The Christmas lights are gone, packed away with the stockings, Santa figurines, and inflatable snowmen. The turkey is eaten, the chestnuts roasted, and the cookies devoured.
Holiday movie binge watches have transformed into marathon training. Sleeping in has evolved into walking up before dawn to become “productive”. The takeout containers are thrown out and replaced with every kind of green leafy thing imaginable.
And in the midst of the new year, of the LEGOs being built, of the TBR’s getting bigger… school arrives.
That’s right. Getting up before the sun sets, putting on real people clothes, and going through the glorious eight period day has returned. Yes, it is wonderful to see friends again and laugh about what we did over the break. Yes, it is refreshing to have structure in our lives. And finally, yes I will admit it, it is nice to go back to learning lessons and improving my young mind.
However, as time goes on, the happiness of being at school dwindles back to near nothing. The homework weighs us down, the quizzes crush us beneath their oppressive multiple choice questions, the essays mock us with their repetitive jargon.
I know. I know. It sounds like I am wallowing in self-pity and I will be honest… I am.
But not anymore! I am throwing away my negative attitude with my semester exam grades and becoming more positive! And I want to help you do the same.
High School Burnout is a real struggle for all 9th through 12th graders. It has numerous different monikers, most famously senioritis. It causes a complete lack of motivation in all types of students, from jocks to the most studious nerds. In October, you can complete two essays, a quiz, and 5 homework assignments with ease. In February, you struggle to remember which shoe goes on which foot.
I know it appears impossible to overcome, it is just human nature, but have hope! I have some tips on how you can manage your own burnout.
The first tip I have about burnout is to never overfill your plate. The second semester is challenging even without all the extracurriculars and clubs you can do. You have more challenging content, harder recital pieces to learn, and more engagements to go to, if you are a senior. You will get overwhelmed and stressed, which will cause the burnout to become worse. If you pile on more activities, you will not have time to relax.
Which brings me to my second tip: Give yourself time away from all your requirements and relax. With all of the activities we get into this time of year, it can be difficult to give ourselves some personal time. Believe me, I understand feeling like you are being lazy after you just completed a hard day of work because you take time to watch a show. But you can not let the guilt run you rugged. If you keep working with no stops, you will get burned out. You will have no motivation to do anything. Give yourselves a few hours a day to just watch a movie or read a book. Recharge your batteries and just breathe for a second, I promise it is worth it. However, with this relaxation time comes a dangerous habit. It can be easy to give yourself too much free time, which leads to more stress down the line. You need to understand how much personal time you need and be responsible enough to not allow extra time.
Now for my final and most important piece of wisdom: Enjoy your time in high school. I know it sounds cliche but it is true. You need to cheer at the pep rallies. You should support your sports team. Help fundraise for your school. Just enjoy all the moments of school you have left. It might seem like it will make the burnout worse, however it is the exact opposite. Making good lasting memories in your school helps deplete your burnout because it makes your work worth it. All the assignments and work seem less when you are surrounded by fellow students who are going through the same thing as you. If you participate, you will not regret it.
Burnout can be a huge hurdle for people to get past, but I hope I have helped you with these tips!
