It’s that time of year again! Winter is coming, meaning every high school senior is thinking about one thing right now: University. Between cramming for upcoming tests and preparing for graduation, you’re likely struggling with your OUAC login and understanding how to apply to schools. While I also hope that you’re attending university/college tours and program fairs, there is one thing that those introductions to “the real uni experience” fail to mention. It’s not how to manage your ever-lengthy list of assignments, how to make friends in a class of hundreds, it’s not even telling you about the best bagel spot on campus (it's Common Ground)!
It's burnout. It’s not a monster in the closet; it’s genuine for many students over the winter months and throughout the school year. The term itself paints a pretty accurate picture if you're unfamiliar with burnout. Imagine a lit candle; over time, it begins to melt (entirely normal for any average candle) until there is no wick left and the flame is snuffed out. Burnout can make you feel identical to that candle, and whether you know you’ve burnt out before or not, I guarantee that everyone you know has gone through it.
You’ll manage a ton of new experiences as a freshman while adjusting to the school workload. Personally, burnout tends to invade my organized, peaceful routine when the winter stretch begins in November. This is when midterms have just finished, and you have to keep chugging until winter break. Most people are nervous about getting their midterm grades back, feel overwhelmed with work they might have procrastinated, and are generally too tired to maintain healthy habits until the holidays. Before I scare you off and you revoke all of your applications, I want to explicitly say that although this seems scary, there’s nothing to be afraid of. This is because even if you do burnout, it is entirely normal and not the end of the world, even if it might feel like it. Throughout this post, I want to outline my experience with it in my first year and my best tips for recovering from when I burn out.
Before I start, there is nothing shameful, weird, or embarrassing about feeling burnt out. You won’t be branded with a scarlet “A” if you share this with someone, and I encourage you to do so. That was one of the main drivers in my feeling better! Now let’s get into the real meat and potatoes of what you want to read.
During my first year, I was trying to juggle being an off-campus freshman with my studies and maintaining personal wellness. As September progressed, I found my groove and was happy with where I was regarding schoolwork, friends, and everything in between (as I’m sure you will be too). Although, in between planning what I would make for dinner and finishing all my assignments, I slowly started to make less and less time to do things that prioritized my mental health as the weeks went on. Eventually, I reached a point where I could manage the first two, but I had finally sacrificed the third. For me, this happened after reading week at the end of October; I was missing my family, having a hard time with midterms, and on top of all that, it was getting dark early (everyone’s least favourite thing about winter)!
One afternoon, after a while of struggling, I reached my breaking point and decided I needed to do something to make my day-to-day sustainable again. I called my parents and was completely honest about how I felt. In the long run, that was the best thing I could have done at that moment. After talking with them, I came to an important realization; that I couldn’t do it all!
As people, we’re naturally programmed to sympathize with the struggles of others while conveniently forgetting that we also have some ourselves! After gaining that perspective, I could understand my feelings without experiencing guilt or feeling like I was a “bad student.”
Coming to that conclusion was an important one, and I believe the faster we learn to be kinder to ourselves in times of (and without) change, the better off we are in the short and long term. As you venture into new learning experiences next year (and even now), please remember not to be so harsh on yourself; it makes a world of difference! Now that you’re familiar with my experience with burnout, I want to hop into some of the signs that it’s going to/already happening and my top tips for moving out of it.
1. You’re insanely tired! Even when you get to bed on time, you feel like a zombie every day. As a result, you struggle to complete your daily routine and commitments.
2. When interacting with friends or family, you have a nagging, panicked feeling that you’re slacking off by chatting with them, even when you’re supposed to be chilling out.
3. You feel like you’re drowning in schoolwork and can never keep up! Your motivation to put effort into your assignments or study for tests is taking a hit beyond the norm, and your grades suffer because of it.
4. You feel stuck in a loop and can’t escape all the negative feelings you’re experiencing. Like the candle analogy, you’re snuffed out and feel there’s nothing you can do about it.
5. You have the “just keep swimming” mentality. You find yourself pushing through the week, thinking that you can keep working until the weekend, then you’ll relax.
Okay, that’s a lot to unpack. Those are some, but not all, of the leading indicators of fast-approaching burnout. I hope you can use them to guide yourself out of a situation where burnout feels nearby. You might be asking yourself, “but how will I do that?” well, whether you resonate with some of those points, all of them, or maybe even none of them, I’m going to give you some lifesavers to move out of burnout that are also helpful with many other aspects of life.
People - Whether you’re a social butterfly or not, having people to talk to about how you feel is productive because it helps to destigmatize burnout and other symptoms of worn mental health. As I mentioned earlier, taking the step to call someone I trusted and explain how I felt was the first step in realizing I was burnt out and doing something to change that. Although if you don’t feel comfortable talking to others about something like this, keeping a journal achieves the same goal; you can get your feelings out at the moment and reflect on your growth in the future.
Physical self-care - Although it sounds cliché, in reality, the little relaxation you get when putting on a face or hair mask can help calm you down at the moment and build your confidence in the long run. Especially during the high-stress exam season, never underestimate the value and power of taking a few minutes to make yourself look and feel good.
Music - Putting on your favourite song or playlist is always a surefire way to bring something positive into that moment of stress. Even dancing around your room or singing like you’re on your tenth world tour might seem silly, but it can help lighten your mood quicker than you can search “All Too Well.”
Environment - Getting a change of scenery can work wonders when we have negative feelings associated with a space; if a room feels like it’s closing in on you, don’t be afraid to pick up and leave the area and those negative thoughts behind. Going somewhere you enjoy and taking a break before choosing your next steps will help you pivot to a more positive frame of mind.
Positive spaces - While this may seem similar to the previous point, creating a positive environment is slightly different. Instead, you are actively changing the room instead of physically moving. This is especially helpful if you want to create a clean slate out of a space that you’ve burnt out in and now holds a lot of negative feelings. Making your bed, lighting a candle, redecorating, or even throwing clothes into the laundry are all simple examples of how you can transform the space.
Hobbies - A more common technique but one we tend to forget in the hustle and bustle of everyday life is to take time and do what we like! When working through something we don’t enjoy, we often tend to get tunnel vision and forget all the other aspects of life we are good at and enjoy. Using the break time in your study or work schedule is a great way to lift your mood while doing something more positive than scrolling aimlessly on your phone and losing track of time.
Memories - One of the most powerful techniques I prefer to use to maintain resilience and a positive attitude when I feel burnout approaching is reflecting on good memories. This technique doesn't mean that your current life stage isn’t valuable, but it highlights the opposite! By thinking about a fun day with friends or family, a unique adventure you’ve been on, or an achievement you’re proud of, you’re actively reminding yourself that positive things are always nearby! This is perfect for boosting your motivation or remedying the feeling of being stuck in a negative loop of emotions. I would highly recommend giving it a try!
Even though these ideas might not seem like they would help you recover from burnout right off the hop, the most important concept here is to stop and listen to yourself. If you feel overwhelmed but push those feelings aside, you’re actively building a habit that weakens your current and future ability to overcome challenges. Positive tips for building resilience in terms of burnout do not involve forcing through stressful situations; work smarter, not harder. Take the time to listen to your mind and body.
I hope that by sharing my experience with burnout and my tips for growing through it, you can understand that it’s nothing to be ashamed of and that things get better! I hope you take whatever resonated with you from this post and use it to protect your mental health, whether you’re facing burnout or not.
Stay well, everyone!
Kristina Kalonomos
Second-year Life Sciences Student