By: Abby Dizon
Next week is finals week, and you may be feeling burnt out and ready for this semester to be over. According to the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, burnout results from “emotional and physical exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress.” The key aspect of this statement is excessive and prolonged stress, which can often come from studying for many hours without adequate breaks. There are several strategies to help students avoid burnout as they push through to the end of the semester.
Book time for yourself
It is difficult to stay motivated in college when every day feels like a never-ending quest to comprehend complicated concepts in various subjects while balancing work. When weekends arrive, some students spend all of their free time studying rather than using it as an opportunity to relax. To get yourself through the academic year, plan a few events to allow a break from studying, enjoy a treat and give yourself a motivator to push through the week. Head downtown or take a weekend trip to Atlanta. Personally, I think the farther the destination, the more you are able to disconnect from college demands and give yourself a true break. Whether your plans are near or far, taking the time to disconnect and recharge can significantly enhance your ability to persevere through college without feeling burnt out.
Stick to your assignment schedule
Getting organized is the key to staying on top of your college assignments. Using a planner or other organizational tools allows you to see a clear path for the upcoming week and ensures you don’t miss deadlines. In addition to staying organized, I find it helpful to divide the workload. For instance, one of my classes recently required a 15-page paper. Instead of waiting until the last day, I broke the project down into manageable sections based on how many weeks I had left till the paper was due. By keeping myself accountable for completing each section weekly, I avoided the stress of accomplishing the assignment at the last minute. By dividing the workload and sticking to the segmented schedule, you make the process less stressful and more manageable.
Take the first step towards action
During college, I found myself constantly overthinking pending assignments. Every day, I would analyze what assignments were due, yet instead of tackling them immediately, I would procrastinate. This habit led to mental exhaustion by the time I needed to work on my assignments, so I often could not complete the assignment that day. The stress of constantly thinking about them throughout the day hindered my ability to focus and be productive when I finally got around to tackling them.
The lesson I learned is that it is more beneficial to either do your homework when you first feel stressed about it or else stick to your organized schedule for completing tasks. This way, you can trust yourself to put it aside and enjoy your free time without guilt. Stressing about future assignments will only negatively impact your energy and ability to focus later.
College life can be overwhelming with the pressure to balance work, academics, a social life and a personal life. Planning events for yourself, staying organized and separating feelings of being overwhelmed from proactive action can enhance your productivity and empower you to push through the semester with success and determination.
