As I opened my eyes to my phone buzzing beside me earlier this spring, it felt unreal. Not having to go to class in the morning. No assignments, lab reports, or discussion posts due. Nevertheless, the creeping anxiety that I’ve forgotten a due date has been hardwired into me.
Nothing is wrong. And that is precisely what is wrong. As I struggle to find the motivation to study for one last exam at the end of April, it hits me: I am my most anxious, most tired self, now that classes are over. I struggle to find the motivation to do anything, despite a considerable decrease in my responsibilities.
What’s wrong with me? Maybe all the naysayers were right: maybe I am not cut out for academic success. The only thing I seem cut out for is remaining perpetually horizontal as I spend hours on my phone. As I scroll social media, the word I am looking for manifests in a graphic depicting a match crisped to near completion: burnout.
I discovered burnout isn’t just being tired from overworking oneself: it manifests in cynicism for the future, anxiety/depression, isolating oneself, withdrawing from one’s responsibilities, headaches, chronic pain and even gastrointestinal problems. And I was a veritable whirlwind of every symptom.
If you are reading this, you probably understand too well what I am talking about and are seeking solutions. And as I closed my eyes to temporarily rest them from the light of my phone screen, the first step of the process hit me:
Step 1) Mom was right: Turn off your phone.
When you are already burnt out, you might feel like lying in bed, on your phone, is the break you need. But more often than not, doomscrolling is still emotionally exhausting. What's more, your exhausted body easily falls into the addictive loop of effortless dopamine hits: the hours upon hours of scrolling through entertainment. As a result, you end up straining tired eyes into the wee hours of the night, for just “one more short,” ending up just as exhausted as when you started. TLDR: Instead of scrolling until you fall asleep, you are better off just falling asleep.
Step 2) You pay for them, so use them: Health & Wellness Resources
Once I started using the resources offered by the Health & Wellness Centre, I kicked myself for not having done so sooner. When you log in to ACORN, scroll down to the Life tab, click on Health & Wellness, and proceed to select the “Well-Being Support” Button on the page – a list of 24-hour student-focused resources, along with appointment-based U of T mental health resources, and on-demand virtual workshops is curated on the page. Now you might be thinking: the issue isn’t that I don’t know about these resources, the issue is that I am often too busy and/or burnt out to access them. Which then of course brings us to the final step:
Step 3) Changing the Culture: Normalize asking for Extensions.
I will admit that, while finishing this blog post and balancing studying for my exams, I found myself needing several extensions. Yet when making these requests, a pang of guilt always followed. In my academic career, I have encountered so many students who feel guilty when asking for an extension. Who push themselves to meet unrealistic deadlines and give themselves little grace. And when it’s people other than yourself, it's easy to see that this is no way to live. Case in point: the first step to combating burnout is to advocate for yourself when you are experiencing it: ask for extensions, reduce your course load, use accessibility services, and take summer courses to spread out the required courses/credits you need for your degree. This, of course, works both ways: if you feel that an instructor or TA is not reasonably accommodating you given your circumstances, make an earnest effort to communicate your discontent. If you find that any attempt to find common ground with this educator is in vain, you still have options. You can reach out to an academic advisor, your college registrar or the student union for advice on how to further advocate for your case.
After several extended deadlines of my own, I will leave you with one last thought: I wish unto the reader the same sense of accomplishment that I am experiencing typing, at long last, the final words of this blog, in all your academic endeavours.
Tucci makes very good points and I love how the advice is formatted in a systematic manner. It addresses any other anxieties a student may have in how they could combat and prevent burnout. This is clear, actionable and ultimately reassuring advice I’d recommend to any student on any campus.
the extensions point is so helpful omg i feel like you never know until you try!!! i didn’t realize we had so many on-campus health and wellness resources tho :0 thank you so much!!!