Most students may walk a fine line between obtaining good grades in their classes and suffering from academic burnout. It can be difficult finding the balance between work, school, social and home life. How can you tell that you are suffering from academic burnout? What can be done to recover from burnout or better yet, prevent it completely?
Academic burnout can manifest in different ways. It may show itself through exhaustion, lack of motivation, increased irritability, lack of inspiration and creativity and loss of confidence in academic abilities. It is important to recognize these signs and work to counteract them before they get worse. The burnout will not show immediately, but instead builds over time and by the time the signs are noticeable bad habits have formed and serious commitment would be needed to overcome them.
The first thought after seeing the signs might be to ignore them and expect them to go away, but that won’t happen. It may start out small at first, a little grumpy here or there, a little bit tired, but the more pressure and stress that gets placed on the body and mind the more they will shout to take a step back and take a break.
Do not ignore the signs. Sometimes the stress may be too much for one person to handle and they may need some assistance. There is nothing wrong with asking for help, teachers and counselors, friends and family, they all can provide help and guidance.
The last steps are to reduce stress and make important changes. Seems easy enough, right? Wrong! As stated earlier, once it gets to the point that the signs are noticeable habits are set and those can be difficult to change and overcome. A big part of managing stress is to take a break, set aside time to decompress and relieve stress. Sometimes changes need to be made whether it be to lighten the load or to change how time is managed. It will take time and effort, but it will make all the difference.
The best way to avoid academic burnout altogether is to manage time wisely and not overwork oneself, take vacations, find hobbies to do outside of work and school. It is also important to know one’s limits and not overdo them.
It’s tempting to cram as many credits in a semester as possible but doing so can cause academic burnout fast. It is also important to take care of physical health. To accomplish that one needs plenty of water, rest, healthy foods and exercise.
All of these may be difficult to accomplish but it doesn’t make them any less important.
Categories: Editorials, Opinion
