Whether it’s your first or fifth year, getting back into the grind and onto schedule after summer always hits you like a train. With one official year under my belt (and half a semester of full blown burnout), I surfed the ends of the deep dark web for the best ways to stay strong this year – so you don’t have to ;)
With the fourth week coming quickly to an end, Fall 2021 seems to have snowballed and is rolling away at an unbearable pace. Intro stuff has long since ended and we are about to step into the meat of the year. If you haven’t yet already, most of us are coming up on our first exams. Not only are these so hard because we’re trying to get back into the swing of things, but we also don’t even know what to expect. On top of this, getting the grades back can give you a (perhaps false) sense of confidence or it can completely ruin your mentality for the semester, making you feel like there’s no way to catch up. Not to worry! Your personal superhero is to the rescue. Without further ado, your set of life hacks awaits you:
First things first; what is burnout? Burnout is one of the most common and deteriorating phenomena that affects billions of students and employees worldwide. According to the World Health Organization, it is even classified as a medical condition, characterized by “feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion, increased mental distance from one’s job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one’s job, and a sense of ineffectiveness and lack of accomplishment”. Contrast to stress, burnout is a lack of motivation rather than energy (although these things usually go hand in hand). While stress is something that comes and goes, burnout typically sticks around for a long while – which is why it’s so important to avoid. A good step to take to prevent or counteract this feeling is to engage in self care. However, this phrase is so loosely thrown around that most don’t even know what that really means, so let’s start there.
When thinking of self care, it can mean to take a day off, give into the delicious piece of cake, reward your hard work with a new pair of jeans, sleep in an extra hour or two – the list goes on. To be blunt, it means to give yourself a well deserved break. The biggest issue with this is that they are usually way overdue. Life is a marathon, not a sprint. Jumping further into this analogy – does it make the most sense to take a one minute breather every mile for 26 miles or pull over for an hour to throw up and pass out from exhaustion? You ultimately save yourself 34 minutes by stopping and by the time you reach the finish line, you’re not going to be nearly as worn out. There’s a clear winner here, right? Obviously, these aren’t direct correlations but you get the idea.
Do you wait until the gas light turns on every time before you actually stop and grab gas? (if you do — your car is mad at you) Whenever you feel yourself falling past your quarter tank, or even half tank, it’s time to sit back & relax. Refuel, girl! However, when your gas light turns on, you don’t just park your car in some random yard and never drive it again, right? (if you’re seeing where I’m heading with this, you’re right) That’s burnout.
Okay, if you’re annoyed with the analogies, I am too. Onwards.
Unfortunately, there is a line that can easily be crossed when it comes to self care. What makes this so hard, besides knowing when to start, is knowing when to stop. Especially in school, feeling overwhelmed is so easy. It is so important to give yourself a break but sometimes pushing yourself to go to the gym even when you don’t want to, going to class even when you didn’t get the best sleep, doing that assignment even when it seems pointless – building yourself up is so important. Self sabotage is just on the other side of self care. You are smart enough, you are worth the investment, you are strong, and this is going to be a successful year (whichever way you may define success!). This is way easier said than done. Here are a few helpful tips to keep yourself walking that tightrope:
- Go to class!
This seems so obvious but it really is so easy to decide to not go to class. When that little devil guy is sitting on your shoulder, whispering in your ear, “one class won’t hurt”, you have to remember they’re wrong! Once you miss one & fall behind, it is way too easy to skip the rest of the year. Going to class is the number one way to be successful!
- Go to office hours!
Despite going to all of your classes, it is TOTALLY NORMAL to not understand everything first (or second, or third) go around! Nobody is going to look down upon you for asking for help. If I’ve learned anything with my first year under my belt it’s that going to SI and Office Hours is a sure fire way to get you more comfortable with material (which relieves so much test stress!). Your professors want you to succeed just as much as you do. Having a stronger grasp on the course material will make you feel so much better.
- Go to sleep!
As much as the media likes to glorify the ‘all nighters’ of college – this is not helpful, it isn’t healthy, and it is not going to make you score better! One of the most basic needs as a human is a stable sleep schedule. Scientists don’t preach this stuff just for fun. It’s been proven time and time again that it is an essential. You aren’t lame or weak willed for going to bed at 10pm every night. You know your body best! If your body constantly tells you it’s tired, you probably could use a more stable schedule ;)
- Go cry!
Crying really is so healthy for you. This is one of the number one ways to relieve stress – you can physically feel it leaving your body! Not to mention, it also helps you stay more in tune and aware of your emotions, avoiding future stress and potential burn out. Once you’ve done that:
- Go to your happy place!
Again, walking that line lies the happy middle place. Absolutely positively give yourself a break! Take a cry sesh! Take a sick day! But give yourself the time to recoup and jump right back in. Self discipline is so important when it comes to taking care of the one and only body you have!
Take this year in one day at a time. You got this!
XOXO,
SAUHCmnk ;)