7 Ways to Overcome Academic Burnout
If you’ve ever felt exhausted and overwhelmed by the demands of life, you’re not alone. Burnout is a very real phenomenon that many of us experience, yet it’s often overlooked or dismissed. We live in a world where pushing yourself to the max is not only encouraged, but expected.
Specifically when it comes to the demands of school, it can seem like there’s never enough time to recharge. There’s always another paper, exam, or assignment on the horizon. Burnout is common, but it’s important to take the time to address it. With the right support and strategies, you can take steps to reduce the effects of burnout and stay on track with your goals while maintaining a healthy mental state.
How do you overcome academic burnout?
Because of the structure of school and the amount of time we spend in the classroom, it’s no surprise that at some point people become mentally, physically, and emotionally drained. While the live-to-work mentality is ingrained in us from the young age of 5, it’s important to recognize that that’s not a sustainable lifestyle and at some point, we have to take time to recharge.
The sooner you can understand burnout and how to overcome it, the easier it will be for you to find continued success academically and beyond without sacrificing mental, physical, and emotional wellness.
- recognize the symptoms
- understand your “recharge activities”
- schedule time to decompress & do self-care
- be proactive
- prioritize health (sleep & diet)
- talk to friends and family
- try to evaluate the source and make adjustments
Recognize the symptoms
It’s not always easy to notice you’re starting to burn out until you’ve reached a point of complete and total exhaustion because the activities that cause us to burn out may also be a source of praise. The continuous cramming of school material on top of maintaining a social life and extracurriculars is challenging, but when friends and family congratulate you on a successful grade or accolades in a club, it affirms in your brain that what you’re doing is “good”.
This makes knowing the symptoms of burnout increasingly important so that you can catch it early and overcome it quickly:
- exhaustion
- restlessness/difficulty sleeping
- irritation
- headaches
- reduced creativity
- increase in antisocial tendencies
- forgetfulness – brain fog
- unmotivated energy
I believe there are varying degrees of burnout and that catching it at the prolonged onset of any of these symptoms may help you feel more like yourself sooner rather than later.
Understand your “recharge activities”
Sometimes all it takes to recover from burnout is doing something that helps you relax or feeds your passions. Burnout stems from constantly draining yourself by tirelessly working on projects you aren’t necessarily excited about, so you have to find activities that make you feel happy and recharged. Some personal examples are:
- watching reality t.v.
- reading a good book
- taking a long shower
- getting takeout/eating my favorite meal
- hanging out with friends
- going to get ice cream
- listening to a podcast & going for a walk
- cleaning
- listening to music
- running errands
- journaling
- mediating/moments of calm and quiet
recharge activities don’t have to be huge events or day-long excursions, they can be quick, easy, and already a part of your daily routine, but the key is doing them with intention and allowing your mind and body to rest. Mental and physical time away from the stress triggers will make it easier to overcome burnout.
Schedule time to decompress & do self-care
I’m someone who loves to make a to-do list. I get a boost of endorphins when I get the accomplished feeling from completing a task. If you like to stick to schedules or feel like the workload expected of you doesn’t provide time to relax, it may be helpful to schedule time each day for a recharge activity or act of self-care. I find that if a few times a week I can get ready for bed early and watch an episode of Love Island, I feel much more like myself throughout the week.
Be proactive
Having a lot on your plate may trigger burnout faster because of the anxiety and stress that comes with having many obligations. I’m a firm believer that sometimes the best act of self-care is finishing your to-do list and not letting procrastination prolong a state of stress.
Trying to not only stay on top of assignments due that day but also assignments due slightly in advance can take the pressure off of impending due dates and reduce the likelihood of burnout. This can also help decrease the number of all-nighters you take part in.
The challenge with this tip is that to get ahead you may have to put in additional work initially which is difficult if you’ve already fallen behind because of burnout. If that’s the case, try and implement this tip during a school break or at the start of a new semester before burnout starts to kick in.
Prioritize health (sleep & diet)
The most important way to recover from burnout is to prioritize your sleep and nutrition. Eating full healthy meals instead of the snacks and junk food we commonly eat in college will help with health overall and in this case, can help improve brain function.
Getting enough sleep is also key to recovering from burnout because it allows both your body and your brain to recover from constant use throughout the day. Continuous all-nighters and staring at computers and textbooks all day are exhausting for your brain. The easiest way to feel better is to go to bed early and allow yourself to get a minimum of 7-9 hours of sleep a night — maybe even more if you’ve already reached severe burnout.
Talk to friends and family
These are the people who know you best. Likely, they’ve already noticed a difference in your energy and behavior if you’re burnt out. Letting them know the level of exhaustion and the pressure that your current obligations are putting on you can help them know how to help you.
Whether that’s being available as your “recharge activity” or holding you accountable for taking breaks throughout the day, communication is key! This is the community of people who want to see you happy AND successful in your endeavors.
Try to evaluate the source and make adjustments
There is no need for burnout to be a cycle of recovering and relapsing. The key is to figure out what specific aspects of your life are causing burnout and determine what parts of that you can control. While you may not be able to control when your next calculus exam is, you will be able to control when you start studying and how that schedule allows you to take breaks and recharge.
Reaching or even getting close to burnout is not exactly the most fun experience. Unfortunately, in environments like college that encourage being a workaholic and outworking your peers, the phenomenon is quite common. Making sure you know the signs of burnout and being prepared with the best ways for you to combat it will help reduce the amount of time you don’t feel like yourself and prevent burnout in the future.
