College burn-out has become a fairly common issue that many college students face. As someone who has had issues with burning-out, (as recently as last week) hence why this article is late (thank you irony) you can take my word when I say it’s not a good experience. Below I’ve listed some tips for avoiding the college burnout, which are equally helpful if you’re already struggling!
1. Stay Healthy
It’s important to stay healthy both physically and mentally, doing otherwise can directly contribute to burnout. A healthy diet and exercise are small steps you can take to make your body feel good. Equally important is your mental health, which I’ve found in my personal experience to contribute most directly towards the negative feelings and actions associated with burning out. Whether it’s doing something you like or taking a mental health day, do what works best for your body so you can feel your best.
2. Be Reasonable With Your Goals
Look, I get it. I thought that taking twenty credits, working, and being in extracurricular activities would be easy; I would just have to plan accordingly. This semester I proved myself wrong. It’s great to be ambitious with school and work but you should deeply consider what these things will take out of you, and what they make take from you.
I like to say “I know who I am as person,” usually when I talk about losing things or am running late but the concept applies. Are you the type of student who isn’t good at managing their time? There’s ways to combat this but maybe taking a lesser course load would be better, at least for now.
3. Know When to Say “NO”
I find it humorous that in college we have to learn to say “no” in a way we probably never had to before. College makes it so easy to say “yes” to clubs, classes, on-campus events, etc. that it makes it hard to turn things down. It’s okay to be honest with people by saying you don’t have time to do x,y, and z this week because you have too much going on.
The majority of the time your peers will be understanding as most of us have been there before! I feel strongly that being involved in clubs and other extra-curriculars on campus is a great way to connect with others and create amazing opportunities; however, I also believe that feeling obligated to do something or sacrificing a piece of yourself – physical, emotional, or spiritual is not conducive to succeeding.
4. Take Time to Enjoy the Little Things
This seems like a cliché but taking moments out of your day or your week to simply just enjoy something can be its own form of self-care. I feel that self-care is different for everyone and that it’s simply about finding something little that makes you happy.
For me it’s sitting in a dark room with just my salt lamp on. Anything that brings you peace or happiness, even for just a moment, can make a difference in improving your outlook and your life.
5. Plan Ahead
There’s so many ways you can prepare for all the activities and assignments you have to look forward to over the semester. Printing out your syllabus, getting a calendar, or bullet journaling are all ways that can help you stay on track.
These concepts are best if you apply them from the get-go in the semester; however, they’re equally effective if you start right now. Having the ability to have all of your information in one place, knowing when something important- like that eight page paper your forgot about- is coming up can help minimize any stress you may be feeling.
The most important thing to know about college burnout is that if you do experience it, it’s possible to come back from it. Many of the ideas above can be applied in the same way to get you back on track. Self-care and recognizing where you’re struggling or where you need to improve, are the most important aspects in bouncing back from your burnout.