As the exams are coming up, students are getting burnouts due to a prolonged period of stress. Have you ever been suffering from symptoms such as exhaustion after a simple task, and loss of motivation, or frequent physical illness? These are the main symptoms of an academic burnout. Academic burnout is when the student feels anxious about their high expectations. These days, many teenagers, especially middle and high school students, are experiencing academic burnouts.
According to the survey in“Unpacking Grind Culture in American Teens” conducted by Harvard University and Indiana University, with 6 categories consisting of plan for the future, achievement, appearance, social life, friendship, and activism, the two categories that stress students out the most were plans for the future and achievement. This survey shows how academics are causing most of the pressure in a teen’s life.
According to “Fronttiers” the burnout can direct influence the satisfaction, engagement, and academic achievement but they also interact with each other. These 4 factors can work as a cause as well as the result. For example, when there is high level of satisfaction, engagement, and academic achievement, a burnout is less likely. But when there is low percentage of the the factors, there is a high chance increases.
One of the main causes of an academic burnout is parental expectations, competition with peers and personal pressure. Many parents expect their child to get high grades and get into wel l- known universities. Due to their high expectations, students keep getting pressured to perform well academically. This pressure could give the student academic burnout symptoms. Competition with peers is another major cause of stress, as some students are competitive with their grades and report cards. This causes the other students to feel like they are falling behind. Students often ask for other students’ grades and compare them with theirs. There consistent comparison could eventually lead to academic burnout. Students also give self -imposed pressure to themselves. This often starts with their ambition of striving to achieve a goal that they are not entirely ready for. Due to this, students start to be afraid of failures and work even more tirelessly. This type of mindset could sometimes help the students achieve higher, but it could turn out to be harmful to them.
Even if students get the symptoms that signal burnout, there are multiple ways to recover from it. According to an article published by the University of Illinois Chicago, “Strategies for Managing Academic Stress,” one way to recover is by being thinking of their positive aspect. By thinking of positive aspects of their lives, they can replace negative thoughts and focus on their strength. Another way to get over the stress is to practice mindfulness. Mindfulness gives them a break from their complicated thoughts and alleviates their academic stress. According to a survey by the University of Southampton, 38.9% of students answered that mindfulness helps them reduce depression, anxiety and stay positive. By maintaining a flexible mindset, focusing more on their strength, and practicing mindfulness students will be able to overcome their stress.
During an academic burnout, students may feel depressed or suffer from physical pain due to the pressure they get from their surroundings. However, with effective measures such as positive thinking, mindset and mindfulness, students can get over the challenges. It is normal for students to get academic burnout but rather then trying to avoiding it, it is more important of realize and get over with it. By this, students will be able to emerge as stronger individuals.
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