What is Burnout and What are its Signs? By Chloe Paris Ford
Sometimes life can get busy and we don’t always realize that we aren’t taking care of ourselves as we should. When we get overworked and feel constantly overwhelmed in our lives it can lead to chronic stress. Further leading to “burnout,” which in turn has many negative effects on our mental health and our ability to function daily. Burnout can be defined as “a psychological syndrome emerging as a prolonged response to chronic interpersonal stressors.” (Maslach & Leiter 2016). There are different dimensions to burnout: (1) exhaustion, (2) cynicism, and (3) inefficacy. Each of these encompass the signs and symptoms of burnout.
The different signs of burnout include physical, emotional and behavioral signs. Some physical signs are:
Headaches
Stomachaches/intestinal issues
Fatigue
Frequent illness
Changes in appetite/sleep.
Some emotional signs are:
Helplessness
Cynicism
Sense of failure or self-doubt
Decreased satisfaction
Feeling detached or alone in the world
Loss of motivation.
Some behavioral signs are:
Reduced performance in everyday tasks
Withdrawal or isolation
Procrastination
Outbursts
Using substances to cope.
(Queensland Government 2021)
All of these add to not being able to function in daily life and poor outcomes (whether it be poor academic performance, or poor health overall). If you ever feel like you are burnout it’s important to seek out mental health professionals!
The Relationship Between Stress and Burnout: Students' Perspectives by Christina Dinh
As the dreaded finals season approaches us, stress is almost inevitable for us college students! With paper deadlines and final exams looming along with other responsibilities, it is no surprise that stress and burnout are occurring among students. The World Health Organization classifies burnout as “resulting from workplace stress that has not been successfully managed” (Abramson 2022) which shows that stress and burnout have an intricate relationship. For college students, burnout proves to be counterproductive as it can lead to even more stress. In addition to a loss of social functioning and appetite, burnout affects college students because it can lead to a disinterest and motivation in one’s coursework which can then lead to even more stress than what was already originally there.
Online studies also present some difficulties in terms of generating burnout. Due to the environment that online learning has, with long lectures, using online forums such as Canvas and email to communicate with professors and other students, and juggling various assignments can lead to burnout because of how much students have to tackle and balance (Curtis 2021). Although this form of education depends on being online, using technology, and staring at a screen all day, it is still necessary for students to take a step back, to go outside and participate in real world activities away from their computer and away from their digital devices because of how connected their studies and digital devices are which in turn lead to stress and burnout. In addition, because of how widespread online learning is, it is quite tempting to go to lectures while eating dinner or even thinking about assignments while out shopping with friends which poses more risks for burnout. Therefore, setting a learning environment only to be used for online learning is key in this instance. Every 5 to 10 minutes, just stepping away from the screen and walking around, looking, or going outside helps alleviate stress immensely.
In addition, another component of stress and its relationship to burnout is the fact that students do not always know what is the reason for their stress (Curtis 2021). As college students, so many things are occurring which is why it is necessary to reflect and tackle the problem head-on by figuring out what is the most stressful and implementing the coping mechanisms we will cover in the next section to combat it. Given how busy college students are, they may not always be aware of them being burnt out and think that stress is normal. However, we at WISE reiterate that stress and burnout conflict with overall wellness! So, if you feel more irritable or disinterested than usual, you may be dealing with burnout along with other cardinal signs as we discussed in the first section of this blog post.
Lastly, you are not alone. There is help out there which we will note below. The college student experience may be isolating but you can combat burnout and stress with the help of those around you and also professionals. Burnout is also temporary and with the use of self-care and the other coping mechanisms we will discuss in the next section, you will beat the burnout. In the midst of stress and burnout, it is hard to self-reflect as there may be a lot of uncomfortable feelings and uncertainties but it is necessary to reflect on what you and your mind along with your body need to slowly heal from burnout. As college students, the world is your oyster and you may feel academically driven to succeed and pursue achievement but your health is the utmost priority as a healthy mind and body proves to provide the body with the strength and motivation to go.
RESOURCES
Tips for Dealing with Burnout by Hannah Cericos
With burnout being a very real thing students deal with, learning how to cope with it is very necessary in a college student's life.
Dealing with burnout though is not typically easy. As said above, there are many symptoms that academic burnout can bring out. In knowing the symptoms, one would be able to navigate their way out of burnout as well as try to prevent experiencing it.
In dealing with student burnout, we first must go over the steps in how to address it.
Below is an outline step by step on how to confront burnout in a healthy manner (EduMed)
Step 1: What is causing the burnout?
First, finding the source of the burnout is very important in knowing what you’ll need to do after. Once you find the source, you will also be able to ultimately work towards dealing with the source in a more healthy manner to prevent burnout.
Step 2: What needs changing?
Once the source is found, one needs to also navigate what may need changing. Understanding your burnout to its fullest will make the steps in confronting it
Step 3: Baby Steps
Using baby steps to work towards coming out of burnout will help you prevent extra unnecessary stress. Burnout is unable to be changed overnight. Working towards the goal of fixing burnout can be seen as using baby steps of eating healthy foods, going outside more often, getting proper sleep and participating in physical and mental health exercises.
Step 4: Take a break
Give yourself a break and take a step back. Taking time for yourself will help you rejuvenate as well as figure out a game plan in working towards improving your feelings of burnout.
Step 5: Change up your routine
Finally, in confronting and addressing the issues of burnout comes the outcome of the necessary change that needs to be made. Changing routines and working towards a healthier lifestyle is the final step in dealing with burnout.
Once able to confront burnout, working on the baby steps and new changes is also seen as important and necessary to navigate towards one’s well being.
Here are a few tips to promote your well being and work towards a healthier routine (University of the People)
Make time for enjoyable activities - Promote positivity and a more optimistic self by taking part in activities you enjoy and are interested in. This will bring more positivity in your life and mindset to lessen feelings of burnout.
Create boundaries - Taking time to rest and relax when needed such as putting your phone at Do not Disturb or keeping any electronics and distractions kept away for a time being keep you also in check to prioritize your health and well-being. Self care is the best care.
Keep open communication - Developing great communication as well as relationships with your professors and peers will help make school not feel so much as a chore yet an enjoyable activity to socialize and feel comfortable in.
Work on your time management - Balancing many responsibilities can be overwhelming. Managing your time and organizing your tasks can help minimize the stress the responsibilities may bring.
Reduce stress - As burnout brings stress upon students, managing stress is very important in coping with burnout. Try exercising or going outside to obtain sunlight.
Burnout has been affecting students at an epidemic rate. Being proactive in managing stress, time and promoting healthy habits, can ultimately help cope and even prevent feelings of burnout.
As final season approaches and the holidays, WISE wishes you the best of luck and health. Remember, a well student is a well human first and foremost. Therefore, please make sure to take care of yourself throughout the exams as well as the holidays. We wish you happy holidays and best wishes!
REFERENCES
Ambramson, A. (2022). Burnout and stress are everywhere. Monitor on Psychology, 53(1), 72.
Curtis, K. (2021). Beating burnout: An online survival guide for college students. EduMed.
Maslach C. & Leiter, M. (2016). Understanding the burnout experience: recent research and its implications for psychiatry.
Queensland Government. (2021.) Signs you might be experiencing a burnout and how to regain balance in your life.
University of the People. (2022). Academic Burnout: How to prevent it and what to do when you have it.
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