With the school year coming to an end, many classes and grades are also almost due. From finals, to graduations, to tests, many people are under a lot of stress. So, what can you do to avoid burnout?
Based on a 2023 study by Jannik Lindner, over 50% of students have experienced burnout during their high school years. Burnout is caused by stress. When someone is stressed out and is overworking themselves, they are likely to push their body to the max of its capability. While it helps them at the time, people will end up needing rest.
Gnarly Nutrition says, “A new athlete comes out of nowhere doing some real impressive lifts in training. Then following it up with big lifts at competition after competition. What is their secret? Simple, hard work. They put in countless hours day after day just trying to work harder than the person on top. Then you notice something with their performance, it plateaus or drops. It seems like they’re injured more and more often. They’re still working their butt off but are seeing little to no results. They’re missing probably the most important piece of the puzzle, rest. As hard as you work you must rest harder. Rest and recovery is the most important part of training and often is the most overlooked.”
While sometimes it is the classes that are hard, other things outside of school may combine to make more pressure at the end of the year. Holly Lubben, a freshman at Santa Rosa Academy, found that she had some cases with stress levels and was at risk of burnout as well.
“Because of the lessons I am learning or keeping up on work while keeping up on chores and things I have to get done in time,” says Lubben.
Not only do students experience burnout, but teachers do as well. Mrs. Della White, Santa Rosa Academy’s Arts and Technology teacher has had some experience with this.
“At the end of this school year, I’m feeling really excited about new opportunities for the arts & tech classes, taking a vacation, and spending time with my family,” says White. “I’m also excited for the Seniors and all the new adventures they’ll take. There are times when I start to feel burned out! I think I start feeling this way when I’m being hard on myself for not doing things the way I think I should have.”
While burnout is a very common occurrence, there are still ways that people can help prevent themselves from experiencing it. But first, what are some symptoms of burnout?
While some of these symptoms can easily be found in other things as well, it is still good to prevent any of them from happening. So what ways of prevention are there for any of these symptoms?
Lubben has found ways to ensure this did not get the best of her. By talking a little bit about it to her friends.
In addition, Lubben says, “I try to calm myself down a little to stop myself from really freaking out about failing and stuff.”
Another way to stop burnout is by not becoming overwhelmed. While it is easy for things to pile on one on top of another, the best thing is to get things done. Teachers understand this as well and help to give fewer assignments. Kadence Bernard, a junior at Santa Rosa Academy found this happening in her case.
“The last month of school goes by quickly and it’s easier because there’s more studying for finals than working on assignments. I think that’s because the teachers assign less work [and that] there’s less pressure and I can relax in my classes a little more and focus on studying,” says Bernard.
There are multiple ways of stopping burnout. Whether by taking time to relax, not taking too much on, or by just a reminder that no one is perfect, there are ways for people to stop themselves from burning out.
