As we come back from spring break and yet again get in the groove of things, some might feel more exhausted than before the break started. We are three-quarters of the way done with this academic year and while that’s encouraging it’s also been long.
If you’re like me, you’re overwhelmed and struggling to find the motivation to keep pushing through. You feel as if your body is statuesque as you trudge from class to class. The thought of coming back was as though something was burrowing in your chest and like ants were crawling underneath your skin when any minor inconvenience occurred.
Burnout is a serious problem not just in our academic careers but in every aspect of our lives. You can get burnt out on anything and it’s not addressed enough. We as a society have to learn to take better care of our psyches because time and time again we’ve been shown that mental health can heavily impact physical health. Burnout can run rampant and consume you through depression and anxiety. It whittles away at your motivation and enjoyment of the day-to-day.
I contemplated whether or not to write about burnout and the mental health that comes with it. I sat here in The Bulletin office and asked myself if this was important and significant enough and in the process, I realized I was part of the problem.
There I was actively denying an issue a lot of us face because I didn’t want to admit I’m suffering from it right now. When we try to minimize the impact mental health and burnout have on us, we amplify the problem.
We have to stop putting out mental health on the back burner.
Teachers and employers have to be more cognizant and empathetic to these issues. As individuals, we have to stop doing mental gymnastics to convince ourselves there is no problem and that if we just make it to summer break we will be fine. Stop waiting for the weekend or summer break to breathe and relax.
We need to learn how to find a healthy balance because what’s the point of surviving through life or college if you don’t actually live and enjoy it?
