Burnout is when someone has been over-worked and starts feeling mentally and physically exhausted. Unfortunately, it has been hitting me hard the past week or two.
As someone who actually finds joy in planning out assignments for the week and loving the satisfaction of crossing things off of my to-do list, burnout wasn’t something that I have personally experienced before. Granted, I did have my fair share of procrastination moments; I would put an assignment off for the next day, maybe not study a test that I had planned for, but I would always end up doing it.
Burnout, however, is completely different from procrastination. It’s like feeling you’re in an enclosed space and can’t get out, so you’re stuck feeling trapped, unable to escape. According to WebMD, it’s a form of exhaustion that is caused by being completely swamped. It’s a result of excessive emotional, physical and mental stress, and it happens when you’re emotionally drained and overwhelmed.
It’s evil. Wow, I didn’t realize this is how bad it can get.
It started out small; professors would constantly assign new projects to get done and, instead of managing my time by doing little by little every day, I would take the entire day on the day it’s due to complete it. Then, the assignments kept piling up, homework was due the next day, and I started feeling like I was behind the curve — even if they were little tasks that would take me five minutes to complete.
It made me upset that I felt behind, even though I know in my heart that I’m not. Like I said earlier, I’m pretty good at managing my time with projects. I like to plan my assignments throughout the week, so I’m able to complete them in a timely manner and not stress about them at the last minute. Now that I’m basically doing my projects at the last minute, it feels like I’m behind. But, that’s the thing; it’s just a perception.
What do I mean by that you wonder? Honestly, I just got this from TikTok, so bear with me.
Perceptions are basically how we view anything and everything from our own perspective. Take cloud watching as an example. A cloud might look like a sitting cat to you, but your partner or friend might think that it looks like a car. Neither of you is wrong — I mean it’s a cloud. But, that is your individual perspective of the cloud itself.
When I think about my assignments and how I think I’m behind, it’s just my perspective. It’s not like I’m actually behind on my assignments and, even if I was, I still have time to complete them. I can ask for extensions, ask for help and have resources that will help me if needed.
I talked to a few of my friends about it, and they have thoroughly helped me realize this. To them, I’m on top of my assignments and doing well. If anything, they told me I need a break.
But, breaks are so hard to take for me; I’m in a love/hate relationship with them. I love hanging out with my friends, taking naps and watching movies for the sake of my mental health, but when I start working, I immediately regret my decision. I start saying to myself, “I shouldn’t have taken that break. I should’ve watched something shorter that way I don’t have to go to bed so late.”
Even if I shouldn’t think that way, it’s hard not to when staring down my mountain of assignments.
So, to put it into layman’s terms, here’s my plan: I’m going to take as many breaks as I need unapologetically, ask for extensions if I need them, and continue to plan my week as I regularly do. I’ll implement a new study style and stick to what I know best to make the end of the semester a great one.