Managing Tertiary Institutions’ Academic Burnout Throughout a Semester

 Being admitted to a tertiary institution is one of the most celebrated achievements for students. Wrapped in that celebration is bunch of semester burnout that leaves some tertiary students with anxiety, depression, stress and some even commit suicide or die of stress related sicknesses.

According to The Health Mind Study, in almost 33,000 college students in the United States, 50% had depression or anxiety or both. This is due to the pressure of striking a balance between social life and the demands of the academic calendar. Tertiary students usually have deadlines to meet. They have to submit assignments, write tests, prepare for the exams as well as proposals and projects.

Burnouts comes in different packages for students. Whether it’s handling the seemingly never-ending influx of work during term time, the lead up to an essay deadline or a brief but anxiety-inducing exam period, it can get to a point where it’s all just too much (Howatson-Tout, 2022). Depression needs to be given more attention since it can have an impact in the lives of the students. In some cases, such can lead to suicidal thoughts (Klein & VanDerBill, 2021)

Tips on how to survive academic burnout:

1. Work on your assignments right away, don’t wait for the deadlines

Figure 1[jivcollegecounseling.com]

Some students tend to bank tasks given to them by the professors. Sometimes it is due to a distant due date yet in between are so many tasks that might also come up and end up preoccupying the student to the point that they can’t meet the deadlines.

2. Have time to rest

Figure 2 [Adobe Stock]

Figure 3 [Adobe Stock]

The pressure that comes with high expectations and the fear of losing scholarship, supplementing or repeating a course can make a student to have sleepless nights. The pressure can make them to feel guilty every time they think of taking some rest. According to Rest and Recharge article published on the 19^th of May 2022, rest is important to ensure that your body and mind are able to perform effectively.

3. Avoid using high caffeine products

Figure 4 [The Daily Utah Chronicle]

Fatigue is very common when people do not have enough rest. To counter fatigue, students end up using high caffeine products like strong coffee, energy drinks and supplements. They use such to force the tired body to continue working on assignments, exams and projects. The result may not be as good as one may have expected due to the unhealthy products they use when dealing with pressure.

4. Ask for help

Figure 5 [Skippichard.com]

Tertiary students need to talk to friends, family members or the tertiary counsellors when they have so much on them. It helps to reduce the stress and sometimes leads to solutions and getting the rightful help needed.

 

REFERENCES

Eisenberg, D., Lipson, S.K., Heinze, J., Zhou, S., Talaski, A. & Person, A. (2020) The Health Minds Study: Fall 2020 Data Report.

Howatson-Tout, K. (2022). Students Reveal their tips for surviving university burnout.

Klein, A & VanDerBill, B. (2021). What to know about depression in students.