Running on Empty: Student Burnout
Running on Empty: Student Burnout
Paige Bia
As the first semester wraps up, many students find themselves feeling more drained than expected. The excitement and motivation from the beginning of the school year tends to fade. With finals coming up, students are worn down, unfocused, and stressed out. This is
where burnout comes in. Burnout doesn’t show up all at once, but rather creeps in. It’s the constant fatigue even after a full night’s sleep, the lack of motivation for assignments that normally wouldn’t be as overwhelming, and every task feeling much heavier than it should be.
Burnout is more than just regular tiredness- it’s a deeper kind of exhaustion that impacts both your body and mind at the same time. Students that experience burnout often struggle to concentrate, lose motivation, and feel overwhelmed by normal tasks. Physical impacts include headaches, sleep issues, or irritability. Students start pushing themselves harder just to keep up, and that pressure makes the exhaustion worse. It builds up slowly over weeks of stress, pressure, and not having enough time to recover.
However, on a positive note, burnouts can be managed. Rest is a big factor. It helps you to recharge. Breaking assignments into smaller steps, taking short breaks during study sessions, and setting limits on how much you can take on can also help. Talking to teachers, counselors, or even friends may help make school feel less overwhelming. Doing something you enjoy outside of academics is another way to potentially help you to unwind and remind you that life isn’t only about school work.
Recognizing burnout early can help you finish the semester strong. Taking time to rest and recharge will help you to come back ready for the next semester, make it feel less overwhelming, and more manageable. A little self-care can go a long way to help you keep your energy and motivation up. By noticing burnout and giving yourself permission to pause, you create space and time to move forward. Small moments of care can help restore more strength than you expect.