Check Yourself or Wreck Yourself: Recognizing and Addressing Burnout During Finals
Written by: Ella Edelstein | Edited by: Nathan Hahn
As finals steadily approach, it is easy to become wrapped up in your to-do list and study guides. So, for many students, including myself, you might only ask yourself, “Am I burnt out?” after your immune system crashes or you sleep a record 14 hours the first day after finals.
Academic burnout has been defined as “a negative emotional, physical and mental reaction to a prolonged study that results in exhaustion, frustration, lack of motivation and reduced ability in school”. It is far too common amongst undergraduate students and peaks during the busiest time of the semester. A study published in BMC Medical Education found that 55.16% of college undergrads had mild burnout, 3.55% had serious burnout, and 1.28% had very serious burnout!
Despite it being so common, burnout can be hard to identify. Keeping an eye out for symptoms of burnout is the only easy way you will be able to address it. Pay attention to your mood and habits, especially in comparison to your usual demeanor.
Symptoms of burnout include:
- Fatigue and insomnia
- Feeling exhausted no matter how much sleep you get
- Lacking motivation and/or inspiration
- Increased irritability
- Decreased confidence in academic abilities
- Headaches, sore muscle aches, or jaw tension
- These are signs of increased pain and tension in your body
- Increase in bad habits like overeating, staying up too late, nail-biting, or other habits that you tend to revert to when you are stressed
- Inability to concentrate
- Feelings of anxiety or depression
If you notice yourself feeling any of these things, don’t try to shove the feeling away and push through. Acknowledging the presence of your irritability, fatigue, or other symptoms is the first step in overcoming your burnout.
It is tempting to ignore your burnout even if you acknowledge it, putting more hours in the library or tackling another practice test. However, you will gain far more from this work if you take the time to care for yourself and your burnout. Below are some easy ways to help combat academic burnout that are effective and easy to fit into a busy dead week schedule.
Set reasonable study goals
Don’t put the cart before the horse. Breaking down your preparation process into smaller and smaller tasks will give you a better idea of where to start studying and what to do next. It will also offer a small but very well-deserved sense of accomplishment after completing each task. An example of setting reasonable goals could be assigning a task for every lecture you want to review or even breaking each lecture down into smaller chunks (i.e. 20 slides) if they are particularly long slide decks. Reasonable goals can look like “complete 15 practice questions” instead of doing every single practice question in one sitting.
Get outside
Spending extra time outside during dead week and finals is a simple pleasure and rejuvenating experience. You can easily incorporate this into your study schedule by eating meals outside or going for a quick walk. Movement from a walk will also help you refocus when you sit back down to study, allowing you to feel more comfortable in your body and prepared to take on your next task. Lastly, whether you’re moving outside or simply spending time staring at some trees, the fresh air, rich in oxygen, will do wonders for your mind.
Make time to connect with friends
Reaching out to your friends is bound to brighten your day and theirs, helping to combat the study monotony that can drive burnout. Cook a meal together, grab some late-night boba, or invite them over for a board game night! Regardless of how much time you spend with them, a change in routine, an empathetic conversation, and a good laugh is a surprisingly effective prescription.
Set a time limit or create a schedule
Creating a schedule doesn’t have to look like, “I will complete X-Y lectures today and Y-Z tomorrow”. In fact, this type of planning often sets students up for disappointment or false feelings of failure if they are unable to make it through all that you designated for one day. Instead, try making a time-dependent schedule, such as starting to study at 9:00 am, taking a walk at 10:30 am, having lunch with my friends at 12:30 pm, etc. This will also let you easily build a “time limit” into your day, where you stop work and transition into a rest period to take care of yourself, knowing you did good work that day.
Take care of your body
Forgetting to nourish and hydrate yourself properly is one of the easiest traps to fall into during jam-packed weeks. It is important to keep yourself healthy to do your best work and have the most stamina. Pushing yourself when you have low physical stamina is a recipe for burnout. You also won’t be able to use that big, beautiful brain unless you give it proper nutrients. Taking time to consciously refuel yourself is also a good moment to check in about how you’re feeling, physically and mentally.
Ultimately, remember that you can have the goal of putting in 100% each day, but your 100% will look and feel different each day. Some days might be more than others, and sometimes your 100% might require just a nap. Either way, you are putting your best foot forward and deserve to take pride in what you accomplish each day.
Good luck Bears!
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