Aquinas | The University of Scranton

College students must relax to avoid burnout
BY TIM SIMPSON
STAFF WRITER
November 20, 2008 issue

Believe it or not the semester is one blink away from being over. I can safely admit that it was the most challenging semester for me physically, mentally and emotionally. I knew going in that I wanted to run myself into the ground for no better reason than my own pride, but I now realize that all I acquired from doing the same routine over and over again for months is a worn out expression on my face, a tired brain and some angry friends and family members who cannot remember what I even look like because I am never around to fulfill my role as a son or a confidant. Sure, there were times when I felt at ease with everything while writing or watching television, but these relaxing moments were a rarity because of the unhealthy dedication I had to my school work.

As human beings we are inclined to strive for success in all aspects of life. I have always given my all in everything that I do and it is evident that most students enrolled in this University do the same. However, up until recently I have started to rearrange the goals I originally held for the semester, such as attending every class I signed up for without missing one, making the Dean’s List and writing for the newspaper as much as possible while juggling nineteen credits, a part-time job and twenty hours of observation and tutoring in a local third grade classroom. Due to certain experiences I have had this semester with burnout, exhaustion and virtual obsession with my work, I want my peers to understand that it is acceptable to want something so desperately that you would go to any extreme to achieve it. However, when it takes away precious hours of time spent with friends, family or a quality night’s rest, then it goes too far and it must be eradicated immediately for your own safety and for those who care about you.

As college students, the words “burnout” and “exhaustion” are all too common since many of us pull all nighters several times during the course of a semester in order to finish that grade deciding Philosophy paper or a tedious Statistics paper that was put off until the eleventh hour. In addition, pressure to do well in certain classes by professors who are harsh graders and somewhat condescending to those who are unfamiliar with the course content may contribute to “burnout” indirectly, but it still had a role in my case. So if we know what these words symbolize for our physical and mental health, then why on earth would we fail to prioritize in order to finish assignments early and take a breather once in a while to avoid the problem all together?

First of all, because I foolishly kept the nineteen credits I registered for, I am in class from 8:30 am to 6:15 pm Monday to Thursday with small increments of time in between to begin an assignment or tie up loose ends with another. I was lucky enough to have Fridays free from the stress of classes, but after a while I realized that I would complete my observation hours in the classroom on Fridays, thus ending my dream of lying in bed all day to recoup from a rough week. My priorities were set, but there were times when I simply could not sleep through the night because of all the conflicting assignments.

Another contributing factor to my current “burnout” situation is something that many students wish they could say to their professors face, but do not have the courage to do so for obvious reasons. Some professors fail to take into consideration the lack of time some students have during the course of their day to actually complete an assignment that they expect to be “perfect” in order to earn an “A.” This way of thinking on some professor’s parts is aggravating to me and makes me want to work even harder to prove to them that I can earn an “A” on at least one writing assignment. However, this is virtually impossible, since I never receive higher than a “B” in my Theology class, if there is one minor error in diction or spelling. In all fairness, is it favoritism of those who participate more in class or is my writing too difficult to analyze and assign a fair grade? This whole situation added to the stresses of my life early on in the semester and led to more unhealthy behaviors as I set out to prove myself worthy of that coveted “A” in Theology.

There seems to be a strange correlation between my obsession to do well and the ignorance of certain professors or instructors on campus as my example illustrates. I realize that this is a liberal arts institution with a variety of different courses that we must complete in order to earn a degree in whatever field we choose. However, I feel as though I am wasting my time sitting in a boring lecture class about Catholicism when I am not even Catholic or a computer literacy lab where busy work is assigned to purposefully interfere with other important classes I actually enjoy and place most of my attention on since I am an education major. Therefore, I believe that less emphasis should be placed on the senseless classes that are irrelevant to my career path and that more attention should be paid to the classes that are necessary to teach me how to become a better teacher.   Philosophy, Theology and Computer Literacy will never be cited by me as benefiting my ability to teach third graders how to read or write.

If you are stressed out it is most likely due to of lack of sleep, having “too many irons in the fire,” or simply participating in activities that lead to a stressful learning environment. Therefore, my advice to anyone experiencing these symptoms is to drop everything for a few hours, take a nap, call a friend, see a movie or do anything to clear your head. A mind filled with ideas of what could have been needs to rest once in a while to regroup and focus better to get the job done. In addition, I hope to paint a picture for other students on campus taking the same route towards destruction, so they can to recognize the signs of burnout and exhaustion before they occur and lead to other serious mental illnesses that impede their progress through this classy institution of higher learning.

Still, does this all really matter in the grand scheme of things? Is my life defined by grades and tarnishing my working relationships with the instructors who teach the classes I deem irrelevant to my path in life? In the context of my current situation I would say yes to the above, but outside of these walls I beg to differ because I am simply a human being who wants to better himself in pursuit of happiness.