By Margot Voisinet
It isn’t a secret that most college students are stressed out and overwhelmed. So much so,
that there is a term for it: burnout. Burnout is that built up stress due to an overload of work and
is something that can happen frequently around midterms because of the excess amount of
studying and school work.
Burnout can creep up on you during midterms and fizzle out a lot of motivation in
yourself. It can consist of loss of motivation, an overwhelming amount of pressure to perform
well, anxiety, and coping issues. It is also referred to as academic burnout and midterm burnout
happens to be a sub-genre that is self-explanatory. Many students tend to find themselves in this
predicament during the middle of the semester, when everything is in full-swing and midterms
turn into a more pressing matter.
It is no surprise that this can happen, many if not all college students will experience this
at some point in college years and it can be very hard to cope with. When burnout does
eventually happen, school is not the singular cause of it. It can be a product of an unhealthy
balance between school, work and home life. If something is causing an excess amount of stress
or all three are, it can be hard to keep a level head and most times, it is easier to just want to give
up.
However, there are a few different ideas on how to cope with academic burnout and get
out on the other end in one piece. A very good rule of thumb about burnout or any situation
similar for that matter, is to always remember to drink water. Staying hydrated is important in
any type of setting such as this.
Secondly, if you ever start feeling a little too overwhelmed or like the world is going to
collapse, take a break and go for a walk or just go sit outside. Take in the fresh air and try to
calm your mind from the thick of it all. It can be hard to find time to relax when everything is
piling up in front of you.
Third, if you find yourself too stuck in one spot, try to switch it up. Routines are good to
have but they can get repetitive sometimes. It can make things like going to school and then to
work and then home to study feel very stale and redundant. Instead of going home and studying,
try going to a coffee shop and studying. A change of environment can do wonders for the mind
and how it handles focus.
Lastly, when dealing with burnout, it is important to try and keep a positive mindset.
Mark Travers who is an American psychologist, says “Asking yourself direct and pertinent
questions about your own studies might seem rudimentary, but it can produce important insights
about what motivates you, what needs to change, and at what point you should pause and
recalibrate.” You want to make sure that no matter what, you remember why you are doing this.
What is driving you to be in college and to be taking this course of life? He says, “Remind
yourself of your ‘why’”. It is so important to have that goal in your mind of what you want to
come out of this.