What It Means To Be Burnt Out | The Odyssey Online
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Health and Wellness

What It Means To Be Burnt Out

And why you shouldn't ignore it.

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What It Means To Be Burnt Out
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It was Saturday morning and I had been doing stats homework, specifically called Quantitative Politics, for the past three hours in the corner of the Starbucks on Park Avenue. The time barely scratched past 10 a.m. and there was a dull ache in my left temple. My laptop was closed, but I could hear the email notifications ping on my iPhone. I flipped over my iPhone and continued to stare at the eighth problem on my homework sheet, my brain completely blank.

I knew that the minute I left my now warm seat in the corner of this Starbucks, I would go home, change into sweatpants and lay in bed. Normally I would watch some YouTube videos or continue watching "American Horror Story," but the truth is, I wouldn't. I would roll over on my side and effortlessly stare at the blank white wall in my bedroom. One leg would be out of the covers, the other one intertwined like a rope.

If I had to say so myself, I am definitely an emotional person. I cry over simple things, even if it doesn't pertain to me, and I internalize a lot, especially those things that really are just external, not personal issues. But, even for me, I knew that what was happening to me recently wasn't just me being overly sensitive to life.

Being a junior in college with three internships, a part-time job and a love for Friday nights, I would say I am constantly busy. But I like it that way. I always have something to do, in essence, I always have a purpose.

But, then why did I stare at my stats homework for three hours on a Saturday morning, only to not complete even a single problem? Why did I not reply to several outreach emails for Spring internships? Why did I wait until hours before my ethics paper was due to get out of bed and start the first sentence? Why did I wake up an hour late for work? Why did I not have the energy to care about very important things?

I concluded, the emotional not-qualified medical professional, I was burnt out.

Burnout, or more specifically job burnout, is not uncommon, especially among the special millennials.

"Larissa Faw, a Forbes writer, claims that burnout among under-30 women is pandemic. Pointing to McKinsey research, she writes that while 53 percent of entry-level corporate jobs go to women, they make up only 37 percent of mid-management and just 26 percent go on to become vice-presidents and senior managers. Meanwhile, men are twice as likely to advance at every stage." (Learn Vest).

Telltale signs are exhaustion, lack of motivation and even cognitive effects (a.k.a. inability to pay attention). So not only can burnout stemming from your internship or intense academic path affect your ability to work or study, it can also affect every other aspect of your life.

So, now that I seem to not be able to respond to simple emails, call my mom back or do any of my homework, all things I really need to do, what can I do to get out of this burnt out stage?

For me? It's learning to say no and adjusting my personal goals for myself. And it's not just saying no to new projects and internships, it's saying no to night outs after long weeks of work. Or babysitting after working for 12 hours or going to yoga class at 8 a.m. on a Sunday.

Before you overextend yourself, try to run on four hours of sleep per night and put way too much on your plate, put your professional and academic body on a diet.

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This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
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