How to Recover From Student Burnout

89% of American workers say they have experienced burnout at some point in the last year. Yet, work is not the only place where burnout can happen. This condition can also happen to high school and college students.

Students may toss around the word in a casual way, but burnout is anything but normal. If you don't acknowledge the severity of your student burnout symptoms, they can lead to mental and physical health complications.

Overachievers like the members of the Honor Society are at an even higher risk of suffering from symptoms of burnout. This is especially possible when transitioning from high school to university-level courses.

Are you dealing with burnout? If so, you are probably looking for ways to recover. Keep reading this guide to learn about the top signs of burnout, what causes them, and how to feel better without sacrificing your grades.

What Is Burnout?

Burnout is a form of mental and physical exhaustion. It is not a diagnosable mental or physical health condition. But leaving burnout untreated can lead to physical symptoms like colds or mental health symptoms like depression.

The most dangerous thing about burnout is that it's like a frog in boiling water. If you put a frog into boiling water, it'll jump out. But if you put a frog in warm water and turn the temperature up gradually, it doesn't perceive the danger.

Similarly, burnout happens progressively. As stress piles on top of stress, you will feel increasingly exhausted. Your symptoms may start small, but over time, you'll start feeling worse and worse, eventually leading to a breakdown.

Types of Burnout

There are multiple types of burnout, including:

• Burnout from feeling overloaded
• Burnout from feeling under-challenged
• Burnout from feeling underappreciated or neglected

Students can experience all three types of burnout at different points in their lives. However, overload burnout is arguably the most common type of burnout high school and college students experience.

Overload burnout happens when you have to put in more and more effort to achieve the results you want. Many times, this hard work forces you to neglect your own health and the health of your relationships.

What Causes Burnout?

Stress is the main cause of academic burnout and other types of burnout. The more prolonged and excessive the stress, the more likely it is to lead to burnout.

Other causes of burnout include unmanageable workloads, unfair treatment, confusing responsibilities, lack of communication, lack of support, and feeling pressured to meet deadlines.

What Are the Signs of Burnout?

If you have one or more of the following symptoms, you may be experiencing burnout:

• Feeling exhausted
• Feeling overwhelmed
• Feeling emotionally drained
• Not being able to keep up with your schoolwork
• Reduced productivity
• Reduced performance
• Feeling hopeless
• Feeling cynical
• Feeling resentful

Watching out for these signs and addressing them early is critical for preventing a breakdown. But even if you don't catch them early, there are ways to recover from burnout and prevent it from happening in the future.

How to Recover From Student Burnout

There is no official treatment for burnout. But the good news is that you can recover from your symptoms without seeing a doctor. Here are our top three tips for how to fix burnout once and for all.

Take Care of Yourself

The symptoms of burnout can make you feel awful. That's why the first step to feeling better is to take some time out for self-care. But self-care does not mean shopping for a new bag or taking a bubble bath.

Instead, focus on the healthy habits that truly contribute to your mental and physical health. Get enough sleep, eat a diet rich in nutrients, drink plenty of water, exercise when you can, and stay active when you can't work out.

We also recommend incorporating mindfulness into your daily return. A quick mindfulness exercise a day can help you re-focus on yourself and how you feel in the moment.

Build Your Resilience

If you want to learn how to prevent burnout from rearing its ugly head in the future, it's critical to improve your resilience. Burnout happens because of excessive, chronic stress. Resilience can help you better deal with it.

One way to build resilience is with a solid support system. Talk to your family, friends, and peers about your experience. If you don't have a trusted support system, you can speak to a therapist for professional support.

Another way to build resilience to chronic stress is to expose yourself to more acute stressors. For example, you can take a roller coaster ride or take a cold shower. These activities may be just what you need to avoid burnout forever.

Do a Relaxing Activity

Another essential activity for preventing future burnout is learning how to relax. And by relax, we don't mean hanging out in front of the TV or doom-scrolling on TikTok. Instead, pick up a healthy, relaxing activity.

Meditate, learn yoga, or try tai chi. If you are more of a creative type, incorporate journaling or sketching into your relaxation activity. These exercises can help you de-stress after a demanding school week.

Doing a relaxing activity you truly love can also be a coping mechanism. When you start to feel over-stressed about an upcoming exam, put your work aside for a few minutes and relax with your new activity.

Network With Other Students Experiencing Burnout

Student burnout is no joke. Take your symptoms seriously and use these tips for recovery to avoid hitting a roadblock with your performance and productivity. That way, you can continue being the overachiever you are.

Are you searching for an academic society where you can network with students like you? Honor Society is the largest and most inclusive professional network. Join us today to get the peer support you need to thrive.