Using Summer to Fight Burnout
The goal of this article is to at least put the idea in the head of students to look at summer as an opportunity to catch up and give themselves a much-needed break.
By Xavier Royer — June 5, 2023
Summer is a remarkably abstract season for those of us in education at all levels. The seasons have common qualities that most students and faculty can relate to. Fall represents a new year and an exciting start to a next chapter and events like homecoming. As Thanksgiving ushers in winter, we all get to experience the emotional peaks and valleys of fall break, finals, and the holidays. Spring brings excitement and accomplishments, concluding with graduation, which is about as big an academic event as one can imagine. But summer? What students and staff do from May to August is completely up to them. Some find internships and summer jobs, to build their resumes and pad their bank accounts. Others take big trips across or even out of the country. There are also those who take up new hobbies or creative pursuits. These are just a few of the different approaches to take to summer break. There are pros and cons to each of these courses of action, as well as other options I haven't mentioned. Regardless of what it looks like, you need to enjoy your summer.
Being a college student is not a normal lifestyle. You are likely at your most vulnerable financially, and are trying to keep more balls in the air than you ever have been before. While many of the arbitrary social pressures of high school are in the past, friend and relationship drama still exists to some capacity. You might be an athlete or have some other extracurriculars, and if not, you probably have a job, if not both. Then there's conferences, practicums, and myriad other projects around classes. This is all to say, during the school year, students are absolutely grinding. Even if you don't feel tired or overworked, you may just be subconsciously powering through. This doesn't make the stress of the grind disappear. Rather, you are just putting it on a mental health credit card, and that card has huge interest rates. You ever run into a faculty member who seems like they hate their job and resent their students? Those are the people who never paid off that stress credit card, and over time became bitter.
Summer is our ticket to paying down this stress debt. To continue the credit card analogy, you can and should try to make small payments during the school year when you can. Don't count on the other breaks — they tend to get monopolized by vacations and holidays, and while they are still fun, they are still busy. We are not looking for fun, we are looking for rest. A weeklong beach trip can be a blast, but having to think about things like plane rides, hotels, expenses, family, weather, and myriad other things can often cancel the time spent sunbathing. I personally often feel like I need a staycation after my vacation, to rest off all the fun I had. Rest can be fun, but is not necessarily. If you have a big balance of stress debt, rest might even feel bad. Often, giving your body and mind permission to take a break will physically manifest and you will feel almost like you have a cold.
Over the summer you should have two goals in terms of burnout. First, work to eliminate causes of stress and fatigue. For example, if you have been financially strained and it's causing a lot of stress, work your tail off! This seems counterintuitive, but if figuring out how to afford rent and groceries is dominating your mental capacity. Have looming projects next semester? Start prepping! Get proactive about knocking things out and set yourself up for success. We do this first not only for the primary benefit of reducing future stress but so we can be active and conscious about getting our rest in.
The second goal is to find days on the calendar, and mark them off. If it is a physical calendar, color the day in. That is YOUR day. You are taking those days to do things you enjoy that require no planning and no mental energy. Exercise is fine if you find it natural — if you work out from obligation rather than enjoyment, then take your rest days off. Is cooking enjoyable and easy for you? Then go for it, but leave the dishes for tomorrow. If not, get takeout. On these days, go as far out of your way not to care about a single thing in the world. This will give your brain time to make repairs and catch its breath. If your rest days physically manifest, such as muscle fatigue or any weird feelings in your chest, mention these to your doctor on your next visit. Your mental and physical health are connected in meaningful ways, and taking care of one helps regulate the others.
Mental health is taken much more seriously than it was even ten years ago. That said, burnout is something students still struggle with. The goal of this article is to at least put the idea in the head of students to look at summer as an opportunity to catch up and give themselves a much-needed break.
Xavier Royer
I am currently a full time instructor at a William Penn University, a small private university in Iowa. I am the lone political science faculty member there. In my time teaching, I have already connected with an incredible cohort of students in ways I could never have expected. Partnering with SAGE will allow me the opportunity to help even more students across the globe navigate those tricky questions.
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