I've spent most of my life wondering if I'm overworking myself or just doing as much as I should - if I'm being lazy or simply need a break. I am constantly harder on myself, pushing myself to be more and more perfect. I question if I actually feel sick or am just looking for an excuse to take a day off and have trouble allowing myself to spend time with friends at the expense of my work. Recently, I've found myself wondering if I am getting close to burnout and if I am challenging myself in the right ways.

Burnout is a more long-term version of stress and anxiety that can damage your physical and mental health as well as causing negative thoughts and decisions in terms of personal and professional success. Burnout does not happen suddenly, but rather grows over a long period of time. Signs often intensify the further along burnout develops, making awareness the first step to fixing a potentially detrimental problem. Lack of sleep, lack of appetite, and feelings of depression, as well as inadequacy, are all symptoms of burnout. These extreme stresses and anxieties can also cause individuals to pull back from friends and family, which can exacerbate the problem.

Over-achievers often struggle to recognize the importance of social interaction and view it as an indulgence rather than something that helps them. In fact, positive relationships with friends and family can improve both mental and physical health. A good social life helps to reduce stress and anxiety, creating a more positive mindset. Social benefits move into physical health as well, as it has been proven that those who have better social lives live longer. Communication with others can improve self-esteem and also increase trust in those around you, which creates a positive cycle of social interaction.

As burnout progresses, it can result in abandonment of basic health needs, including eating and sleeping. In order to prevent burnout from escalating too far, individuals with a high-achieving mindset can prioritize their diet as well as getting enough sleep and sticking to a sleep schedule. People who over-stretch themselves tend to lack sleep and proper time to eat in order to pack their schedules further, which is incredibly detrimental behavior. Other basic health needs include exercise as well as time for your mind to relax and unwind. Adding these things into your schedule can both avoid the stress and anxiety that comes with burnout while making you more productive when you are working.

As college students, we are the epitome of over-scheduling and over-stressing. Between class schedules, often multiple majors, extracurriculars, future plans, and friends and family it is easy to feel overwhelmed. The danger becomes when we put so much pressure on ourselves that we come close to breaking. This puts at risk everything we are working toward as well as our own physical and mental well-being. Knowing what burnout is and recognizing signs for what they are can help us work towards a more effective way of challenging ourselves and striving for our goals.