We can all feel overwhelmed and stressed out at times in our lives especially with academic pressure and work pressure. However, if this persists and becomes overwhelming it may lead to burnout. Burnout is defined as a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and reduces personal accomplishment. It can be a difficult experience to overcome but we are here to guide and support you through identifying burnout early and managing it.
Burnout builds up slowly. Look out for these signs:
- You feel tired all the time after a full night rest
- It’s hard to focus or think clearly
- You don’t feel motivated to do uni work
- You’re feeling more emotional or annoyed
- You keep getting sick or feel run down
- Everything feels stressful or too much
- You’ve been isolating more than usual
If a few of these sound like you, it might be time for you to take a break and look after yourself.
Tips for managing burnout:
- Take regular breaks – You can use the 20-20-20 technique which is useful when spending long days on a computer. Every 20 minutes take a screen break for at least twenty seconds.
- Drink water – Ensuring you are drinking plenty of fluids is important as dehydration can contribute to burnout. According to the NHS, dehydration can make you feel dizzy and tired.
- Understand the source of your stress- It is important to be able to identify what is the source of your stress is it the workload or something else.
- Stop comparing yourself – Students have the tendency to compare themselves to others especially when it comes to grades. It’s important not to compare yourself to other students as it puts unnecessary pressure on yourself.
- Reach out- If you think you are struggling with academic burnout it is important you reach out to someone you can talk too. If you need support with your mental health do reach out to the wellbeing team.
Support Resources:
- Mind charity has useful information and advice on how to tackle burnout.
- Top universities also provides useful guidance and support on how to cope with academic burnout at University.
- Please also see attached NHS guidance on keeping well and managing stress and burnout.
- If you would like support with your wellbeing and about anything you have read, we will listen without judgement and signpost you for further support. Please do contact us on wellbeing@bpp.com