By: Madison Houser
College students are all too familiar with the word stress. We spend our time trying to balance our course loads, extracurriculars, work, and social life. It can be exhausting. It is common to get overwhelmed trying to manage everything at the same time.
However, if you are experiencing something that feels more intense than the typical sense of being overwhelmed and you find yourself unable to snap out of your exhaustion, you might be dealing with burnout.
It’s no secret that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted our education in many ways. We had adjusted time and time again, going between virtual learning to hybrid learning and back to in-person learning. All these changes have certainly contributed to making us easy targets for burnout.
Lynnae Struck, Parkland College Elementary Education major, said, “Going from having almost all of my classes online last year to having most of them in person was a big adjustment. Having a large workload in addition to putting pressure on myself to do well has caused me to feel burnt out extremely early on this semester.”
Halee Fyke, Parkland College sophomore and Prospectus editor-in-chief added, “Between the pandemic and all of the changes and challenges happening around the world, it almost feels like we are adding fuel to the fire most days. I think that burnout has come quicker for many students this year. I know that it definitely has for me.”
Cobras, if you are feeling this too, you are not alone. But how exactly can we overcome the devastation and extreme un-motivation of burnout? Thankfully, there are many ways we can deal with burnout when it hits and avoid it in the future. Here are five of my favorite tips to get you started:
- Rediscover your hobbies and find meaning in your work again. Ensuring we have something in life that we genuinely enjoy alongside finding purpose in our work can decrease the chance of feeling like our work doesn’t matter. Fyke says, “If you are not passionate about your work, you will feel that you are wasting your time which will, in turn, make you more likely to burnout.”
- Make friends with your classmates for some added support. It can be helpful to make friends with people you see in class. This way, you can form study groups, bounce ideas and questions off one another, and manage the struggle with support from someone who understands. Struck shares, “Talking to a classmate about how you are feeling and working with them to finish assignments really helps me. More than likely they are feeling the same way!”
- Eat well, sleep well, and exercise. Eating healthy, getting adequate sleep, and staying active are some of the best ways to take care of both your physical and mental health. If you don’t take care of yourself, you are going to get burnt out. Try taking a walk, stretching your body, grabbing a healthy snack, or listening to your favorite music. Doing more than just crossing things off your academic to-do list and taking care of your health to-do list can be crucial.
- Take breaks. Fyke said, “We all need days off. From work, from school, or even from life in general. Take. Your. Breaks. In a year, taking a break here and there is not going to be a deal breaker for anything. Your health, mental and physical, should come before everyone. I know it can be hard sometimes, but just keep going all of your work WILL pay off.”
- Seek help. Sometimes burnout can reach extremes, just like any other mental struggle, and can be hard to manage on your own. Asking for help can be a difficult thing to do. But sometimes, it is necessary to avoid allowing the struggle to grow. Needing help does not make you weak.
Burnout is a common struggle. Just know that you are doing your best, and you will find a way out of it.
