STUDENT BURNOUT

 

   Ever feel burnt out and discouraged? Yeah, it’s a pretty common feeling as a student. It’s worse when you feel burnt out and at the same time suffer from imposter syndrome. You tend to feel overwhelmed; you have physical and mental exhaustion and have little to no motivation to do anything at all. Then you start to feel like in whatever you do you’re just ‘winging it’ or ‘going with the flow’ which leads to you thinking whether or not you’re good enough to be where you are. Student burnout is a real thing!! And it sucks. There’s just this constant cycle of assignments, exams and pressure to perform well. It feels like Spider-Man when his Spidey sense is overwhelmed and he can’t keep up with the demands of the world. I like to think of it as being a minor setback and it should not stop you from achieving your goals.

Here are 5 ways to handle burnout as a student:

1.    Prioritize yourself: take some time to yourself and find activities that bring you joy. I’m not talking about drinking your stress away, no. I mean activities like going on solo dates or hanging out with friends that make you feel happy and bring positivity to your life or even just locking yourself up and watching a bunch of your comfort shows as you eat junk food.

2.    Get enough sleep: now, as students, we tend to think having the full 7-9 hours of sleep is for children. Most students sleep for an average of 4 hours and others don’t even get sleep at all. Our brains and bodies need enough sleep each night to recharge and not be cranky. Sleep is essential for good memory, learning and overall well-being. Sleep will definitely help you perform your best as a student!

3.    Take care of your physical health: when most students are under pressure, they tend to neglect their physical health by not eating or staying hydrated or staying in regular exercise.

4.    Learn to say no: learning to say no can be challenging, but it is important for prioritizing your own needs. Set some boundaries on certain social commitments like going to parties every weekend or drinking any chance you get. They won’t help you grow in any way. And remember that you don’t owe anyone an explanation on your choice.

5.    Take breaks: regularly take short breaks to just cool down and rest your mind. It’s important to take naps too. You can’t always work your brain for hours and hours. You need rest.

 

As dory says in finding nemo, ‘keep swimming, keep swimming.’ so keep swimming, don’t give up, and don’t give in! (Yeah that’s from rocky).

What helps you during your burnout phase?