interest in activities, poor academic performance, lack of motivation or passion, anxiety, depression, difficulty sleeping or relaxing, and more. If students are unable to make the distinction between feelings of burnout and stress, or find ways to cope with stress before it builds up to a breaking point, they can find themselves in a negative cycle of emotions and eventually may become socially, emotionally, and physically withdrawn. This is the end result of burnout and the toll it can truly take on an individual. College students work hard and we all deserve better than that.
“Gen Z adults ages 18 to 23 reported significantly higher stress levels than other generations. Of the Gen Z adults who said they are in college, 87% said their education was a significant source of stress, and stress is often linked to burnout,” says the American Psychological Association’s Stress in America TM Study (2020). If you have been feeling this way, it is important to remember you are not alone. These emotions are common, and there are resources to deal with them. So what are some ways to combat stress or deal with burnout?
Take Breaks! It may feel tempting to do a study marathon or try to get everything done in one sitting, but this is counterproductive and can actually do more harm than good. Effective breaks help reduce stress levels and taking breaks while studying may help improve recall. You can also try the 20-20-20 rule. This says that for every 20 minutes spent doing something, you then do something 20 feet away for at least 20 minutes.
Take care of your sleep schedule. Sleep is known to promote cognition and memory, improve mental and physical health, reduce stress, and help maintain a healthy routine.
Work on setting boundaries and saying “No.” It is easy to want to be everything for everyone all at once, but saying no can be beneficial. Setting boundaries with others in different areas of your life allows you to focus on your personal needs and make healthy choices for yourself. It is also helpful to make your goals realistic and resist taking on too much at once, in order to reduce being overwhelmed.
If you have tried these other things and still are unable to kick the “burnout bug,” it may be time to seek professional help. Getting help and talking to a mental health professional can make a world of difference and also help stop further difficulties before they worsen. Michigan State University has a host of mental health resources to utilize, and there are various online sites out there to access therapy as well. Regardless, there is no shame in obtaining help or needing to speak to someone. We are all valuable humans who deserve to feel that we are special and worthy.
Lately, I’ve been so caught up in how challenging and uncertain this phase of life is that I have been forgetting to enjoy the sweet moments. I am sure others have felt this way before or are dealing with these feelings now, but rest assured, there are ways to combat these emotions and simultaneously find a way to enjoy the moments that only happen once in our lives. Take care of yourselves and each other.