This school year started differently than most. In other years, I find myself getting restless by the time August comes around. I am excited to attend my classes, I go back to school shopping, and I’ve already created an Excel sheet for all my assignment due dates. I knew this time I wasn’t going to feel the same about going back to classes, but I thought I’d feel better than this.
This semester I am coming in as a 5th year. A majority of my peers that I’m familiar with have graduated, and I only need 3 more credits, 2 of them being my thesis class. I could have overloaded and finished my degree “on time”, but it’s important to me that I complete a thesis. So, given the opportunity to better my GPA, I decided to take a full course load, with credits that would benefit my degree, but also that I was interested in. If I got to select all of the classes I wanted to take, wouldn’t the start of the semester be a breeze? I’m already catching myself being persuaded into putting my work off, skipping study time, and even trying to skip classes. I feel that I’m running, sprinting, to get out of this rut but the end of the tunnel is further and further away.
Burnout is very real, and I’m not the first student to experience it. I find it scary that it’s something happening so soon. It’s not as if my school schedule is disastrous. I’m on campus 3 days a week, with only about 12 hours of actual lecture and lab time. I do have lots of self-study time to work on my thesis, and an asynchronous class online, but that doesn’t add an exuberant amount of time to my schedule. It’s how I utilize my additional time that’s pushing me to my limits.
During the summer, I did not experience much of a break. I worked two full-time jobs, 6-7 days a week, and sometimes I would work double shifts. I did the math, and throughout July and August, there were 7 days that I did not work. Out of the 7 days; I had to take 4 of them off for prior commitments. Since the semester started, I have reduced the amount that I work, but I still find myself working 4 days a week on average. Work, on top of full-time school, and thesis research, while also trying to find time to maintain my relationships and find time for myself is a lot to be experiencing. The solution?
Slow down.
It’s very clear to me that I did not give myself any transitional period between school, nonstop work, and school tagged back onto my plate. It feels selfish for me to allow myself to take days off when I have so much that needs to be done, but I understand the first step of getting out of the hole is to put down the shovel. If my plate is full, I should not be reaching for a second one. Things need to be marked off the checklist before I write more down. If I don’t slow down and allow myself the time to regather, I won’t be capable of climbing back out of the hole, stopping before I hit the edge, or reaching the end of the tunnel. If you even remotely feel any similarity, take this as a sign to slow down. We’re going to get out of this; we’re going to be fine.