Student Blog: Beating Burnout

It was the end of my sophomore year in college, what we not-so-jokingly called “Sophomore Slaughter,” when I experienced burnout for the first time. I thought anxiety was bad, but this? Oh, this was a whole new level.

I was warned about burnout when I initially went to college - the new friends, experiences, classes, and opportunities - that I shouldn’t bite off more than I could chew. I heeded the warnings to the best of any bright-eyed and bushy-tailed first-year’s ability, and I embraced my introductory classes while adjusting to my new life in New York City.

By my second year, I had worked up an appetite. I was hungry to start counting classes toward my double major and minors, and I knew I’d have to hit the ground running if I wanted to graduate in four years. So naturally, I enrolled in twenty credits for both the fall and spring semesters, overloading the school-set maximum of eighteen credits. 

The fall was difficult but manageable, to say the least. The balancing act of journalism and business classes with my physically-demanding studio training had a learning curve. But, like any semester prior, I made it out alive, so I took that as a green light to add more to my plate.

The spring came with the same overload of credits, only the classes were even more challenging, and I added two shows on to the agenda. This meant thirty-six hours of class a week including Macbeth rehearsals and a four-hour journalism class…(I would soon learn this would be my first of many four-hour journalism classes to come). On weeknights and Saturdays, I assistant directed another show (an additional twenty-three hours a week, give or take), and I used the mornings on my academic days to act in student short films and work on artistic projects with friends. I dedicated every ten-minute break I had to homework, interviews for journalism projects, or the occasional update to my family that I was still (somehow) managing everything. 

See, everything I was doing I wanted to be doing, more than anything - there just wasn’t enough time in the day, and that conflict was the hardest part. I wasn’t sleeping or eating regularly, I was drinking way too much caffeine, and I couldn’t devote the proper time to my personal relationships. When I was working on homework, I was so exhausted that I couldn’t focus well, and I often felt guilty for not spending time with friends. When I was out socializing, all I could think about was how much work was waiting for me back at home. The fuse was burning out from both ends, literally. 

The place I was happiest was in school and in rehearsals. It wasn’t until each day ended that I had to acknowledge the consequences of my commitments. In hindsight, I didn’t successfully survive the semester focusing on both school AND my mental health… one of them had to give and school was my priority.

It wasn’t until I traveled home at the end of the year that I finally gained perspective on how miserable I was. Coming home was like coming up for air after an entire year underwater. The way I had mapped out my schedule, there simply was no time to breathe. Burnout is a buildup. It wasn’t that one class or project that took me over the edge, it was every time I ignored the flashing red light in my brain telling me to pause in both the fall and spring. The second the school year had ended, I went into work paralysis.

That’s the thing about burnout: it hits you when you least expect it. I thought because I was passionate about the work I was taking on, it would excuse the overload. I believed, since I was aware of what I was doing and could logistically do it all, that I was relatively safe...I was being sly. What really happened was the work came at the sacrifice of self-care.

All in all, sophomore year was one of the craziest and most memorable years of my life with some of the best experiences. And while I’m so beyond grateful for every moment, opportunity, and lesson, I learned I should’ve taken better care of myself. There were countless highlights I will remember forever, but there were also just as many behind-the-scenes, unseen lows. Life will always be busy. If you don’t show up for yourself, your version of “busy” is not sustainable.

Tips & Tricks to Beat Burnout

Just Because You Can Say Yes to Everything Doesn’t Mean You Should. 

Before making commitments, really ask yourself if saying yes will sacrifice your higher needs. 

Listen to your Body and Prioritize Sleep!!!  

Especially if you’re in the arts, sleep deprivation can affect your voice and overall performance. Sleeping also naturally reduces stress hormones and regulates your immune system, so when you don't sleep, you’re actually making everything much harder for yourself. 

Manage Your Workload. 

Practice time management, early starts on assignments, and no procrastinating! This means To-Do lists (or whatever works for you) and one task at a time.

Practice Gratitude.

You may be stressed out, but there’s always something to be grateful for. When you focus on the positive, you gain perspective that life is way more important than the assignment you’re currently fixated on. 

Self Care - Physical & Mental. 

This might be an obvious one, yet it’s the first to go out the window when there’s a deadline. You need time for yourself to reflect and process what’s going on around you. Schedule breaks when you’re working to eat, hydrate, go outside, or meditate. If it’s not on your list, you’ll likely forget and use "burying yourself in your work" as an excuse.

Lean on your People. 

Chances are they’ve been where you are before. It’s okay to admit you’re struggling.

Don’t Judge Yourself. 

Everyone has limits and boundaries. If anything, this is information: now you know where your line exists and what happens if you cross that line in the future. 

Finding Fuel to Relight the Fire.

Once you’ve identified it’s burnout you’re experiencing, you should take a step away from your work and get in touch with what inspires you. This could be music, nature, a good book, family, friends, or anything else that brings you joy. For me, it’s often songwriting or going for a run. Once you connect with your humanity and remember who you are outside of your work, I believe you can beat burnout and relight that fire.