Burnout is a physical and psychological state of exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. This burnout can reduce your productivity, leaving you with feelings of being overwhelmed. And if you don’t avoid burnout as a student, you could see a decline in performance not just in school, but with other activities you enjoy doing. Interestingly, there is some stress that can actually improve cognitive performance. But if your anxiety is taking a toll on your social life, academic life, or overall wellbeing, you might be experiencing burnout. This article will help guide you on how to avoid burnout as a student.
How to avoid burnout: The warning signs
The good news is that becoming self-aware can prevent burnout from happening. Some warning signs include, but are not limited to, constantly being exhausted, having a lack of motivation, and endless frustration. Students can see a decline in grades, struggle to maintain focus, and feelings of disengagement from those close to them. This can be with your family, classmates, and colleagues.
If you went through this list and found things to be a little too familiar, you will want to keep reading to learn how to avoid burnout as a student.
Improve your time management and organization
Who doesn’t feel stressed out when working on an assignment an hour before it’s due? That’s why keeping up with your assignments ahead of time and preparing for midterms and exams early on can keep burnout and stress to a minimum. By re-structuring your approach to daily activities and problems, you can help yourself avoid burning out.
It’s important to learn how to say no, too. We love being ambitious in life, but when your plate is already full with a number of tasks to do, it’s healthy to say “no” every now and again. This will help maintain your priorities by not juggling too many obligations.
Breaking down responsibilities
Lots of us can become overwhelmed by big projects and assignments along with everything else going on in our lives. Not all students are just students; many also work — and all of this combined stress can lead to burnout. This is why breaking down responsibilities into smaller, more realistic goals can be very beneficial.
Set priorities. Determine what is really important and learn to delegate. Be willing to challenge yourself but, instead of stretching your resources thin, divide your schoolwork into smaller, more reasonable amounts. Doing so can help you achieve these goals on a more consistent basis and feel better about yourself moving forward.
Maintaining a healthy lifestyle
As important as our grades can be, so is maintaining a healthy lifestyle. To avoid burnout, it’s vital to have a healthy diet, get regular exercise, and get a good night’s rest. It almost goes without saying that we’ve all had a few of those “all-nighters.” Sacrificing sleep might make you think you’re being more productive but, in my experience, I always performed better when I traded an extra hour of studying for an extra hour of sleep.
Involve yourself in some form of daily “time out” experience. Some activities to avoid burnout and lower stress include taking a walk, meditation, picking up a good book, listening to music, or even looking for volunteer activities at your campus or in your local community.
We hope these tips help you relieve stress and avoid burnout as a student. And if you’re looking for more tips and tools to help you relax, get in touch. Our team at Ventura Counseling & Wellness Center is here to serve you.
