Picture this with me for a minute: you’re coming back from Christmas break, you move back in, sleep your first night, get back into the routine of your job, begin new classes with new professors, and without even one week being completed, you are exhausted. Burnt out. Dreading the remaining weeks the semester has to hold realizing that you haven’t even begun the complicated content yet.
Growing up is legit the hardest thing we go through yet the thing we are emotionally the MOST unprepared for!
Halie Kay
Now, that’s not the only circumstance the following advice will relate to, but if I’m honest, what I described is the situation that I am in, and many like me. Life is difficult!! Growing up is legit the hardest thing we go through yet the thing we are emotionally the MOST unprepared for. No one teaches a class in high school about how to say goodbye to your family or how to manage conflict with roommates. Growing up takes faith; it takes persistence. And in the semester you’re in (or simply your season of life), it’s okay to not always be okay. Accept it. But please, don’t stay in that pit.
I’m here for you if no one else is.
So, let’s dive into it. Read for practical measures you can implement to OVERCOME your college burnout.
1. Take a moment to grieve growing up
Our culture lives to work. The moment we graduate high school, it’s as if you are supposed to have the next 30 years of your life planned out: your major, future career, how many kids you want, where to live! Haha, well, maybe not ALL those things, but for the most part, the pressure of them all linger in our minds as we have to simultaneously process leaving home and growing up.
Therefore, that’s why I am writing this very first point as a reminder that it’s okay and NEEDED to grieve growing up. Take time to reflect on the memories of your childhood, the good and the bad of life before adulthood, and process through those emotions with time, patience, and intentionality.
This past semester of moving into college, I cried for 14 straight hours. I’m not exaggerating. I cried the entire drive (ngl I have NO idea how I managed to not get into an accident haha), then I cried the moment I pulled into my apartment and then the rest of that entire evening. In thinking about it, it was honestly a LOT more than 14 hours!! But that’s okay! If I suppressed those emotions and ignored their prevalence, I would’ve drowned in my own internal disarray.
Grieve the process of growing up. And from there, learn to take the first steps towards embracing the season of life you are in.
2. Start a daily routine that benefits your overall health
When burnout sets in, it’s important to go through and de-clutter your life. Meaning, re-evaluate what you are giving your time to, and set boundaries on things not feeding your heart, soul, and mind. In doing this, you’ll clear up time, but also you’ll unlock a sense of refreshment to your daily routine.
And after you re-assess your involvements, begin a NEW routine. One that allows you to truly take time to rest and rejuvenate.
Here are some ideas:
- Journal
- Read a book in the mornings. For me, it’s my Bible.
- Write down 10 things you’re grateful for each morning, and then before bed, write out three things that you can say you were grateful for from that day. (Fun fact, after just six months of writing three things down a day, you are proven to be 25% more happier!!)
- Make breakfast, and wake up earlier. (Yes, this means go to bed earlier too!!!)
- Find a true friend that you trust to turn to, and set aside one time a week to intentionally be together. Genuine company can be your best friend in times of burnout.
3. Journal about it
I mentioned this in the one above, but journaling is proven to be extremely beneficial!
Take these results from the University of Rochester Medical Center which recorded the benefits of journaling as the following,
- “manage anxiety”
- “reduce stress”
- “cope with depression”
I don’t know about y’all but when I experience burnout, my anxiety is heightened and I am just a lot more stressed and antsy of a person. So, if I can implement something as simple as journaling in my life to help with those things, then WHY WOULDN’T I??
I journal after I read my Bible in the morning, and it truly is a game changer y’all!!
And hey, if you wanna go more in-depth on how to handle stress specifically, check out this article I wrote on it!
4. Confide in those who are already in your life
You can’t put into others what you yourself are lacking in this season of life.
Halie Kay
I also briefly mentioned this above, but when you find someone in your life that you can trust, confide in, and be able to relax with, don’t lose them.
Seriously, when you are in the stages of burnout, one of the worst things you can do is to try and surround yourself with brand new people.
You can’t put into others what you yourself are lacking in this season of life. I’ve tried, so trust me.
