The other day, I saw a TikTok on my “For You” page that mentioned burnout. I laughed, liked and swiped up. But later that evening, I found I could not stop thinking about what it means to be “burnt out,” and how to cope with it —especially since most people experience burnout at some point in their life.
In order to do this, it’s important to define burnout and how it is different from the everyday stress that we experience. Burnout is categorized by low engagement, feelings of detachment and hazed emotions. People who are experiencing burnout may experience existential feelings, such as thinking nothing really matters anymore.
Stress, on the other hand, is usually short term and presents itself as over-engagement and heightened emotions. But this is not to say that stress and burnout are not related. One of the main causes of burnout is prolonged periods of stress.
So why is this so important to talk about right now?
Because most schools across the nation have been back in session for over a month now, and as a result, many people are experiencing prolonged periods of stress.
If you are feeling burnt out on school (or at any stage of your life), know that you are not alone in this. It is completely normal to question the significance of school or work. But there are some ways you can pull yourself out of these feelings.
First, find value in the things that you do every day. If you are in school, this could mean remembering that the classes you are taking are going to help you find the career that will make you the most happy in life. If you are already in your career, this may be thinking about how your work has a positive impact on the people and community around you. No matter what you are doing, find the value of your actions.
Second, strengthen your relationships with those who make you happy, especially with those who you attend class or work with. This can help to reduce negative feelings toward the workplace or schooling.
And lastly, take better care of yourself. I know, I know — I stress this in almost every article I write! But doing simple things like sleeping better, eating healthier and making time to exercise can have a huge impact on your everyday life. So as we head into the middle of the semester, remind yourself that it’s normal to feel burnt out, but remember the value of your work, take some time for yourself and keep pushing on.