Rebecca Meyers | Lifestyle Editor

College students are constantly working towards both new and old goals, some of which are personal and some of which are external pressures to be successful. It seems like there’s always post after post on social media about how constant hustle is the most important thing. Just the other day, I saw a tweet about how “rich people don’t sleep eight hours a day.” I also recently happened to come across a BuzzFeed article called “How millennials became the burnout generation.”

While a good chunk of the students at Western, particularly underclassmen, are Gen Z rather than millennials, the problems both generations face stem from similar sources and have been known to cause burnout.

According to psychologytoday.com, burnout is generally a combination of long hours, lack of control over the amount work one needs to get done and lack of work that a person finds meaningful. These are all common things that an average student faces on a regular basis. We often work long hours to pay for rent and tuition, we are assigned hours of work outside of class, we have other time commitments and we are usually required to take at least one class we have little to no interest in. Additionally, technology makes it so that work and school are able to contact us at any time, often putting us on edge even in our leisure time.

With these factors considered, I asked Craig Wimmer of the Student Health and Counseling Center how they are affecting Western students.

“I don’t think I would say burnout is common, but feeling overwhelmed and stressed is definitely a common experience, especially at the end of a term or the academic year,” Wimmer explained. “In a survey we did last spring of 2018, the National College Health Assessment, 93 percent of our students indicated that in the last 12 months they had ‘felt overwhelmed by all they had to do’. 89 percent indicated they ‘felt exhausted’ (not from physical activity).”

Unfortunately, burnout can result in “cynicism, depression and lethargy,” according to psychologytoday.com, which are the last things a college student needs to be able to focus on their goals. To counter burnout, it’s important to recognize when these symptoms start appearing. If they do appear, there’s a few ways of dealing with them. Wimmer noted some things to look out for are “Disengagement, lack of motivation, and isolation.”

If you feel these are problems you’re experiencing, Wimmer made something clear: “It’s not too late. Talk with professors, reach out to support services for academics and personal care,” he said.

Wimmer also had some advice for how to avoid burning out.

“Plan ahead. Look through your syllabi and map out when projects and tests occur and how you can spread out the workload … Find a strategy that works for you, whether that is a calendar, list, phone reminders.” Wimmer added, “Make sure that you are taking breaks, and dedicating some time for you to do things that you enjoy and are social.”

For mental health information and counseling services at Western, visit the Health and Counseling Center on campus or online at wou.edu/health.

Contact the author at howllifestyle@wou.edu

Photo by Ashlynn Norton