Academic burnout is real.
For anyone who has not experienced this… you should feel blessed.
For those who have experienced this or maybe are currently going through this, I am here to let you know that everything will be okay.
As a current junior in college, I can confidently tell you that this year has definitely been one of the hardest years. This semester, I have started clinical block one, which prepares me for student teaching next spring. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love the experience, and I love working with my students, but experiencing this change on top of all of my other classes is a workload I have never experienced before.
One of my clinical block classes is three classes put into one. We are responsible for planning lessons, creating worksheets, planning activities, and doing our own homework, such as chapter summaries and other projects. Each week, I feel like there is more and more being piled up onto my to-do list.
I try so hard to stay on top of everything and write down every little thing so that way, I will not forget it. Even though I write all of my assignments in my calendar and planner, I still find myself being completely overwhelmed.
The other day, I was sitting in my class, and my professor started talking to the class about academic burnout. Every sentence she was speaking resonated with me so hard because I realized I was going through that myself. She was saying how it is normal to go through this, especially when you’re in college, but all I could think about was, “How on Earth is this considered to be normal?!” She further explained what it really is and how to deal with it, and eventually, I was put at ease.
If you think you’re going through this, just know that there are probably many other people in your same position. Burnout is so easy to crawl upon you, but how you face the issue is truly up to you. There are two options, really. You can either find ways to face this or if you don’t, you will probably feel more stress than ever. I would personally recommend you just face the problem, so that way, you can feel like yourself again.
Some ways to deal with academic burnout would be the following:
Setting Realistic Goals:
Setting goals is a great way to help you manage academic burnout. This can allow you to put things into perspective and really break down what is important and what is not at that moment. Setting these goals can give you something to work towards, but it doesn’t necessarily have to be an academic goal. Your goal can be something as simple as “I will start prioritizing my needs.”
Just Take a Break:
When it comes to school and work, allowing yourself to take a break is so essential. After a time, the workload and stress continue to pile up higher and higher. Your mind and your body understand you better than anyone else, so therefore, just listen to yourself! You deserve to sit back and relax and just take a moment to breathe. I promise you, it will not be the end of the world!
Prioritize Self-Care:
Self-care can include a variety of things. This can be you adjusting your sleep schedule, eating healthier, watching your favorite TV show, enjoying time outside, or just sitting back and spending quality time with your friends. All of these are great ways to take care of yourself, and you will feel so much better. Setting at least one full day aside out of the week to do things for yourself is a great start. You deserve to do things for yourself because, in reality, you are the only one getting yourself through it all.
Learn How To Say No:
As a fellow people pleaser, I have a really hard time saying no. For some reason, I feel like I need to participate in everything and be everywhere all at once. Now, realistically thinking, I can’t do that to myself all the time, and neither can you. Sometimes, you just have to say no, and that’s perfectly okay!
With all this being said, academic burnout is such an important issue to address. In college, we don’t talk about it often, which is strange because the majority of college students go through this.
Take some time to address the issue and then learn how you can find ways to face it. Take care of yourself. You’re important!