As the end of the school year grows closer and closer many students seem to be more tired in class, or forgetting due dates of important assignments. Why does the end of the school year always seem harder than the begining? At this point of the year many students face what is called “burnout”. Burnout is a mental or physical state of exhaustion caused by long periods of stress and overwork which leads to many students lacking motivation and desire to do things. After a whole year of working hard at school, it is easy to see more of this burnout at the end of the year.
What influences burnout?
Most students, at the start of the year, strive for high grades and work hard to excel at their classes. After a whole year of doing this eventually many students can’t keep up anymore. It doesn’t help when in May, the last month of school, it seems like everything is due at once. AP exams, final exams in all classes, and projects, are all things students are expected to do in one month. Many sports also take place in the spring which adds on to any stress and anxiety that could already have been there. Many games that take place during the week can be draining when adding all the school work and studying that must be done. All of these elements make burnout more likely or worse.
Burnout happens when ongoing stress leaves you exhausted—emotionally, physically, and mentally. It can happen when you’re trying to handle too many things
How does burnout effect students?
When going through a burnout, studies show that it can deeply affect a student’s mental health and academic performance. Students who go through burnout periods may see a drop in grades for tests, quizzes and other assignments. For some people it may go deeper than just school work, mental health often has a decline when there is burnout because of induced anxiety, and a sense of hopelessness. Lastly a lack of motivation and students just simply trying to get through these last few weeks with not much effort in their work, can play a part in this. All of this because of school work might sound extreme, but the pressures to succeed drives students to burning out.
How students can get out of a burnout and keep going
Burning out can be tough, but there are many ways to help minimize it’s effects on students. For seniors it can be the thought of finally being out of school and thinking about the excitement ahead. For underclassmen though, it is harder to think about things like that due to it still being years away. One way that is quite simple, is to just rest, taking a day or two away from the stress of school work and other things can help clear minds and reset. The perfect days for this are Saturday and/or Sunday. These days are built for resting from the tiring week.
Another solution that can help is changing the scenery. Instead of staying at home which can be distracting, it is good to leave and find somewhere to study like a library or a quiet coffee shop. This can also be used as a hack to relax like going shopping for a new outfit, or going on a nature walk by a creek. One last tip to use when feeling this burnout is setting small or realistic goals. Sometimes, when looking at the big picture of things it can get overwhelming, but taking it one step at a time or just working on it a few minutes per day will help students finally achieve their goals that they have had trouble with.
Finishing these final weeks of school
It is important to find a good routine and balance with the final weeks of school because they are important. Sometimes that may mean lowering expectations or it could mean getting out there and really locking in. Whatever it may be, it’s important to remember not to push too hard and burn out early, but to give it effort and never give up. Remember, summer break is almost here!
Never giving up requires recognizing that struggle is part of growth, failure is temporary, and endurance brings success.
