For many students, especially international students, college can be tough. Not only do you have to keep up with your studies, classes, and other school curricular activities, but you also have to maintain your grades.
Moreover, those are normal, and in most cases, after some time, students are most likely to get through them easily. However, for some students, the work becomes overwhelming, leading to an academic burnout.
What is Academic Burnout?
Academic burnout is the feeling of prolonged exhaustion that is more than physical. In fact, students feel exhausted and stressed, both emotionally and mentally. Those, in effect, result in a lack of motivation and interest to do things that are related to school, leading to poor academic performance.
For many students and even school staff, identifying academic burnout is usually difficult. However, here are some symptoms of it:
- Increased irritability and lashing out on other people
- Stress manifesting as pain in your body through frequent headaches, backaches, and jaw tension
- Feeling of exhaustion no matter how much you’ve rest
- Low energy
- Lack of motivation to attend classes and do your projects or other school requirement
- Frequent illness due to the feeling of exhaustion
- Increased anxiety
- Pulling away from your friends
How Do You Avoid It?
To avoid academic burnout, here are some things students can do.
Exercise Regularly and Eat Well
Making yourself healthy, by eating well and exercising are just some of the things you can do to avoid academic burnout. When you exercise, you increase your energy making yourself more productive when doing activities. It also helps increase your happy hormones to help with your motivation.
Instead of eating junk foods, make sure you get proper nutrition from the food you eat to ensure your body stays healthy and you’re safe from getting stressed. Also, stay hydrated.
Make Time To Hang Out With Friends
As an international student, there’s the pressure to maintain your grades and to be on top of your academics. However, it does not mean you should not enjoy your life abroad. In between studies, do not forget to hang out with friends. Friends, especially abroad, are a good way to surround yourself with positive energy. Friends can give you support to make you feel better, and spending time with them gives you time to take a break from thinking about your academics.
Do Not Procrastinate
Putting off working on your assignments or projects can result in having less time to rest and sleep as you near your deadline. Also, it is likely to increase your anxiety as the deadline approaches.
To avoid procrastinating, manage your time well. You can do this by creating a schedule you can follow. In your schedule, include time for studying or working on your projects and assignment, and time for yourself to relax and do things for your well-being, such as doing some hobbies or other recreational activities.
In Case You Have It, Ask for Help
Asking for help can help you get out those feelings.
If you think you’re currently experiencing academic burnout, the first thing you can do is ask for help. You can ask for help from:
- Your friends, who are your initial support abroad
- Your school or mental health counselor to seek professional help
- Mental health organization, in case you don’t want your school or friends to know about it
Learn more tips to make your study abroad experience more fun and worthwhile. Check out MSM Unify’s article on How to Overcome Common Stressors While Studying Abroad to start.
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