I’ve tried to “fake it till I make it” and guys, it’s not worth it. Therefore, confide and find rest in those that you are already blessed to have in your life. Seek deep counsel from peers and others that are there for you in the good and bad. And if you don’t have anyone that matches someone I’ve just described, find a professor.
Now you really must think I’m crazy, but guys, your professors are THERE for you! Go up to their office one day and just be real with them. They’re human too- not any more perfect than you. They have their struggles, trials, and moments of burnout same as you and I would; so just try it. They will probably gain all the more respect for you if you come to them for life outside of the grade book. 🙂
5. Take back control of your mind
In burnout, especially in college, it is our mind that becomes overwhelmed first. We clog our mental capacity with an overwhelming amount of emotion as we simultaneously try suppressing it with tasks, people, and our classes. This can be a scary and dark path that often will lead to high depression and anxiety. Our mind is such an intricate and insanely awesome tool we have been given, but also something that the evil in our world loves to take captive.
So, take back control of your mind! In doing this, you clear open your heart, and physically, you feel brand new!
I’m not saying that this is an easy thing to do, but when you work at taking back control of your thoughts, little by little you will start to experience freedom.
Think about it this way, you are what you eat. This goes for your mind too as you are what you take in.
If all you are “feeding” your brain is worldly gunk then your brain will be clogged with nonsense- in turn worsening the burnout you are feeling.
Just saying y’all, the world is a WHOLE lot more beautiful when you learn to live in the light rather than the dark.
6. Breathe deep: one deep breath can reset your entire day
I’ll keep this one short because it’s pretty obvious, but I heard this once on a podcast, and from then on, I do it ALL THE TIME! And guys, it has become a game changer!!!
All it takes is when you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, pause and take one deep breath in through your nose and then release it out through your mouth. Don’t be wimpy over this either, make sure this breath is from deep within your gut.
When taking this breath, breathe in thinking of all the things you have balancing on your plate to do and all the things that are causing your stress and anxiety. Then, while you breathe out, imagine releasing all those things out from within you. Be intentional with this, and trust me, this one deep breath can reset your entire day!
The podcast mentioned scientific benefits to this as well, but not gonna lie guys, I forgot the details they said so you’ll just have to take my word for it! 🙂
7. Be easy on yourself- your heart is in a fragile position
The world we live in can sometimes treat us like a piece of crap. Everyone is so divisive, the news is so de-humanizing and fearful, and life seems to never give us a break. BUT, my prayer is for all of you reading this- especially if you have gotten this far into the post- is that you begin to be easy on yourself. The world is hard enough, the least you can do is be gentle to your own heart.
Don’t get angry if you mess up on a tiny thing or forget something that you had planned in your schedule. Your heart truly is SO fragile in the moments you experience burnout; therefore, treat it like china glass. Live with great love even in times there is great struggle.
Learn your boundaries, and hold to them. Sometimes being blunt with others about your boundaries is the first step you can take in being easier on yourself.
8. Slow down
Sometimes, guys, this is all it takes to overcome burnout, and I kind of touched on it above. Slow down. You aren’t created to be Iron Man or Captain America. You are human. And in being that, you have boundaries of how much you really can do. For some reason, we hate to admit that or accept it, but when we accept that we can’t do it all, it makes the things that we do all the better as we can actually give our hearts to it intentionally.
So, my friends, slow down in this season of your life! You won’t regret it. 🙂
Take time to find the beauty in your life, and in return, you will experience joy and freedom from the world’s pressures like never before.
Okay, there you have it, 8 measures you can implement that not only guide you through the burnout of college life but also will be able to direct you in times of stress and chaos. It’s okay to go through hard times, feel at the end of your capability, and simply be sad over the fact your life is enduring so much change!
Truly my friends, I am here for you! I believe in you so much, and I genuinely want the best for you in whatever season of life you may be in! Growing up is tough; being a college kid is tough; simply navigating this world is TOUGH!! But you guys, we have a God who is greater and hope that is stronger than any other tip I could present to you.
With that being said, you got this. <3
In love,
Halie Kay
