6 Ways to Reduce Mental Fatigue at University

We all experience that annoying feeling of overwhelming tiredness from time to time, which is fine. A human being is not a machine, yet getting exhausted is normal. You sleep more, eat well, go in for sports, and bounce back. But if your first thought in the morning is ‘I can’t take it anymore,’ – bingo! – you’re mentally exhausted. In other words – burnt out.

Our experts have prepared this article to tell you why burnout is dangerous and how to avoid it.

What is Academic Burnout?

If you’ve been studying for a long time and forgot to take good care of yourself, you may experience fatigue. If you don’t take a good rest, common fatigue will exhaust your energy resources. Soon, with a lack of immune response, your mental and physical health will start deteriorating. This is where burnout comes: you’re constantly exhausted and no longer able to study.

Sure, you can find the best paper writing services online to write your essay, but it won’t solve your problem.

The symptoms of academic burnout are:

• Lack of interest and motivation in studying and hobbies;
• Lack of creativity and self-discipline;
• Lack of energy and concentration;
• Deteriorating physical and mental health.

How to prevent academic burnout? Keep reading the tips below.

Tip #1: Use Your School Breaks or Holidays to the Fullest

Since times immemorial, school breaks were created for students to let them recharge their batteries. Finish your school projects before the holidays begin and relax. We don’t mean going to alcohol-soaking all-nighters that bring your body to the limit. Instead, focus on peaceful and calm activities like the following:

• Visit your relatives. If you study far away from home, buy a ticket and see your family. Especially if this is your first year of living in a dormitory and you’re homesick;
• Take a trip to a cottage-style area. Small villages in the mountains or on the brink of the ocean are a perfect choice. Turn off your mobile devices and let nature heal you;
• Organize a staycation. If your roommates went home, and you’re alone in the dormitory or the apartment, why not seize the moment? Fill a bathtub, turn on some music, and enjoy the silence!

Tip #2: Sleep!

No, you won’t end up like Sleeping Beauty waiting for her Prince Charming to wake her up. Neither you’ll end up like Rip Van Winkle, who slept for decades. Instead, you’ll wake up energetic and full of aspirations.

The younger you’re, the more night hours you need to recharge your batteries. As a student in the twenties, aim for at least 7 hours of uninterrupted sleep. How to do it?

• Don’t stare in the gleaming screen of your devices at nightime;
• Don’t drink caffeinated beverages in the evening;
• Don’t watch horror movies or read thriller books late at night;
• Don’t overload your digestive system with salty, fatty, or sugary food.

Tip #3: Use Your Sociological Imagination

Take it easy. As a human being, you can’t control everything. To grasp this idea, students study sociological imagination techniques. The latter allows one to analyze a personal problem as a part of politics, economics, and sociology. We are all part of bigger systems, right?

Let us show you an example. For instance, you think you spend too much money and blame yourself for irresponsible financial behaviors. But are you the only factor causing a problem in this equation?

Politics can promote capitalism yet encourage you to spend money. Economics may be tough too. Add it to your class, race, and gender, and you’ll understand that going on a spending spree is a complex problem.

Tip #4: Relax!

Once you admit you’re in control of your life less than you expected, relax. Add some chilling activities to start and finish your day with. Ever heard of a mind-and-muscle connection? Well, believe it or not, it exists. If you constantly feel under pressure, your body reacts by releasing cortisol (stress hormone). As a result, you feel nervous, and your muscles stiffen. Feel that pain in your neck and the back? Manage it.

• Start your day with meditation. Enjoy the silence of morning hours and express the gratitude towards the world to enter a positive mood;
• Buy a relaxing drawing book. These books became superpopular in the last decade. With world politics and economics going topsy-turvy, no wonder it happened. These books have ready-made pictures to color, yet no need to take special painting classes.

Tip #5: Time Management and Procrastination

Still live in the Kingdom of Procrastination? Move out! We all know how seductive it is to watch ‘Squid Game’ instead of toiling at a college project. Sure, breaks are important. But better spend them stretching from long sitting or walking in nature.

How to manage your studying and do everything in time without burning out?

• Buy yourselves an old-fashioned notebook. Divide it into sections that correspond to the weekdays and write down everything you need in shortlists
• Divide bigger projects into milestones with deadlines. You’d feel less confused and scared of the big data;
• Reward yourself with the things you love to stay motivated.

Tip #6: Don’t be Ashamed to Ask for Help

What if you went too far and can’t manage burnout alone? If that happens, reach out to healthcare specialists that can help you heal and regain your work-and-life balance.

• Visit a psychiatrist and psychotherapist. Unfortunately, people visiting a psychiatrist get stigmatized. This is extremely wrong. When your heart aches, you go to a cardiologist. The same is about your emotional well-being. If your soul (call it however you want it) hurts, you should go to a psychiatrist and psychotherapist;
• Visit a dietitian. Digestive problems are one of the most common symptoms of mental burnout. With the lack of microelements and vitamins, you’ll experience constant fatigue. Discuss your diet with the specialist and add supplements to your menu if needed.

Final Thoughts

Students tend to overlook when mental fatigue knocks on their door. Why manage fatigue? Constant tiredness will later turn into academic burnout if not treated timely. The burnout will manifest itself in headache, anxiety, insomnia, and depression. With all that said, take time to relax, eat healthily, and manage your work-and-life balance.

We hope the article was helpful. Good luck!