"Burnout; a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress. It occurs when you feel overwhelmed, emotionally drained, and unable to meet constant demands."
Does that sound familiar? Does it remind you of someone? Maybe even yourself?
It has gotten to that point.
It has been 7 months. 7 months of exams, homework, quizzes, projects, classes, extra curricular's, clubs, and of course dining hall food. We have all officially reached our burnout phase. The stress of those 7 more exams, the panic of those 3 term papers, and that absolute distress over those 4 oral presentations. It feels like you cannot do it. You're done, and you're about to give up.
Don't.
I am here to remind you, you got this. I know right now the work is intense, and the days seem to drag on forever. These 5 weeks feel like they are longer than the 7 months you have already done. It's normal and it's natural. We all reach a stage of no longer believing we can do this. But believe me when I say you absolutely can.
You are at college for a reason.
You made it to this point for a reason.
You cannot quit now.
For the past few days, I have been in a stage of burnout. Every new assignment makes me want to rip my hair out, taking breaks is few and far between, and every day there seem to be 20 things due. It has kept me up at night, brought me to tears and made me want to throw in the towel. But at the end of every day, I have to remind myself that I am greater than the stress going on right now. I can do anything I set my mind to. And summer is the light at the end of the (never-ending) tunnel.
I know it may be hard to do but enjoy these next few weeks. At the end of them, you pack up your things and leave your amazing friends for 4 months. Get dinner with your friends at the dining hall, have a homework group with your friends (work does not seem so bad when done with others), and keep reminding yourself that you can do this. You are far more capable than you give yourself credit for.
"You gain strength, courage, and confidence by every experience in which you really stop and look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself, I lived through this horror. I can take the next thing that comes along. You must do the thing you think you cannot do." - Eleanor Roosevelt
