In college, it is normal to feel stressed about things like school work, due dates, and grades. However, it becomes a serious problem when that stress becomes increasingly overwhelming for a long period of time and you start to develop burnout.
I have experienced this myself and it made it hard to concentrate and feel motivated in school. It can make you feel exhausted and emotionally drained to the point where your academic performance begins to suffer.
Unfortunately, burnout is not uncommon among college students. Ohio State University researchers found that 71% of students were experiencing it in April 2021. However, there are habits that you can implement into your life to avoid feeling burned out.
For me, the biggest thing that leads to overwhelming stress has been an excessive amount of focus on my school work. Skipping out on breaks may sound productive, but it almost always leads to the inability to focus on material and truly learn it.
Breaks are essential for effective studying so that you are able to learn well and retain information.
It’s important to be dedicated to your studies, but that doesn’t mean it has to take over your life. Take time to participate in non-academic activities that you enjoy so that you can have a healthy balance.
Taking care of your physical health is also important to do if you want to prevent experiencing feelings of burnout. A 2017 study looked at medical students at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and found that those with bad sleeping habits experienced burnout. You should be getting at least 7-9 hours of sleep every night to maintain good sleep health.
Additionally, eating healthy foods can also be a great way to avoid burnout. In case you need help accessing them, LMC Marketplace provides free groceries on campus.
Taking care of yourself is easier said than done, so consider reaching out to others for help during these difficult moments. It is helpful to talk to a friend or family member about how you are feeling.
You can also utilize LMC’s wellness resources to reach out and talk to someone. TimelyCare is offered to all students where they have access to free virtual health and wellness resources 24/7.
As a student who has experienced it before, I know that it is easy to fall into burnout. Remember that you do not have to push yourself too hard to achieve academic success. If school is becoming too overwhelming for you, take a step back to see what changes you can make to prevent this problem from progressing.
