Burnouts and how to deal with them

First thing first, when I am talking about burnouts, I am not talking about the ones you do with your car. We are talking about the mental exhaustion type of burnout. Now that another semester is coming in for us college students and school has already begun for most other students I decided this would be the perfect topic for this week (this is also for adults too even if you aren't going to school!). So let us get into it!

According to this article, "Burnout is a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands. As the stress continues, you begin to lose the interest and motivation that led you to take on a certain role in the first place."

Many of you may be remembering when you got burnt out without knowing what it was. I had a similar experience!

I had my first burnout this last semester, I was overwhelmed with a bunch of responsibilities I had outside of just attending my classes. Without even knowing what was the cause I found myself having a shorter temper, coming home and sleeping 4-5 hours, losing interest in doing stuff, wanting to stay in my bed all day, and giving less effort in school, only to find out a month later I felt back to normal doing the same activities again which was odd to me. A couple of weeks later my professor talks about burnout, and I realize that was the strange experience I went through.

When identifying your burnout it is crucial to keep in mind yes there are physical symptoms such as:

• Feeling tired and drained consistently.

• Lowered immunity, frequent illnesses.

• Frequent headaches/muscle pain.

• Change in appetite/sleep habits.

and emotional symptoms such as:

• Sense of failure and self-doubt.

• Feeling helpless, trapped, and defeated.

• Detachment, feeling alone in the world.

• Loss of motivation. Negative outlook.

• Decreased satisfaction and sense of accomplishment.

and lastly behavioral signs such as:

• Withdrawing from responsibilities.

• Isolating from others.

• Procrastinating, taking longer to get things done.

• Using food, drugs, or alcohol to cope.

• Taking frustrations out on others.

• Skipping work or coming in late and leaving early.

It is important to learn about yourself as you grow. My grandpa has always warned me daily since I began overworking myself with school, jobs, and activities about burnout. He would always say "you are going to burn yourself out one of these days". Being the 21-year-old stubborn self I am, I told him I felt great every day and could maintain everything going on. Only to find out that I could only hold so much on my plate and I would experience my first burnout, which was HORRIBLE. I got too wrapped up in doing stuff all the time instead of prioritizing my health.

As my pastor says, "we are in the world but not of the world". Although there is a religious view of this saying, I feel like it can also be interpreted in a different way. Yes we are human, and we are made to do great things on this earth, but prioritizing other things over our health does us nothing but harm. How do we expect to continue to make great accomplishments in our lives if we are constantly throwing ourselves under the bus?

As I grow older and see people around me grow older, I see that everyone pushes themselves because they believe working for the dollar or title is more important than their health. Don't get me wrong, I know sometimes we don't have a choice in what we have to do, but we do have a choice in taking care of our health.

It is good to enjoy life and be in a good state, but it is never good to do it at the cost of your health. As I always say, at the end of the day, it is just you, and maintaining your health is a crucial part of a healthier and more enjoyable life. Burnout happens, it's a normal human thing, that is why I am writing this today, to help you understand what it is and how to fix it.

So Brianna, what do I do when I have burnout and how can I recover?

• Identify your limits and know them.

• Write down what got you stressed or why you have been stressed.

• Once identified, see how you can resolve the issue or if you can simply get rid of it/change it.

• Find a way you can let everything out (mine is working out and talking to my dogs lol). Examples can be such as journaling, going on a walk, talking to someone, listening to music, etc.

• Seek professional help (many schools/universities and sometimes workplaces offer these services for free!)

• Find your support network (such as friends or family).

• Exercise and try to eat healthier (still working on the eating healthy part myself lol).

• Get enough sleep!

• Speak up for YOUrself!

• Learn techniques you can do for your stress or anxiety.

• Find a balance in what you do (always make time for YOUrself!).

• Make sure to do things you enjoy, DO NOT feel like you lost that!

• SET BOUNDARIES!!!!!

These are just a few things I found and have collected together to help YOU take care of your health. Of course, talking to a professional to get more options customized to your needs is always the best way to go, and of course, finding your own recoveries on your own way through experience too! Nobody knows you better than YOU.

It is now 2023, which means TRY DIFFERENT THINGS!!

I challenge you to start taking care of yourself more if you haven't already, and if you have been...KEEP GOING! Let us prevent these burnouts if we can!

Never forget, you are amazing and you got this.