How To Survive A Mid-Semester Burnout

By Melanie Wells
@YCmelaniew
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No one can afford to have a mental burnout midway through the semester. Here are 6 tips on how you can try to avoid that stressful burnout!

1. Change up your routine
This can be a life saver. Falling into a routine can be good, however it can also cause your days to drag on and they can leave you feeling stuck and bored. You’re (hopefully) going to school to learn about something you’re passionate about, so to avoid that feeling of your flame dying out, change things up! Wake up earlier! I love sleep as much as the next guy, but waking up earlier allows you to start your day on your own terms and not your class schedules. Do your homework somewhere different. Studying in the same room that you sleep limits focus, decreases productivity, and it hurts your sleep schedule. Instead, go to a local coffee shop. Doing your work in a public space stimulates your brain which makes studying a lot easier!

2. Exercise
The idea of finding time to exercise in your busy school day can seem stressful, but the best thing I started doing to eliminate stress and ultimately a burnout was going to the gym! Resistance and aerobic exercise is beneficial to the structure of the brain that is responsible for mental tasks such as memory functions. Going to the gym for 30 minutes a day could boost your brain health. Working out produces endorphins (feel good hormones) so working out will actually make you feel better!

Pro tip: York College students have free access to the York Community Center!

3. Prioritize
Prioritizing your homework can be a super helpful tool to keep unnecessary stress at bay. Figure out what needs to be done the most. You can base that off of what class you need to improve your grade in, what assignment is due sooner, or just you want to get done first! This is a form of organization which can majorly help with keeping burnouts out of the picture!

4. Maintain a healthy diet
Personally, when I’m stressed and on the verge of a burnout, the last thing I want to do it watch what I eat. I don’t want a salad. I want a breakfast pizza from Casey’s. But eating healthy food is a huge helping factor in keeping you mentally strong and focused! Try to avoid fried foods, and foods with a lot of sugar! All tempting things, I know. However, these things slow down your body and make you more likely to decide to wrap yourself up as a blanket burrito than study for that test you have coming up!

5. Lean into the community around you
The friends, faculty, and staff that surround you all care about you. They wouldn’t have the job they do if that wasn’t true! Lean into that support system and allow them to help you in any way they can. Don’t seclude yourself just because you’re stressing out! Sometimes the best thing you can do is put the pencil down, close the laptop, and go hang out with your friends for a little bit. The people around you is the biggest resource for not having a burnout. Pour into them, and let them pour into you.

6. Remember: You got this!
I don’t have a lot to say here. Just remember, you’ve made it this far!! Don’t give up now. Slow down, breathe, and remember that your worth is more than all of your stresses!