Student Blog: Burnout!

Burnout. A word that I believe every person on this whole planet has experienced at least once in their lifetime. It is not fun, it can make you irritable, and creeps up on you at the most important and busiest times of your life. For college students, burnout loves to make its debut during weeks such as midterms or finals or for students such as us during tech week of a show that we are in rehearsal in. I have experienced burnout this semester. If you were to ask me how I overcame this horrific feeling, the short answer I will give you is acceptance. Being in college has taught me a lot about myself, especially about how to create a day-to-day/ life schedule that helps me keep on track and check off the things I must do promptly. Therefore when I am finding myself extremely exhausted from being in school from morning to evening, then working a job to then doing homework after my day is done, the first thing I do is acknowledge that I am tired.

I once had this guilt of being tired because I used to think I am not doing enough. Through hard lessons, I had to learn and take seriously that If I find myself to be overwhelmed and physically and mentally exhausted, to take a break. I perform my best when I can do tasks without rushing with a clouded mind, therefore when I find myself burning out, I find a moment to stop. I order my favorite food, shower with the best soaps, and just turn off all my social media, mute my phone and just relax with shows that make me feel good. The most important thing I do to cure these feelings is take a nap/go to bed early. I feel the mind of an artist goes through so much on a daily basis that sometimes it needs a break, which entails sleep! Waking up the next day already feels like I have allowed my body to relax and it feels rested. When my body feels rested I feel rested and my overall mood is better.

Another way I overcome burnout but only allow myself to use this in times I need to restore my whole mind, body, and spirit is a freebie on not going to class and asking for an assignment extension. When I utilize this I pick it at a time I really need it and I always make sure to keep open communication with my professors. I am grateful that in the times I have needed to utilize my professors have become very understanding and they informed me that I was able to catch up on the work when I needed to. All these tools that I have learned, such as acknowledging my feelings of ultimate burnout, getting an adequate amount of sleep, and taking a day off from work when needed, help me refocus and relax. These tools cure my semester burnout. We all have once dealt with this, this is what I have found to work best for me. Life is all about learning so I can't wait to discover other burnout remedies throughout my life to add to the list!