Student emotional burnout syndrome

Studying at the university is a difficult task that requires complete dedication and immersion. It is not surprising that there are more and more students with a syndrome of emotional burnout because of studying. Why does it happen and who is more susceptible to it? We're figuring it out here and now.

What is emotional burnout syndrome?

The term was first coined by psychiatrists in 1974. Gerber Freidenberg described the condition as "a constant increasing emotional tension, an internal response to prolonged discomfort with interpersonal communication." The term was later refined to include several more attributes:


  • Emotional exhaustion,


  • Impaired ability to work.

With emotional burnout, a person feels tired all the time and lacks energy. As a result, he gets into a vicious circle: due to low efficiency and lack of initiative a student cannot achieve good results, gets disappointed in his studies even more, and is not able to be inspired to work and fulfill his goals.

Causes of emotional burnout among students

For a long time, it was thought that this problem primarily affects office workers with boring duties. But later psychologists surveyed student teachers. It turned out that students often face the same problems and worries as working people. And, interestingly enough, the reasons for the decline in mood and the number of frustrated students differed from course to course.

Psychologists distinguished several reasons for emotional burnout syndrome in students. Psychological factors play an important role, but there are also other circumstances:


  • A large number of tasks,

  • difficulties in studying,

  • a new team,

  • difficulties in communication,

  • uninteresting subjects,

  • difficult industrial and pre-graduation practice,

  • a close acquaintance with a future profession,

  • disappointment in the profession,

  • insecurity of self-realization,

  • low assessment of one's professional skills.

The presence of one or two signs will not lead you to emotional burnout yet. If you sincerely love your future profession, you will cope with difficult homework and will not be upset by the lack of friends in the group. Another thing is if you do not communicate well, there are conflicts with teachers, you cannot cope with debts, you have a pre-graduation internship coming up, go to do boring tasks with excel and need to use excel homework help and also when you are already disappointed in your specialty. In this case, burnout can prevent you from setting yourself up for productive work.

First-year students are most likely to be stressed by the abrupt change in the learning process. Some students are frustrated by non-core subjects or too much work. And in the final years, burnout most often comes from disillusionment with the profession and insecurity about their training.

 

How to get out of emotional burnout

If you notice at least one sign of emotional burnout - you have to deal with the problem immediately! Otherwise, it is possible to neglect your condition so much that there will be no initiative to rectify the situation. To begin with, it's worth sorting yourself out and understanding what it is that brings you discomfort.

If you think that you are disappointed in your specialty, try to look for the good in it first. Maybe you can realize yourself as a specialist? Or in this area of good pay? The crisis of choice of profession is not rare, and it is normal. But if within six months you still could not find anything good in your future profession, then you should think about whether you should waste your time on it at all, and not try to find yourself in another area.

If you are tired of high workloads and lack of normal rest, add some color to your life. If you have free time and strength, try sports or a new hobby (most importantly, don't demand excellent results from yourself right away, otherwise the frustration can only get worse). A radical way is to take a gap year and completely change your environment. We guarantee that this will help you reset and get new energy to complete your studies.

A tired, but a working tip: a healthy lifestyle can help, too. Long sleep, a nutritious diet, and moderate physical activity support the body and promote the production of happiness hormones. What's more - long sleep deprivation leads to irritability and weakness, and a sedentary lifestyle causes constant fatigue. There is a chance that what you thought was burnout is just a consequence of lack of sleep and lack of mobility.

If fatigue is caused by some professional activity - talking to people, working on the computer, reading - give yourself a rest every evening. Turn off your phone, don't go on the Internet, pay for papers, and put away your books. Try to relax and take a walk alone. It is desirable to allocate a "window" in the daily routine, in which you in no case will not engage in studies, even if deadlines are burning, and tomorrow hand over notes for revision.