Good morning, afternoon, and evening from the bathroom floor. Today's topic of discussion: burnout. As someone who grew up with a valedictorian dad, engineer brother, and a workaholic mother, I know how to push myself. In all aspects of life. In 5th grade I got a B+ in Music and locked myself in the pantry crying. I was sure I was going to be the next great disappointment and vowed to never get a B again. And sure, I've kept that promise throughout high school with a 4.0 unweighted GPA and tons of advanced and college classes. As a result, in the last half of my junior year of high school, I encountered a major burnout. Not only academically, but socially and overall of life in general. How did I get past this you may ask. Well I didn't get past all of it yet, but I've definitely made progress. And I refuse to not give myself credit. Don't forget to give yourself credit too.
Academic burnout. The most well known. If you're like me, you let one bad grade define you. Even an 89 is horrifying to look at. I quite literally had my brother send me his high school transcripts so that I could make sure I wouldn't disappoint my parents. My routine looked something like this: Wake up, study, school, go home, homework, study, lay on the floor, sleep. Not the best, right? I was practically digging myself into the ground doing that. When I started working everyday, it got even worse. Every single day was the same and I was exhausted. I was burnt out. How did I get out of that? I gave myself a break. At school a group of medical students came in to talk to us about the pathway. The main thing they preached: work life balance. Yes they worked hard, studied constantly, but they also had time to hang out with friends, and pursue hobbies WHILE being successful academically. For some reason, that sparked something in me. Even when I was drowning in homework, had 4 tests tomorrow, and infinite reasons to be stressed - I made time for myself. I spent more time in the ceramics studio during lunch and before school. I didn't dive into my homework the moment I got home from school or work. I took a moment. I made a snack, got a drink, sat outside, and listened to some music, or watched a video I'd been meaning to, or listened to a podcast I'd begun to enjoy. The academics started to feel a little less heavy. And yes, I did still cry after I got my IB Anthropology score. But I also took a moment. I let myself feel upset about it for under an hour, and I moved on with my life. I was so burnt out, and so miserable, because I wasn't caring about who I wanted to be. I was focused on what I thought I should be. I gave myself a break. I realized my worth wasn't rooted in my academic achievements, it was rooted in me. My morals, my personality, my sense of humor, my passions, and my ideas.
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