When you were in high school, you pretty much had a set routine. Your courses were probably at the same time each day with only slight variation. But once you went to college, things might have changed completely. In between your courses and trying to adjust to college life, you might even feel burnt out. Being burned out can negatively affect your academic performance. Grades may start to slip even though you’re doing what’s expected. Adjusting to college doesn’t need to be stressful. Here are a few tips to make the transition easier and avoid burnout.

Understanding College Burnout

Before you can start feeling better, you need to fully understand what college burnout is. It’s often regarded as a physical and mental block brought on by an overwhelming amount of stress and fatigue. It can cause students to feel more tired than usual, feel agitated more than the norm, and have little to no motivation. College burnout can be brought on a lot of things. Having a full class schedule with an excessive amount of homework is the primary offender. This, combined with a lack of sleep, is the perfect recipe for feeling burnt out. You might start to experience other symptoms as well. Some of the most common symptoms include:

  • Increased difficultly focusing on tasks
  • Constantly feeling bored regarding anything school-related
  • Bad habits, like overeating and staying up all night, become more prevalent
  • Headaches, tight muscles, and tension in your shoulders, neck, and jaw
  • You feel under the weather more often than not

The list goes on, but what you see here are a few examples of how burnout can affect you. However, knowing what to look for can help you to take the appropriate preventative measures.

Pace Yourself and Take as Many Breaks as You Need

With a broader understanding of what college burnout is, it’s time for you to learn the various ways to prevent it. First and foremost, you need to know when to take a break. Trying to get everything done in a short amount of time rarely works. When you have a lot on your agenda, you need to create a schedule.

Having a power hour is far different than trying to complete a huge project that needed a week’s worth of attention. If you have a lot of homework, your best bet is to pace yourself and do it in increments. Check the due date and then create a strategy to complete the work. As you work, make sure you get up and take a break every hour. Whether you walk around the block or grab a quick snack, pausing for even 10 minutes can recharge your batteries.

Use the Available Resources

College may be tough, but there are plenty of resources at your disposal. In fact, you should’ve been introduced to these resources during your orientation class. They’re to help guide you and make college life much easier. One resource you should reach out to is telehealth. Telehealth is a virtual doctor’s appointment you can schedule when you’re available. You’ll meet with a trained medical professional who can offer the assistance you need.

Despite the advantages of telehealth, some people may be skeptical about using it. If you want to use telehealth, but are still unsure if it’s right for you, there are plenty of online guides that detail everything about it. It provides an opportunity to improve mental health in higher education situations, which is especially important if it’s your first year away from home.

Create Your Own Workspace

Whether you go to college on campus or online, you’re still going to need to do work from home. And sitting in the kitchen or living room isn’t a great place to study. Even if the house is quiet, you need a designated area away from everyone. Since the kitchen usually has a lot of foot traffic, it’s best to create a space in another area of your home.

If your bedroom is large enough, you can create a space that is specifically for studying. Similar to a home office, you need to make this area as efficient as possible. In addition to comfortable seating, you need a desk that is big enough for your computer and all of your books. Keep all the school supplies you use regularly within arm’s reach as well. Aesthetics can make a big difference even when they are subtly used. Things like live plants, taking part in aromatherapy, and natural light can be the difference between productivity and wasted time.

If your room is on the small side, you can always create a space inside your closet or hang up a wall desk, which is a huge space saver. When it’s time to study, make sure you turn off your phone. Give yourself one hour to work through your assignments. You should also turn off the TV or music as well. This gives you a chance to think only of what needs to be done without distractions.