Student Blog: Burnout — Please Exit Stage Left!

Now that the magic of New Years and utmost dedication to resolutions has died down, most people (me included) are faced with the reality of their goals. Is waking in the middle of the night to do 100 sit-ups to magically get your dream body in the morning sustainable and healthy? Probably not, as it is highly delusional and honestly just a disruption to your sleep schedule… But how do you keep yourself motivated so you can ensure the same spark you had at 2AM?
Truth is — you’re never going to want to do anything when you’re told to do it, even when it’s you saying it to yourself. As discouraging as that last sentence may seem, that’s when discipline comes in. With the dreary weather of the northeast, it’s hard to get out of bed in the morning to keep creating and doing what you love. The idea of doing it on your own accords seems much nicer and easier. Whenever I feel like that it makes me fully aware that a burnout is lingering. Though the thought of that is uncomfortable, it doesn’t make it any less true. 

In times of self-doubt, I always take the time to remind myself why I’m training so hard. I remind myself that I am blessed and lucky to have the support system that I have, because they also see the worth in me getting my BFA. I think of all of the people I want to make proud and provide for them, so they can also live out their wildest dreams. My will to become successful isn’t just about me; if it was, that would be a selfish way to think of things. The amount of hours that I’ve spent with teachers and trainers to perfect one step, all of the time I’ve spent in the studio by myself thinking about each and every singular correction isn’t something that gets away from you. The efforts of my hard work will pay off one day. That is the mantra that I continuously say to myself. 

As grueling as my schedule can be sometimes, it’s easy to get overwhelmed by how little hours there are in a day. The tons of physical activity me and my peers put ourselves through can be a little much to bear alone, so me and my friends like to confide in each other. We like to say that we don’t have too much longer within the school year, knowing SO well that we have months more of this, but hey… Maybe the jokes about resting, when you haven’t slept well in 2 weeks, are the friends you made along the way? We talk about our dream dance careers to try and get over the fact that academic and dance technique classes from everyday 8AM to 5PM and then rehearsals after that aren’t slowly chipping away at us… But hey! Whatever it takes to be a Rockette! 

You call it trauma bonding, I call it community!