Burnout Is Real, Listen To What It's Trying To Say | The Odyssey Online
Start writing a post
Mental Health

Burnout Is Real, And You Should Listen To What It's Trying To Say

As much as I wish there were 30 hours in a day, there aren't, and that means you can't do EVERYTHING.

50
Burnout Is Real, And You Should Listen To What It's Trying To Say

A phrase that I've been trying to live by for the past year or so is, "I can't complain about having a full plate when my goal was to eat." Mainly, it helps me to not view my situation from a pessimistic view.

There are so many good things about my situation. I'm going to my dream school, in a major that I love way more than I ever thought possible with friends who support me through everything I could imagine. I'm in multiple clubs and organizations that I support and that help build my future.

But, I'm tired. I don't hate my life and I don't want to go home or drop out, but I have an extreme tendency to overload myself. As a perfectionist, I love to put as much as I can into everything I do.

I have so many projects going on right now, and I'm not completely passionate about all of them. Between work, school and having a social life things are getting to be a lot. I'm spreading myself pretty thinly and I can't put enough of my effort into everything I do, so the outcomes aren't exactly what I want, making it hard for me to actually go through with things. I'd rather not do something at all rather than do it badly.

In other words, the reward doesn't match the amount of effort that I'm putting into each of my activities. I have a classic case of burnout, and it sucks majorly.

My internal dilemma right now revolves around the fact that I desperately want to do my best at everything I work on, but there's simply not enough hours in the day for me to get everything done. I hate quitting, but my brain is telling me otherwise.

Coming to terms with the fact that there simply isn't enough time in the day to do everything I would like to is a weird feeling. I know the "hustle" is important, but so is my sanity. School is my main priority, and if there's something that affects how I'm doing or that I feel isn't as important, I'm not going to risk it.

The biggest lesson I've learned in the past few years is to trust your gut. You're your best judge. At the end of the day, you really only have to answer to yourself, so make sure you're doing what makes you happy.

Nothing's worth losing yourself, I promise.

Report this Content
This article has not been reviewed by Odyssey HQ and solely reflects the ideas and opinions of the creator.
ross geller
YouTube

As college students, we are all familiar with the horror show that is course registration week. Whether you are an incoming freshman or selecting classes for your last semester, I am certain that you can relate to how traumatic this can be.

1. When course schedules are released and you have a conflict between two required classes.

Bonus points if it is more than two.

Keep Reading...Show less
friends

Whether you're commuting or dorming, your first year of college is a huge adjustment. The transition from living with parents to being on my own was an experience I couldn't have even imagined- both a good and a bad thing. Here's a personal archive of a few of the things I learned after going away for the first time.

Keep Reading...Show less
Featured

Economic Benefits of Higher Wages

Nobody deserves to be living in poverty.

300797
Illistrated image of people crowded with banners to support a cause
StableDiffusion

Raising the minimum wage to a livable wage would not only benefit workers and their families, it would also have positive impacts on the economy and society. Studies have shown that by increasing the minimum wage, poverty and inequality can be reduced by enabling workers to meet their basic needs and reducing income disparities.

I come from a low-income family. A family, like many others in the United States, which has lived paycheck to paycheck. My family and other families in my community have been trying to make ends meet by living on the minimum wage. We are proof that it doesn't work.

Keep Reading...Show less
blank paper
Allena Tapia

As an English Major in college, I have a lot of writing and especially creative writing pieces that I work on throughout the semester and sometimes, I'll find it hard to get the motivation to type a few pages and the thought process that goes behind it. These are eleven thoughts that I have as a writer while writing my stories.

Keep Reading...Show less
April Ludgate

Every college student knows and understands the struggle of forcing themselves to continue to care about school. Between the piles of homework, the hours of studying and the painfully long lectures, the desire to dropout is something that is constantly weighing on each and every one of us, but the glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel helps to keep us motivated. While we are somehow managing to stay enrolled and (semi) alert, that does not mean that our inner-demons aren't telling us otherwise, and who is better to explain inner-demons than the beloved April Ludgate herself? Because of her dark-spirit and lack of filter, April has successfully been able to describe the emotional roller-coaster that is college on at least 13 different occasions and here they are.

Keep Reading...Show less

Subscribe to Our Newsletter

Facebook Comments