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Thursday, March 28, 2024
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How to approach the end of the semester burnout

When we spend a semester working from deadline to deadline, worrying about the next thing on our to-do list and trying our best to be on our A-game, things can get pretty monotonous, tiring and frankly? Draining. 

Whether you’re a first semester freshman who’s just getting used to adjusting to college life or a junior who forgot what it’s like to have an almost normal semester, it’s a lot to take in. You may feel like your grades are slipping, or you just don’t have that motivation and drive like you did back in September. 

It’s hard to persevere through a long and tiring semester, but what’s important to remember is that you aren’t alone in your feelings. Everyone is ultimately trying their best, finding their own ways to cope through any adversity and burnout they may be personally experiencing. Here are a few ways to accept, approach and tackle your burnout. 

1. Try not to be so hard on yourself

Talking down on yourself isn’t going to help you when you are already in a drained headspace. I always like to think of the analogy that if you were a personal trainer, you would not use insults to motivate someone to push themselves harder. You would use encouraging, positive words to motivate yourself through trying times. Expanding beyond yourself, it is necessary to surround yourself with uplifting and supportive people who are working toward their own goals. If we all work together, things will feel just a bit easier. 

2. Channel your energy into a different hobby or passion

Considering self-care is imperative in times of stress. When we are really focused on something that is bringing us anxiety, our vision can get clouded. Other aspects of our life may feel unimportant or secondary. However, we physically and mentally benefit from actions like exercising, mindfulness and relaxing. Finding a friend to go to the gym with and doing exercises you actually enjoy are proven to boost endorphins. Delving into new hobbies, such as art, a new sport or journaling can move your mind into a better place that focuses on something besides your stressors. Sometimes, we just need to not think about the very thing we think is all-important at the time, especially when considering ourselves in the long run. 

3. Revamp your motivation 

It’s easy to get lost in the endless work, and you often forget why you initially even started. It is necessary that we remind ourselves why we must keep trying our best. Every person’s goals are different , and we all have various things that are keeping us racing to the finish line. You may want to get into a certain school, maintain a scholarship or just prove to yourself that you can keep your grades up. Whatever it may be, motivate yourself with whatever it is that initially drove you in the beginning.

No matter whatever is bringing you down, making you feel overwhelmed or creating stress in your life, it’s critical to keep yourself in mind. We all have differing priorities and motivations, and these tips can be implemented in individual, unique ways to keep yourself in mind. It can be difficult in the first place, but hopefully these tips will help you find your “why.”

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