As a third-year engineering student, one big challenge I have experienced (even more than the tyranny of calculus) is burnout. I had always been among the top 10 students in my class during high school and had relegated burnout to something I would never experience personally. However, in university, that assumption was proven to be completely wrong, leading to a period where I was unable to concentrate on anything, be it academics, social life or extracurricular activities. That experience certainly taught me a whole lot about myself and how to be more effective and balanced as a person.
The first thing is to understand burnout. Put simply, burnout is a state of chronic and emotional exhaustion. It manifests itself as a sense of disillusionment and detachment. If left unchecked, it can lead to serious impacts on both mental and physical well-being. It can be a result of several factors, including prolonged exposure to high levels of stress, lack of proper coping mechanisms and taking on way more than what you can handle realistically.
Last year, I was taking a course load of 6 courses, being involved with four different student clubs, two of which were intensive volunteering positions and working as a resident assistant. This was way more than what I thought I could manage and led to me being completely burnt out by the winter semester. Realizing what causes burnout is essential to understanding what a challenge it can be as well as learning how to overcome it.
What burnout looks like
The next thing to understand is what burnout looks like. This can vary for each of us however, general signs of burnout include:
Physical signs:
This includes fatigue and feeling sleepy throughout the day, insomnia and changes in appetite, which can be both stress eating or not having an appetite to eat anything, both of which are harmful to our physical well-being.
Emotional Signs:
These include feeling detached from academics, work and life. It involves becoming increasingly irritable and lacking motivation to do what you love, like hitting the gym/ going out with friends and developing a sense of helplessness. These also lead to developing low self-esteem and a negative self-image.
Cognitive signs:
Reduced concentration makes it increasingly difficult to focus on day-to-day tasks and make decisions.
Behavioural changes:
These include withdrawal from your social circle, procrastination and relying more on unhealthy coping mechanisms like stress eating or playing video games all day long.
I experienced all of these and more. At the time, it felt that no matter what I did, the burnout only became worse, leading to very poor grades that semester and not being able to commit to volunteering at all – despite being passionate about it. I developed an imposter syndrome where I began to feel that I was not nearly good enough to pursue engineering as a student.
Overcoming burnout
Today I know how to identify and deal with burnout as a student. The first step to overcoming burnout is recognizing that what you are going through is certainly possible to overcome and that there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Realizing this is the hardest part of the battle.
The next thing is to start by prioritizing what matters most to you. In my case, it was salvaging my grades and breaking up this lofty goal into several smaller steps. This is key, as this makes a behemoth task look more manageable. Every time you achieve a goal, set up a personal reward system. For me, it is getting cookies and cream ice cream! Find something that brings joy to you, as it makes dealing with burnout and regaining self-confidence a much more enjoyable process.
To make this a more effective process, implementing time management strategies is needed, This is achieved by following a routine that suits you the most. For me, it meant not studying in the mornings (as I cannot study as soon as I wake up) and focusing my energy on academics in the evenings. Having a detailed calendar can keep you more focused and help you keep track of all important events coming up, like assignment submission and exam dates.
The next step is to seek support from friends, family or campus resources like the Peer Support Centre and the Dean of Students. Being more upfront with those close to you is certainly helpful, as words of encouragement play a big role in both redeveloping your self-image and overcoming burnout. Having a coffee run with your friends oftentimes is exactly what we need as university students.
The next step is not to neglect to take care of yourself. This includes eating a proper diet and incorporating some exercise into your daily routine as a way of boosting your dopamine levels healthily. Doing what makes you happy and calm is essential to overcoming burnout and being more productive and content with your life.
Maintaining a healthy balance
After overcoming burnout, the next thing I learned is how to become more resilient and not become burnt out again Developing resilience takes time and includes several things..
Developing Mindfulness:
This means being present in the current moment and not worrying about the future. This is achieved by meditating daily and reframing challenges as opportunities to grow as a person.
Positive thinking:
Focus on the optimistic parts of any situation. This is the hardest part to develop, but it helps so much to have a spirit of never giving up and combating the negative thoughts associated with burnout.
Learning to Say NO!
It was really hard for me to say no to people in the past. This is in large part because I did not know my boundaries. Setting clear boundaries involves understanding our capacity. Prioritizing who and what I want to focus my limited energy on is the next step, followed by effective self-advocacy, where you are not afraid to express your limits without fear of judgment.
Burnout is a familiar adversary. However, armed with an understanding of its nature, recognizing what burnout looks like and using the right tools, we can successfully navigate this challenge. This journey is not just about improving our grades but also having a fun-filled, balanced experience at the U of A.
