Student Blog: My Experience With Fighting Burnout

Between all the constant assignments and exams, it’s incredibly easy to feel a phenomenon known as burnout. Burnout is very common in college, especially toward the end of the semester. I have lots of personal experience with burnout, both in high school and college. I feel varying degrees of motivation at times, although there are some days that are way worse than others. The worst of it typically occurs towards the end of the semester, a time when I’m mentally exhausted. Burnout can be hard to navigate when all you feel like doing is laying down and doing nothing, but there are some workarounds. 

My personal experience with burnout started in high school. I had a hard time staying focused and motivated on my assignments, especially at the end of my senior year. It was extremely difficult to find that motivation when I had already committed to college: by that point, I already had one foot out the door. In college, it’s still hard to be super dedicated to my studies the way I once was, but I find myself being able to complete assignments easier than I did my senior year. I managed to successfully make it through my first year of college, and it was all due to a few helpful pieces of advice. 

First, I make sure to sleep. As basic as it may sound, a good night’s sleep really helps me feel more motivated during the day. Even if I need to take a nap during the day, I allow myself to. That way, I will wake up feeling refreshed and prepared to tackle the rest of the day. Without a good amount of sleep, I will feel even more burned out than I already am. I’ll end up feeling sluggish and groggy the entire day if I don’t allow myself to rest and take breaks.

Next, I make sure to stay busy. If I give myself the opportunity to stay in bed, it only makes my burnout worse. Getting out of my dorm, even just to go to the dining hall, will eventually lead to a more productive day. On that note, it’s also important to eat. Without food, I feel more miserable. There are days when I’m feeling lazy, and I allow myself to have a self-care day every now and then. However, for the majority of the time when I’m simply feeling unmotivated, I force myself to get up and do something, no matter how big or small it is. Before I know it, I’ll have a desire to go to the library or another study spot on campus and knock out some homework. 

Finally, sometimes I just have to remind myself of my ambitions and goals. Reminding myself that I will not meet my goals without putting the work in is sometimes all I need to regain the desire to work hard. It’s very easy to get discouraged, but reminding yourself of your core values will help you power through. 

Overall, burnout can be detrimental to one’s well-being, so it’s important to tackle it as soon as you notice. With self-care, you will definitely start to see improvements in your burnout and begin to gain that motivation again. Above all, don’t let burnout get the best of you: you are strong enough to fight it!

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