How many times have you scrolled through social media and seen someone who seems to do it all? They exercise multiple times a day, cook every meal from scratch, study for hours, stay active in countless clubs, keep a spotless apartment and still have time for a relationship.
It honestly looks inspiring at first. But how many times have you tried recreating even just part of their schedule and found yourself overwhelmed? I swear, every day you hear someone bragging about how they stayed up until 2 a.m. studying or how they only got three hours of sleep because of their involvement. We need a reminder that exhaustion is not an accomplishment and burnout is not a trophy.
Why Burnout Gets Romanticized
Part of the reason burnout seems almost appealing is because of how it is portrayed on social media. The towering stack of coffee cups, a submission time that reads 2:44 a.m. and color-coded, packed planners have been made into an aesthetic, rather than a warning sign. Productivity has become something to show off rather than a tool for a balanced life. When we see constant highlight reels of people doing it all, it is easy to believe exhaustion is the same thing as success.
On top of all this, college culture often treats being busy as proof that you are doing enough. You are pushed to fill out your resume and seem well-rounded while also working for a decent grade. Burnout can often be mistaken for ambition, and it is that pressure that makes it so much harder to admit when we need rest.
The Reality of Burnout
Simply put, the reality of this glamorized self-exhaustion is far less pretty or rewarding than it seems online. Instead of motivation, you are left with exhaustion that makes even small tasks seem overwhelming. Your grades might start to slip, activities once loved may seem impossible to do, you might start distancing yourself from others and avoiding your friends. Constant stress takes a toll on your whole body, both mentally and physically, and it becomes so easy to lose sight of why you started doing all this to begin with. What you thought was ambition at the start begins to leave you drained and disconnected.
How I Caught Myself
My turning point came when I realized I was running on empty. I kept saying yes to everything, but I could not bring my full self to anything. People started to depend on me less because I was not fully there, and I started sleeping in my classes because I could not handle the late hours. I told myself this was it; I was finally working hard enough. But whenever I looked at everything I had done, I did not feel a sense of pride, but almost a sense of guilt. My friends were worried about me, and all my work was half-finished and barely comprehensible. I could not remember the last few months, and I certainly could not remember the last time I sat down and just did something I wanted.
Breaking The Cycle
After that eye-opener, I tried to start being more realistic with myself and set healthy boundaries with my work. Make no mistake, prioritizing myself is still a difficult task sometimes, but it is so worth it. So, how do you recognize this pattern and stop it? It is not always easy. Sometimes you slip into a kind of downward spiral: you fall behind, scramble to catch up and in doing so, delay other responsibilities that soon demand your attention, starting the cycle all over again.
The problem is that even necessary breaks, like taking a nap, can feel like personal failures. Your body signals the need to rest, but stepping away means falling further behind, which then forces you to stay up later to recover lost time. That cycle reinforces the idea that needing rest was a mistake. If you feel this cycle starts to happen, you should stop and ask yourself, “Am I behind, or am I so worried about not being ‘lazy’ that I am pushing myself too hard?” Even if you are behind, ask yourself if pushing yourself to exhaustion is really helping or if it is making it that much harder to catch up.
Breaking the cycle is even harder when the people around you encourage burnout. It is tough to step away when they are the ones piling on responsibilities in the first place. It is important to recognize when someone keeps assigning you more tasks, even when they know you are already overwhelmed. Setting clear boundaries protects your time, energy and mental well-being. Learn to say no and say it clearly. Sometimes, no matter how great the opportunity is, you are already too busy.
Learn to prioritize what is necessary, not just what feels productive. Eating regular meals and actually enjoying the food you put in your body are simple but important ways to nourish yourself and take care of your well-being. Take a walk around campus to relieve some stress or even go hang out with your friends for a little while. These things might not write your chemistry notes for you, but they make it way easier to sit down and do them yourself later.
Remember This
Productivity is a tool, not your identity! It is not lazy to rest; it is smart and healthy. Take a break, eat a snack and please go to bed earlier. Burnout is not productivity and learning how to step back is way more impressive.