Dealing with burnout

A few days ago I read a post by moddedBear about burnout in university. It is something I occasionally struggle with myself so I figured I'd share my own experiences and some things that I have noticed help me cope with it. To put things in perspective I'm currently a PhD student and I've been through periods of lack of motivation and burnout both during my PhD and my undergrad studies.

moddedBear's post on burnout

The thing that I find helps me the most is being with other people. Just meeting someone for a meal, a drink or just chatting about whatever in the office. I find that being with friends helps a big deal in managing stress. And it has a stronger effect if this happens during the week too, not just on the weekends. I know too well that when you've got a lot on your plate it's easy to say you don't have time to go out and would rather work. But meeting other people helps me relax which makes me more productive and motivated for work afterwards.

Along the same lines, when I was still in undergrad I always studied with friends. I couldn't find the motivation to study on my own (and I'm pretty sure several of my friends felt the same) so we would gather at some study-friendly cafe or someones house on a regular basis. We didn't always study the same thing, what matters most I think is just having some company while studying and having the occasional break to chat and fool around. Which is why we never went studying in the library.

Another thing that I find important, especially now with all the COVID-19 restrictions, is to get a regular change of scenery. Spending the whole day inside the house is not great for anyone's mental health. I find that a short walk around the neighborhood or even going to the supermarket helps. Instead of getting a food delivery, go pick it up from the restaurant. Even working in a different part of the house can be a pleasant change of scenery.

As moddedBear mentioned, having something other than studies or work to make you feel productive also helps. This can be as simple as cooking a nice meal or tidying up your room. Don't neglect the everyday things, taking care of yourself has a positive impact on your mental health.

Having too many things to do, as is often the case during undergrad, can be really daunting. Take one thing at a time, pick something to work on and ignore all the rest. When progress is good I find that it helps to do the same thing for the whole day without switching to some other task. But when I reach the inevitable problem I can't figure out how to solve at the time I usually switch to something else and revisit it the next day. This helps me feel I'm making progress and not banging my head on the same wall all the time. I think keeping only a single thing in your mind is what's important here. When you switch tasks, switch completely, which is easier if you don't switch often.

Many universities offer some kind of mental health support. That's another thing worth checking out, some professional advice won't hurt.

Last but not least, try to always get enough sleep. Being well-rested is better for both your mental health and your cognitive performance. I don't think it ever makes sense to sacrifice sleep for studying more. I find that I'm much less able to cope with stress (or anything really) when I'm tired.

Even though I've identified certain things that help me cope with burnout, actually doing them is the biggest challenge. It's easy to fall into a state where you feel paralyzed by fear and the amount of work you have to do. It can be difficult to find the courage to do something when you're at that state but it's worth trying.

I don't claim to have a good solution to burnout. I still struggle with it at time and I don't always manage to apply my own advice. But there will always be good days and bad days, I just try to keep the above things in mind and have more good days than bad. I just hope this helps someone.

Sotiris 2021/12/04