As a college student who goes to school full time and also has two part-time jobs that amount to having a full-time job, life can get tough real fast. It's easy to want to do your absolute best at everything, like exams, deadlines, projects, you name it. When you do your best at everything all the time, there will come a point where you crash and feel exhausted. You'll feel that you cannot do anything, and that, my friends, is called burnout.
Burnout is a term that hasn't been used much until recently. According to Urban Dictionary, it's "a state of emotional and physical exhaustion caused by a prolonged period of stress and frustration." Unfortunately, I have been dealing with burnout in the past couple of days. It happens to me about once a semester. Here are some tips on how I manage to overcome burnout.
Don't wait until the last minute to do anything
I am very guilty of procrastinating and it has always ended badly for me because it makes me more stressed. Try to plan everything ahead and write out what is due and when its due. You can do this by having a physical planner or by using iCal, Google Calendar, or Google Tasks. These things have helped me in the process of keeping up with my tasks and schedules.
Try a social media cleanse
We are all consumed with social media. It's the reason why we compare ourselves to others and try to do the absolute best. I know I do this all the time; I compare myself too much, which tires me out in the long run and brings down my self-esteem. By doing a social media cleanse, you will realize how much aimlessly scrolling just takes up the majority of your day, and instead, you can focus on all of your other tasks.
Get some exercise
It wasn't until this year that I started incorporating working out into my busy schedule. Honestly, it has helped me tremendously. I try to go about three times a week. It gives me the opportunity to get my mind off all of the tasks I have ahead. It works out my body and not my mind, which is needed. Another thing that is related to exercise that you can try is meditation. Meditation helps clear your mind as well and clears your anxiety and stress.
Take a break
I cannot stress this enough, with all of the above tips, this is the most important. Make time for yourself. Give yourself a weekend where you are not focused on school or work. Last week, I went on a mini road trip for the weekend with friends and it gave me the opportunity to take a step back to just breathe and enjoy life. I think of it as being a fresh start. When I don't have the time to take a weekend off, I take my dog on walks or something simple for myself. Even just relaxing and watching Netflix can help you restart fresh. Things like this are what can help you keep going.
