Feeling Under The Weather At College Heres How You Can Cope With Student Burnout

Your college years can be the best years of your life after your childhood. It seems like you get to make new friends and experience new things every day when you’re at uni. Although it is fun and exciting, many students struggle through their college years due to student burnout. Who can blame them? College entails a hundred different assignments, living out of a dorm room, eating instant ramen for most meals, and having to restructure your entire life away from your hometown. On top of it all, some students must deal with student debt. All of this can leave you feeling drained and stressed beyond words can explain. The reason most students crumble under student burnout is that they fail to recognize it for what it is.

So, what exactly is student burnout?

Student burnout is also known as academic burnout. It makes you exhausted, frustrated, and demotivated and leaves you unable to perform well at school. The reason for all this? A complex mental, emotional, and physical reaction to prolonged exposure to academic stress. WHO classifies burnout as an occupational phenomenon rather than a medical condition.

What triggers academic burnout in students?

Many factors contribute to student burnout. Some of the most common triggers among US college students are:

• Heavy academic load
• Financial management issues
• Relocation away from home
• Hefty student debt
• Struggling with complex subjects
• Losing touch with childhood friends
• Higher competition among classmates
• Inability to find a proper college job
• Isolation caused by remote learning

What can happen if you ignore the issue?

It may seem tempting to close your eyes to the problem and hope that it’d go away on its own. In fact, this is what most students choose to do, hope student burnout will get better with time. But sadly, student burnout does not cure itself or go away on its own. If you decide to ignore the signs and leave burnout untreated, you may have to face bigger physical and psychological problems down the road like depression, heart conditions, and even diabetes.

An important question, What are the symptoms of student burnout?

Just like workplace burnout, college burnout has some characteristic symptoms. If you recognize the following signs in yourself or a friend, don’t hesitate to reach out for help:

• Mental fatigue that feels overwhelming
• Exhaustion, both physical and mental
• Inability to concentrate
• Lowered academic performance
• Increased physical illnesses such as colds, coughs, digestive trouble, rashes, headaches, sleep disorders
• Signs of substance abuse (alcohol, drugs, etc.)
• A spike in the number of absent days
• Indifference or lack of interest
• Emotional unavailability
• A stall in creativity
• Anxiety and/or depression
• Sudden weight loss or gain

What are some things you can do to cope with student burnout?

If you are currently experiencing student burnout, there are certain strategies you can adopt to cope with it. We will start our discussion with the 3 Rs: Recognition, Reversal, and Resilience.

1.Recognize the symptoms

If you have ticked most of the symptoms we have listed above, chances are you’re experiencing burnout. Not ignoring what your body (and mind) are telling you is the first step toward fighting back.

2.Reverse the damage

You have now acknowledged the issue for what it is. How can you reverse the damage burnout has brought to your academic life? We have found some great tips to help you cope:

• Don’t be afraid to ask for help from your parents, friends, or college counselor
• Practice a relaxation activity like meditation
• Taking time off is important. Give yourself a break from work a few times a day.
• Invest your time in a hobby that provides a creative outlet for you
• Limit your screen time if it has a negative effect on your life

3.Resilience is your shield

Resilience is your ability to bounce back from tough times quickly. Build resilience to act as your shield. Find out the things that give you the strength to face hardships brought on by college. Having a good support system of peers will help you here.

How can you recover from student burnout?

If you have managed to cope with burnout, your next step should be to recover from it completely. The things that help different people vary. But most students recover from burnout by making slight changes to their lives. These changes don’t have to be drastic. It can be as simple as changing a small part of your routine. Try these tactics to push you forwards in your journey of healing:

• Stick to a daily routine. Good time management brings structure to your life. It helps you gain more control over your life and become more organized.
• Take a shot at a healthy lifestyle. Make sure to get 8 (or 6) hours of sleep every night to rest both your mind and body. Swap the instant noodles for a salad. Skip cola and go for a glass of water.
• Prioritize. Your academic performance suffers the most when you are burnt out. Give priority to your health, loved ones, and things that make you happy, without pushing them to the bottom of the list.
• Adopt healthy sleep habits. Avoid screen time right before bed. And don’t stress over the next day’s tasks when in bed. Your sleep is important for a healthy academic life.
• Say no to things that drain you. If going out with your friends for the third consecutive night is not your thing, tell them.