Mental Health Check: Recognizing Burnout
Written by Rita Jabbour
@_ritajabbour
Thumbnail Photo by Anthony Tran on Unsplash
Now that midterms are over and we’ve all spent a decent amount of time stressing about them, it’s essential to check in with ourselves before it’s time to start studying for finals. A critical step in maintaining your mental health is remembering to pause frequently to evaluate your wellbeing. Assignments, quizzes, exams, and other tasks can all pile up and leave you feeling overwhelmed, exhausted, fed up, and unable to complete the work. You are likely to become pretty stressed when that happens. Stress experienced in excess and for an extended period of time can lead to burnout. But what is burnout? How can you recognize it in yourself? And most importantly, what should you do about it?
What is Burnout?
Burnout results from excessive and prolonged stress and is identified by extended signs of mental, emotional, and physical fatigue or exhaustion. It is usually the outcome of being overworked and feeling stressed about completing specific tasks and responsibilities. Thus, someone with burnout could feel emotionally drained, less energetic, and constantly overwhelmed, all of which limit the ability to maintain a decent performance at school or work and may leave them unable to keep up with tasks and requirements. Additionally, unlike anxiety, which is often characterized by high levels of engagement with others, burnout is characterized by lower levels of engagement and even complete disengagement from other people and responsibilities. This can lead people with burnout to feel disconnected or out of place in familiar environments. Despite the distinctiveness of the two, burnout and anxiety, as well as other mental illnesses, may often be comorbid. So an individual experiencing a certain mental illness may be more prone to feel burned out.
Photo by Anthony Tran on Unsplash
What are some of the symptoms?
Despite it being a discouraging state, burnout can be overcome by recognizing the symptoms, if you exhibit any, and taking the necessary steps to address them. Here are 10 common and identifiable symptoms of burnout:
Continuous exhaustion. If you are normally an energetic and upbeat person who has been feeling more drained than usual, you could be experiencing burnout. Pay attention to how you feel throughout an average day to determine whether you are excessively mentally, emotionally, and/or physically exhausted.
Frequent headaches. Having headaches when you are not experiencing any other medical issues can be an indicator of burnout. Try to make note of every time you have a headache over a given period of time, such as a week, to see if these headaches result from prolonged stress that you’ve been feeling.
Limited concentration. Another sign of burnout can be a decreased attention span in everyday activities like attending a lecture, watching a movie/show, or having a conversation.
Change in sleeping or eating habits. Changes in sleeping or eating are common when you are stressed. However, suppose you notice drastic changes in your sleeping habits, like experiencing insomnia (difficulty sleeping) or hypersomnia (oversleeping), or your eating habits, like binge eating or not eating enough. In either case, you may be going through a period of burnout.
Loss of motivation. Feelings of helplessness and a lack of motivation to complete tasks, go to school/work, participate in any social interactions, or do the things you usually enjoy can all be indicators of burnout.
Negative outlook. When experiencing burnout, you may suddenly find yourself being increasingly cynical or expecting negative outcomes from everyday events and experiences. If you are someone who is typically cheerful or not pessimistic, you would likely notice this change in your attitude.
Feeling detached. You may feel as though you no longer belong within any group or that you are increasingly lonely. Brought on by burnout, these feelings could mean that you no longer feel connected to the things that once made you feel happy, like hobbies or other people’s company.
Withdrawing from responsibilities. This is an important symptom since burnout results from the stress that accompanies responsibilities. You can recognize this in yourself if you are constantly avoiding attending classes, doing your assignments, and studying for quizzes. Withdrawing from responsibilities at home, work, or with friends is also part of this symptom.
Social isolation. Burnout often leads to the avoidance of social interactions and isolating yourself to the comfort of your room or house. This social isolation frequently includes reduced communication with friends and family members. If you notice that you are suddenly feeling more comfortable on your own and would rather spend all your time alone, you may just be burnt out.
Not taking care of yourself. Burnout can stop you from paying attention to your physical and psychological health. This is a critical symptom because it can lead to the most mental and physical harm. If you have not been exercising as often, eating minimally, barely sleeping, and overworking yourself to meet deadlines and submit assignments, then take it as a sign that you are not taking care of yourself properly.
How should you deal with burnout?
Now that the symptoms that may accompany a state of burnout have been identified, you should be glad to know that you have accomplished the first step in conquering burnout. The most important step is awareness; by taking a moment to think about your recent behaviour and attitude, you are becoming more conscious of your mental health. The next step is to address your symptoms of burnout.
Here are 7 things you can do to reduce your burnout:
Exercise. You’ve undoubtedly heard it a million times, but it’s true: exercising reduces stress and helps in dealing with burnout. Even if you feel drained and lazy, there are easy ways to be physically active. For example, you can take a walk around campus during your breaks, take a drop-in group fitness class at the Homburg Centre for Health & Wellness, or even put a song on to dance to in your room for a few minutes. No matter what kind of exercise seems appealing to you, aim for a minimum of 20 minutes of exercise a day.
Unplug. Whenever you feel that burnout is taking a significant toll on you, try to unplug from your devices and social media and look for something else to do instead. Social media may suggest unrealistic expectations of productivity. Excessive social media use may lead to burnout if you are unable to differentiate between what is realistically applicable and what is exaggerated online. Technology use overall can have a negative effect on functionality and sociability, so make sure to limit device time as well.
Meditate. Whether it’s doing some yoga, doing mindful breathing through the Headspace app, or just journaling, try to find a meditation technique that suits you to help you decompress and calm your mind. Participating in any kind of meditation, even for a few minutes a day, can make you feel more at ease and reduce the feeling of being overwhelmed, allowing you to get back to studying with a clear and focused mentality.
Do something creative. Following up on the last idea, finding something creative to do might prove to be helpful and even relaxing. Try colouring, drawing, writing in a journal, or anything else that wakes your creative side up. Engaging in creative activities is immersive in nature and has been found to have similar calming effects as meditation.
Take productive breaks. Unfortunately, even feeling burnt out is not an excuse to stop studying and working on assignments. So, remember that taking a short break every 60-90 minutes can relax your mind and result in you coming back to your work feeling refreshed and able to perform more effectively. However, it’s important not to get sucked into doing distracting things that move your focus away from studying. In your breaks, aim to do little productive tasks like making your bed or going for a short walk.
Take a step back and reprioritize. Usually when you’re feeling burnt out, it’s because of the tasks you’ve been assigned for school or work. Take a moment to think about your priorities; keep only the urgent and important tasks at the top of your daily list while re-thinking other activities or events that are less important yet are time-and energy-consuming.
And finally, check out campus resources. There are plenty of mental health resources on SMU campus that you can benefit from. You can see a counsellor at the Counselling Centre (or visit their page on the SMU Website for more information), meet with a peer supporter, or even check out some of the resources like Therapy Assistance Online and Healthy Minds NS. Even if you think you wouldn’t benefit from any of these resources, you may be surprised to discover that one of these is actually effective in helping you to manage your anxiety or burnout.
Burnout can be very prevalent among university students because of the intense workload and constant expectations, leading to excessive stress and feelings of being overworked. We all go through phases of anxiety when a lot is happening around us and we feel we are unable to catch up with everything, and that’s normal. We are only human and can not be expected to keep track of everything and everyone all the time, including our education. So, prioritize taking a moment to check in with yourself. If you do feel like you are experiencing burnout after an extended period of consistent study, be sure to change up your routine, re-evaluate your priorities, move around, and take a well-deserved break before you dive back into studying for finals. Always remember that there are lots of resources you can reach out to if you ever feel like things are taking a turn for the worse. It’s never too late to start paying attention to your mental health!