What is Academic Burnout, and How to Avoid It? | Wow Essays Tips

Academic burnout is a prolonged disorder characterized by exhaustion that affects the ability and motivation related to study. In addition to causing academic underachievement, it can physically and mentally affect other aspects of life.

You have likely heard about burnout syndrome since it is a disorder that only last year (2019) was included in the list of conditions recognized by the World Health Organization; however, it is usually only famous when it is related to work, but not when it affects students.

If you want to know more about this syndrome and how you can prevent it, continue reading this article by wowessays writers.

What is it, and what are the symptoms?

Academic burnout is emotional and physical exhaustion in the daily activities related to study, which can severely affect your health.

It is not something momentary or temporary but a long-term and continuous burnout. This disorder affects the individual’s physical, mental, and emotional parts.

The most common symptoms of this type of burnout are:

- Feeling continuous exhaustion (no matter how much sleep is given).

- Increased tension in the body can lead to headaches, muscle aches, or jaw pains.

- Feeling isolated.

- No motivation to do any academic activity.

- Stress-related illnesses and exhaustion.

- Not feeling encouraged to participate in or comment on anything related to studies.

- Anxiety or depression.

- Lack of creativity and desire to carry out projects or written work.

- Feeling irritable and lashing out at others.

- Loss of confidence in academic abilities.

- Feeling disappointed, bored, or discouraged with academic or leisure activities that you used to enjoy.

- Failure to meet deadlines for all assignments (papers, exams, workshops, registration, term papers, etc.).

- Inability to concentrate in classes, lectures, readings, and group work, among others.

Why does it happen, and why don’t all students suffer from it?

Academic burnout syndrome is associated with how people are emotionally prepared for the activities at school or university, how they learn to deal with stress and the number of activities or responsibilities they are in charge of.

In college, students often feel a great deal of pressure to integrate into this new environment over which they have the power to decide for themselves what activities they will be involved in. So much can be on offer that some are burdened with more than they can handle, leading to stress, guilt, and emotional burdens.

The concept of the “good student” is sometimes interpreted as those who excel in various academic activities, in student groups, who have an active social life, which enroll over credits, who are independent, and who also have a job. This idea of “being able to do everything alone” and “in parallel” results in wear and tear over time because this personal and free space is increasingly avoided.

How is it possible to know when there are too many activities?

Although there is no advisable meter of activities and the university stage meets with an important period of adolescence, it is necessary to understand on a personal level what things each person feels comfortable with and to improve the channels of communication with family, friends, and teachers to be able to consult on these issues.

It is also necessary to keep in mind that the fact of doing more activities does not have a direct impact on a better quality of these activities nor high interchange, that is, not because I do many activities I will do well in all of them, nor will I have a more positive perception of myself.

Remember that only a university program implies attending classes, doing homework, having study sessions, doing exercises, generating presentations, researching in the library, reading guides or recommended materials, and taking exams.

Being a student already involves a lot of activities, so maybe you can complement it with some sports or cultural activities at the university so that it is not too heavy.

How can it be prevented or cured?

Pay attention to the signs that appear along your student journey, as some of them may be warning signals from your body or mind in the face of progressive exhaustion.

Some good practices you can implement to avoid burnout are:

Learning to say “no.”

You may be constantly motivated by peers, professors, and other institutions to join new groups, do new activities, and even sign up for new courses or workshops. When you feel that you already have enough activities and don’t have the time to do more, it’s okay to say you can’t. We understand that you may feel sorry for not being able to do more.

We understand that maybe out of pity, you feel you don’t want to look bad, and you wouldn’t want to disappoint others, but learning to say “no” is a matter of educating yourself about your priorities and other things are incidental. This way, you can also manage your time better. Your answer will likely be, “not now, but maybe later.”

Sleep and stay awake less

Rest is necessary to regain your strength to face each new day. It is normal that during the times of final exams or in certain evaluations that we feel are more complicated, we need to stay awake a little to study more because we do not find more time available.

Check if it is possible to organize your time, and improve your weekly schedule and if there is no other option, try not to stay up so often, do not make this a continuous practice that can affect your nerves and concentration.

Be moderate

Moderation in activities is about understanding how much you can do and still enjoy it. You often start with projects with a couple of things, but they grow and reach a point where they take up a lot of your time.

When you feel that you are no longer enjoying an activity or that you should reduce the amount of work you do, it is good to analyze your options and discuss them with whoever is necessary. It will help you improve your ability to analyze your activities, your responsibility, and how you can offer solutions that contribute positively to all parties.

Find space for everything

Academic and extracurricular activities, social and family life, work, partner, and friends are all parts of your life to which you usually dedicate a certain amount of space and time.

Depending on each context and situation, getting used to this balance between what you can give to each part of your life without feeling exhausted may take some time. Always try to maintain a good rapport so that each partner understands when you cannot be available and how it is possible to find a good balance.

It is very important that between all activities, you always reserve spaces for yourself to rest, play, distract yourself, and relax.

When you need support, feel you are going through this type of situation, or want help, remember that you can attend a psychology service. There is absolutely nothing wrong with being able to talk to a mental health expert, and it can help you solve many of the problems you are going through and in which you think you are alone.