A student lays his head on his desk, frustrated, exhausted, and overwhelmed with work. Photo courtesy of Micro Biz Mag
Katie Baker
Opinion Editor
We’re almost finished with week twelve of the semester and I can see the light at the end of the long tunnel. But honestly, as I sit and write this, I’m struggling to act like everything is okay, and I’m tired of acting like everything’s okay, because it’s not. College is hard, life is hard and juggling those two things together sometimes feels impossible. I’m here to tell you that it’s perfectly okay to not be okay all the time. You are normal to feel burnt out.
Let’s get real for a second, we are still in the midst of a global pandemic. That pandemic has brought more challenges than just wearing a mask to class every weekday. Unemployment, job shortages, higher gas prices, canceled events, social distancing; are all just a few of the major changes that we’ve had to face over the last year and a half. These aren’t just small everyday changes either, they’re life-altering, and it’s time to remind yourself of that reality. Life is completely different than it was two years ago and we have to accept it.
As a senior, going back into the classroom after a year and a half online has been really hard. Finding the motivation to handle the increased workload, in person standardized testing and face-to-face presentations is a lot some days. We really weren’t prepared for online education, and we most certainly were not prepared for what life was going to be like after it.
Throughout the semester I’ve heard many professors agreeing that they feel that same burnout that their students do, and I think it’s a great reminder that we need to be gentle with ourselves. Regardless of age or occupation, we are all feeling some type of exhaustion, and we need to be aware of how we can take care of ourselves during those times.
Even though it feels like the world is crashing down on us at every moment, we have to remember that sometimes the best thing you can do when you’re feeling burnout is to take a break. Reset, recharge, and regroup your mind. You can’t pour from an empty cup, no matter how hard you try, you simply can’t do it. I know you can think of a million excuses as to why you can’t afford to take a day to do absolutely nothing besides sit and relax but I can promise you that you’re going to wake up that next day feeling different. You may only feel 1% better, but that is still better than you were yesterday.
If you take anything away from what I’ve said, I want you to remember that burnout is okay. It’s okay to not feel okay. There’s nothing wrong with taking breaks when you feel like you need one. Life can be hard but I want you to know that you are always appreciated, loved and valued by The Snapper.
