Student Blog: Burnout, Why Does It Keep Happening?

“No pain no gain”, “You can sleep when you’re dead”, “Be the first to arrive at the office, and the last to leave”. These are some of the quotes that promote the importance of hard work. And I do believe that hard work is the key to success, however, those quotes don’t really indicate how much work is considered a good amount. If you’re not careful, there’s a high chance that you’ll burnout at one point. Being burnt out means that you are not well. You’re emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausted that you just can’t function as a human being. I have experienced burnout multiple times in the past, and I don’t think it's worth it. So why does it keep happening?

Since we are living in a competitive world, the standard of hard work shifts to pushing yourself to the limit. We romanticize working extremely hard until we break. The term “workaholic” has been associated with positive traits. And the fear that you won’t be able to compete with your peers forces you to sacrifice your health, sanity, and well-being. As a result, burnouts are inevitable. 

My last burnout happened last semester. I was assigned to produce four podcast episodes in seven days for one of my classes. So basically, I had less than two days per episode to finalize the concept, find someone to interview, write the script, record the audio, and edit the whole thing. I had some bumps along the way, and I spent three days finishing my first episode. That freaked me out because I wasted almost half of my time just on one episode. I tried to make up for it the next day, and worked for twelve hours non-stop. I skipped meals and only got up from my chair to go to the bathroom. By the end of the day, I broke down and cried because I couldn’t take it anymore. It felt like I wanted to scream and throw things at the wall, but I didn't have the energy to even lift a finger. 

I talked to my teacher the next day and asked how someone could produce that many podcasts in a short amount of time. He helped me prioritize and eliminate things that were less important. After days of sleepless nights, I finally managed to finish all four episodes literally minutes before the deadline. I survived, however, I still think that it is impossible to produce a great podcast in very little time. Not if you want a quality podcast. Is it a crazy standard, or am I just an amateur who can’t do my job efficiently? Am I too much of a perfectionist, or are you supposed to endure that much load? Is working way too hard really the norm nowadays?

A friend once told me a theory. They said that college students are given tons of assignments, and as a result, a lot of them have to sacrifice their personal lives to do the projects. This conditions them to work extra hard and put aside their well-being. Then, when they enter the workforce, they think being overworked is something normal. As a result, burnout has become their regular visitor. I don't know how accurate this theory is, but reflecting back to last semester, I remember not having enough time to cook decent meals, get a full 8-hour sleep, exercise, or socialize. And it wasn’t just me, a lot of my friends experienced that too. One friend even said that they came into the program hoping to get straight A’s, but now they are in survival mode, just trying not to fail. Now, imagine translating this into a working environment, being in survival mode to keep your job and thinking that it’s normal. And when you decide to say no to giving more than you should, there’s a risk that you’ll lose your job or get replaced by others who wouldn't mind the extra work. It’s not an ideal situation, but it happens all the time. No wonder burnouts occur more than they should.

So, with such a hectic and demanding environment, can we avoid burnouts? I've been asking around, and some people actually said that we can. Here are some tips that I learned from them. Create a schedule and stick to it, including when to take breaks and when to stop working for the day. Allocate time to de-stress and practice self-love daily. Learn to say no, and do a better job of prioritizing. And finally, eat healthy, exercise regularly, and sleep for 8 hours every night. Will these be easy to do? To be honest, I'm a bit skeptical, but I am willing to try. I would love to live a balanced life, it's been too stressful lately. The new semester starts in a few weeks, and my schedule will be tight. So, I will do anything to avoid another meltdown. It’s just not worth it.