Slowing Down & Taking Time for Me
After a good cry and convo, my roommate made me realize that I had been burning myself out for the past six months and everything finally came to a head.
By: Karringtan Bell, Master’s student
Slowing down and taking time for yourself is beneficial to your mental health and well-being, and it does not make you any less successful.
I'm known as "the busy girl” to many of my friends. Throughout my college career, I've been bouncing from class to class, work, back to class, maybe hit the library for a study session, and then home to work on homework. I spent my spare moments scrambling to get coffee, eat, and barely achieve my goal of six hours of sleep. I got used to this routine and always being busy.
I subconsciously thought that being busy meant that I was doing enough with my life and I wasn’t being lazy. I believed that any downtime I had was time that I should be studying. Whenever summer would roll around, I would feel weird that I wasn't really doing anything.
It wasn't until recently that I realized something could have been wrong.
I was doing homework in my apartment and started reading the directions for the assignment when all of a sudden I started bawling. I literally read two sentences and that was enough for me to snap.
My roommate came out to see what was wrong. When she asked what was up I couldn't really give her an answer. At the time I just felt like everything was wrong. I remember telling her that I felt like I wasn't doing enough, but if I added any more to my plate I wouldn't be able to handle it.
She asked me, “When was the last time you did absolutely nothing and just took time for yourself?”
I couldn't even remember. Honestly, it might have been my freshman year 🤣
After a good cry and convo, my roommate made me realize that I had been burning myself out for the past six months and everything finally came to a head.
Being burnt out can look different for everyone.
For me, I’ve noticed that when I'm burnt out I don't want to do anything. This could be a task as simple as doing laundry or making my bed. I also get emotional over every little thing and will have mini crying sessions throughout the day. I noticed burnout when I would work on an assignment and it got to a point where I wouldn't care what I turned in; I had an “as-long-as-it's-done-that's-all-that-matters” attitude.
None of this was normal for me. I’m not the type of person to just not want to do anything and push my responsibilities to the side.
My roommate and I decided we were going to dedicate time to either painting or having a chill movie night. We ended up painting later that week and it was honestly the best thing ever. Chilling in sweats, no makeup, in a cozy warn apartment not thinking about anything school-related was exactly what I needed.
Now I make sure I do something at least once a week just for myself. I am finding out that this doesn't only help with burnout but it helps get my mind right and bring me to my happy place.
Are you burnt out?
There are different stages of burnout. As college students, these things are good to look out for:
Stages of Burnout (Szigethy, 2014)
Stage One: Milder symptoms
- Mental fatigue at the end of the day
- Feeling unappreciated, frustrated, or tense
- Physical aches or pains
- Feel like you are falling behind in work
- Dread the next day
Stage Two: Longer lasting symptoms
- More challenging to reverse symptoms
- Disillusionment about the job
- Feeling bored, apathetic, or frustrated
- Feel ruled by a schedule
- Intermittent periods of psychological/physical symptoms that last even when the provoking situation subsides
- Psychological symptoms
- Irritability, aggression, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, and suicidal thoughts
Tips to treat and prevent burnout
Find time to take breaks😌
Breaks can take many forms for different people. For some people it may be going to bed early. For others. it might be jogging. It’s crucial to have outlets and activities in your life that relieve stress, whether it’s binge-watching TV all day or finding a book series you enjoy.
Prioritize self-care💆♀️
Prioritize excellent sleep patterns, nutrition, exercise, social connection, and activities that promote serenity and well-being — such as meditating, writing, and enjoying nature — to refill your physical and emotional vitality as well as your capacity to focus. Give yourself a week to evaluate how you’re spending your time if you’re having trouble fitting these activities into your busy schedule.
Karringtan’s happiness/self-care list:
Here are some things I do:
- Listen to happy, upbeat music!
2) Stay positive and manifest good things!
3) Give me a spa day!
4) Cook! (anything with carbs! )
5) Paint!
6) Call my mom! (my favorite one)
