Being a college student is a very difficult and busy part of life. Responsibilities can pull you in so many different directions and it can be hard to stay focused and motivated to achieve your goals. Due to all of this stress that students are under, many begin to experience feelings of burnout. Burnout is usually brought on by constant stress, which is a big part of reality for college students. Symptoms can include feeling exhausted, less motivated, alienated from peers, and even reduced performance in school or work. Burnout can also lead to feelings of great amounts of anxiety and depression. Although burnout is tough to deal with, it’s important to take steps to acknowledge and heal from it.
The first major step of recovering from burnout is to simply acknowledge and recognize your feelings. Being aware of your symptoms and how they are affecting your mental health is the beginning to creating changes to heal. Ignoring the issue will only dig you deeper into the problem. Many students have this “pushing through” mentality where they acknowledge that they are burnt out but they keep pushing harder and harder and inevitably feel worse. It’s important to assess your mental health and make changes to get better rather than digging yourself a deeper hole.
Another beneficial step to restore your mental health is through practicing mindfulness. Studies have shown that practicing mindfulness plays a largely significant role in decreasing burnout. A big part of mindfulness is being aware of our thoughts, feelings, and the things going on around us. Mindfulness practices can be executed in many different ways such as through meditation, walks, or in just short moments throughout our day. It’s important to make mindfulness a part of your lifestyle in order for it to help you truly heal and improve. When you actively practice mindfulness you may find that a lot of the stress keeping you down is unnecessary, which can help gradually take you out of your burnout.
Lastly, it is critical to take breaks from things that cause you stress, such as school, so that you can really reset your mind. Implementing this as a part of your routine can keep you from possibly experiencing burnout at all. It’s important to do things outside of school that feel rewarding and relaxing to keep your mind healthy. Try to do something weekly where you can unwind and let loose such as spending time with friends, cooking a new recipe, watching a movie, or even reading a book. It doesn’t matter what you do as long as it is a stress free experience.
Burnout is something that almost every college student faces at some point or another, so it’s important to learn how to cope, heal, and avoid reaching such a low point. If you are feeling any symptoms of burnout you are not alone! It’s only temporary and will get better as long as you take the steps to recover.
