BURNOUT
This week my focus is on a very important topic that affects all of us from time to time. Burnout is real and it is draining. The Harvard Business Review posted an excellent article about burnout that clearly defines what it is and some of the factors we should look out for and what should we do to build back up from it. In an article written by Monique Valcour she says ‘Stress is a fact of professional life, but extreme and unrelenting pressures can lead to the debilitating state we call burnout. Three symptoms characterize burnout: exhaustion; cynicism, or distancing oneself from work; and inefficacy, or feelings of incompetence and lack of achievement.’

Have you been working too hard for the past few months? Does it feel like the assignments and quizzes never ends? Do you feel tired all the time? Does it feel as though you just can’t get out of bed in the mornings? Are you getting enough sleep? If you answer yes to any of these questions then you can probably tick box number one.

Normally at this time of the school year with exams just around the corner students get tired. You have been pushing really hard throughout the school year trying to make sure that you stay on top of your work. There have been quizzes to study for. Homework to do. Extra classes to attend. Extra-curricular activities to be a part of. The finish line is not too far away and it is the last few miles of the marathon that are really the hardest.

Cynicism is also an indicator of burnout. Are all of your assignments done? Are you up to date with your work? There are subjects that you like and those that you do not like, are you giving them all enough attention? Are you developing a sense of distance from your work? It is a natural human reaction when we are on the road to burnout. It is not that we are lazy or uncommitted we just need to take a break from it and come back to it a little bit later.

The final indicator is the sense of not being good enough. Did you not get the grade you were hoping for in your last test? Are things becoming a bit too much for you right now? Did you do your best? In reality we did our best with what we had at the time. And there is nothing wrong with that. You can only do your best you can’t do more than that.
So then, supposed we have ticked all three boxes and we are in a state of burnout. What should we do to fix it?

There are four suggestions from the article:
Prioritize self care, Shift your perspective, Reduce exposure to stressors and Seek out connections.
Self care means what it says. You have to take care of yourself first. You have to rest, eat well, get enough sleep and do things that make you happy and you have fun doing. Maybe its playing basketball with some friends or going to get your favourite fast food. Forget about the calories. Did it make you feel good? Savour the feeling. Build your soul back up. In my next post I will expand on the other three remedies. But for today, be encouraged, you are a good student and you should be proud of yourself.

Amen.