Ciara Long ’29
Staff Writer
Feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, and anxious are often seemingly common side effects of college, but in reality they can be symptoms of something worse. The majority of college students experience burnout, due to high levels of stress, difficult workloads, and perfectionism which all stem from the normalization of overworking and desire for success.
In everyday life, exhaustion is seen as a marker in how successful you are. The less sleep you get, the more time you have to study, and therefore the higher your grade point average. The more clubs and sports and classes you take, the more impressive you seem. Students strive to stand out and do well in all aspects of life, and therefore fatigue and exhaustion is the unspoken price one must pay in order to feel successful.
Though no one is seeking to be fatigued all the time and desire to feel well-rested, it seems to be the most common symptom of the hustle culture that consumes us. Burnout has been normalized to the point where if you are not working yourself to the point of collapse you feel as though you are not working hard enough. Especially on college campuses, pressure to get good grades, high expectations for oneself, and the financial stress that comes with higher education leads to increased levels of stress and therefore emotionally exhausted.
It is easy to say that these symptoms can be minimized by just taking time for yourself and stop overworking oneself. However, it is not that easy to escape the external and internal pressure to work yourself to the bone in the quest for success. Guilt seeps in when you try to get eight hours of sleep or take some time for yourself or prioritizing your mental wellbeing over your academic success. For many people it seems to be a choice between mental health or succeeding in college.
There is not a cut and dry solution for balancing work and mental wellbeing. Solutions to solve this issue online border on unrealistic. When you search how to eliminate burn out on Google the majority of websites state that to eliminate this you must sleep around eight hours a night, take time off of what is stressing you out, and to make rest a priority. However, this is not attainable to most people who have to work, study, attend classes, and maintain relationships.
Therefore, I have come to the conclusion that you must find at least one thing that you enjoy in life and make time for that. Whether it is spending time with friends, art, going out, reading, working out, or even just watching tv, try to at least save a few hours a week to do that. Whereas overwhelming stress stems from focus on future success, bringing yourself into the present and doing something that you enjoy just for the sake of enjoyment may just be a way to combat burnout. Remember that although your future does matter, that does not mean that you must sacrifice your current wellbeing.
Featured image courtesy of Full Focus
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