Written by Grace Cho
We’ve all experienced the feeling of being burned out. It’s when you’re unmotivated and too exhausted to do anything. Sometimes, it’s even difficult to just get out of bed. Regardless of whatever ways burnout is expressed, it’s something that students worldwide have at least undergone once in their lives. Being a student in school isn’t easy all the time. There are busy seasons where assignments seem to pile up on our shoulders, to-do lists seem to go on forever, and tests every other day or so. Sooner or later the overwhelming stress will catch up to you, and burnout begins.
Burnout, according to Mental Health UK, is “a state of physical and emotional exhaustion” (“Burnout - Mental Health UK”). It is officially recognized as an “occupational phenomenon” by WHO, the World Health Organization. Burnout forms for many different reasons and can affect anyone anywhere. The most common reasons are lack of organization, piled-up stress, or when you have just overworked yourself and your body and mind can’t catch up. It creates negative influences on your mental health, leading to negative mindsets, helplessness, lack of motivation, and more. Like this, burnout is quite detrimental to both our bodies and minds.
There are many resources for how you can overcome burnout once you are already experiencing it. However, knowing how to prevent it before it even occurs is equally as crucial to understanding it. Burnout doesn’t happen overnight; it’s more of a gradual and progressive process. There are symptoms that you can address and notice beforehand to actually prevent the breakdown from occurring. If you can address and pay attention to what your body and mind need, you will be able to find that the burnout may not even happen. There are so many different symptoms and signs of burnout. These include physical, emotional, and behavioral signs. Here are some of them below, researched by HelpGuide.org:
Change in appetite or sleep habits
Loss of motivation. Increasingly cynical and negative outlook.
Isolating from others.
Procrastinating, taking longer to get things done.
Feeling helpless, trapped, and defeated.
These are just a few of the signs of burnout occurring. We all undergo different burnouts, so make sure you know that no matter the type, your experiences are just as valid as another person going through burnout in a different way. Tackling burnout can be a tricky process, but once you start to listen to your body, you will be able to know how to approach it and potentially prevent it. Burnout makes you feel as if a spark has been blown out inside of you, but with the right steps, you can rekindle your flame to become brighter than it’s ever been before.
Works Cited
“Burnout - Mental Health UK.” Mental Health UK, July 2022, mentalhealth-uk.org/burnout/. Accessed 17 Feb. 2023.
“Burnout Prevention and Treatment - HelpGuide.org.” HelpGuide.org, 2013, www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/burnout-prevention-and-recovery.htm#:~:text=Behavioral%20signs%20and%20symptoms%20of%20burnout&text=Procrastinating%2C%20taking%20longer%20to%20get,in%20late%20and%20leaving%20early. Accessed 18 Feb. 2023.
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