With everything going on, there is a higher chance you may face academic burnout. What is academic burnout you may ask? Burnout is an exhaustion that can last for days to months. In this case, there’s no motivation to do any work academically. You feel like the work you attempt to put in is useless, your attention decreases to new material, and every day feels like you’re dragging along. It’s not stress or depression but, it can lead to mental health issues like anxiety. Stress is a bit different because of the fact that it’s temporary, and you can identify the cause quicker. Depression exhibits as a major disinterest in hobbies or activities and sadness.

How can I prevent burnout? Well, it’s inevitable in times like this. Being stuck in a pandemic is not an easy endeavor. Although, I can give you tips to help reduce that debilitating feeling and how to manage workload.

• Set aside time to enjoy yourself! Take a break and relax. Get going on your favorite hobbies or even start a hobby. It can be a quick few minutes of drawing or listening to music.
• Move around! If you can, try to exercise. Setting aside time take a quick walk can be very helpful to clear your mind.
• Go outside and breathe! Getting fresh air is very good for your mental and physical health. If it’s rainy out, open a window and enjoy the cool rain breeze.
• Talk to friends! It’s always good to talk to a close friend. If they want, rant with them about how stressful school is, it can help with the frustration. Try to meet up with them, safely of course, and spend some time together.
• Try to avoid procrastination! It can be a deadly trap to fall into. If you procrastinate long enough, work will pile up and lead to burnout. Remember, it’s only going to hurt you in the long run if you wait to do things last minute. Trust me I know from personal experience.
• Manage your workload! Try to dice up long assignments. Do parts of it and then move to the smaller assignments to get out of the way. If a long assignment has 4 pages, go for two and then do one-two shorter assignments.

It’s important to recognize the symptoms like physical/mental exhaustion, alienating yourself, and a reduction in work performance. Also, please remember that this article is not meant as a diagnostic. If you feel symptoms very similar to what I listed, reach out to a guidance counselor and/or medical professional.