Burnout is pretty common in high school and college students alike, especially those who are nearing their senior year or graduation. Just because it’s common, though, doesn’t mean it’s easy. It’s incredibly frustrating; it’s tiring and discouraging to have to force yourself to do homework, to study, to take notes, and pay any kind of attention in class. Read on to find out about dealing with burnout.
COVID-19 and Burnout
From talking to several friends from both my own school and others about burnout, many said that they feel so academically unmotivated, and COVID keeping life far from normal doesn’t help ease the monotony of school. Long periods of work are now harder to break up with fun times with friends and family as COVID continues to persist.
The Consequences of Burnout
Burnout doesn’t just make school feel like a nuisance, however. For many who usually thrive in and participate in a competitive school environment, it is extremely stressful. Not turning in homework on time, not studying as hard as you should for tests, or submitting mediocre essays simply because you feel uninspired means lower GPAs, critiques from teachers, and “falling behind” in the competition. Many adolescents face intense pressures to be the best in their class and to “win” the game of college applications, even though everyone tells you “it’s not a competition, somewhere will always take you”. When students feel that they can no longer surf the wave of academic pressures, they are prone to burnout (frontiers). Burnout can also lead to depression, or at least increase symptoms in an individual.
The “Three R” Approach
There is no immediate fix or cure for it, but there are ways to deal with burnout. Some recommend the “Three R” approach to help ease its effect.
The first R stands for Recognize. In order to fix burnout, you need to be able to recognize that you have it in the first place. After recognizing your problem, try to Reverse the steps and symptoms. Watch out for things that stress you out, and reach out for some help and stress relief. Finally, you must be Resilient: Keep fighting burnout, stay motivated, and take care of yourself throughout it all.
Helpful Resources
Here are some sources that might help better your understanding of burnout and help you fight it if you feel like it might be affecting you. (Information from both was used in this article).
https://www.helpguide.org/articles/stress/burnout-prevention-and-recovery.htm
Checkout this GirlSpring article on Recognizing Burnout and Dealing With It.
