How to avoid getting burned out

[nocturne-e]

I have one semester left of high school then I'm off to college for EE. Unlike most of my peers, I actually chose difficult classes this year in order to prepare for next year. The problem is that I kind of feel like I'm getting burned out. I already know how taxing it is to be so completely wrapped up in the rigorous of school and I haven't even started the hard part!

It might be that I just am having a hard time seperating from my academic life. But at least this year, I feel all I do it school - go for 7 hours, go to volunteer, orchestra, or piano (whatever it might be for that day) and then do homework until 12. Every. single. day. Plus add in the stress of college planning and I've been starting to feel a little psycho.. I just don't want to squash the passion I have for learning.


Do you have any methods of coping with the "burnt out" feeling you get having to endure so long in something so difficult?

 

[General_Sax]

You're going to have to cut out the extracurriculars, because HS classes are not rigorous in the slightest.

 

[abiyo]

I am no expert on this but I passed through this phase at some point in high school and college. Your well being and your satisfaction is very important. So if you are feeling you are doing too much, drop some of your commitments. Try to exercise. This might be as simple as taking a walk for an hour, cycling, running or playing some sports. Believe me the sooner you act, the better.

The quality of your work is not necessarily dependent on the quantity. Do less classes but digest them well. Be physically healthy and try to have some good time with family and friends. And more than all fight the feeling that you are not doing enough. All the best, Hope this helped

 

[wild999711]

Only way to avoid burning out is to lower your number of commitments. You should at least get enough sleep and a little relaxation/exercise time. You'll likely have to stop seriously doing several extracurriculars in college anyway, so now is a good time to start prioritizing your interests. A lot of people have gone through a similar situation at some point.

It's good you can cope well in that situation for months at time though. Persistence will serve you well in college, just don't overdo it.

 

[nocturne-e]

You're going to have to cut out the extracurriculars, because HS classes are not rigorous in the slightest.

I'm taking three college level courses, calc, physics and chem (which are the harder classes first year at my college) and do about 3-5 hours of homework/studying every night (this of coure takes me from about 6-11 because there's no way I can do all of that in one sitting.) Trust me, I'm not having the conventional senior year...


@Others: Thanks; I appreciate the advice. I don't exersize that often (thakfully for the time being I do have a good metabolism and don't eat that much anyway! :tongue2: I've never really thought seriously as it being a stress reliever, though.)

I've always pinned the slightly depressed feeling I guess every couple months soley on the school work but it is true that I'm juggling a lot of stuff. That will all go away after this semester so it makes me feel a little more confident in the quality of life I'll have once I go to college.

 

[CheckMate]

I'm taking three college level courses, calc, physics and chem (which are the harder classes first year at my college) and do about 3-5 hours of homework/studying every night (this of coure takes me from about 6-11 because there's no way I can do all of that in one sitting.) Trust me, I'm not having the conventional senior year...@Others: Thanks; I appreciate the advice. I don't exersize that often (thakfully for the time being I do have a good metabolism and don't eat that much anyway! :tongue2: I've never really thought seriously as it being a stress reliever, though.)

I've always pinned the slightly depressed feeling I guess every couple months soley on the school work but it is true that I'm juggling a lot of stuff. That will all go away after this semester so it makes me feel a little more confident in the quality of life I'll have once I go to college.

These courses are pretty much a review of advanced HS classes so loose the stress.

 

[nocturne-e]

These courses are pretty much a review of advanced HS classes so loose the stress.

I'm pretty sure I know the difference between material I've already learned previously and material I've never learned before. I'm not that stupid. If it was really all that easy because there was no new material I wouldn't be having a problem, would I?

Regardless, I didn't make this thread for random people on the internet to tell me the classes I'm taking aren't no big deal, that they aren't hard or that they're merely review. What basis do you even have to assume these things? None. So please stop trying to convince me of such.


All I'm asking is for advice on how to relieve stress that my academic life puts on me. That's it.

 

[Angry Citizen]

Regardless, I didn't make this thread for random people on the internet to tell me the classes I'm taking aren't no big deal, that they aren't hard or that they're merely review.

Enjoy the stress then. College is going to be like a freight train coming at you if you think high school is in any way difficult or time-consuming. AP classes are technically 'college level', but I can attest that most of them aren't even close.

What everyone is saying is, "This is nothing." They are trying to wind you down. If you didn't want their advice, why ask?

 

[ninevolt]

It actually depends on your high school when comparing difficulty between college
Yes for the most part college classes are harder and more indepth, but college students typically take 3-5 classes a quarter versus the 6-7 a high schooler does.

Personally for me I found the first year of college much easier than my junior and senior year of high school.

But my advice to you is not to believe in the "senioritis" many of your peers have contracted. School is school, you are there to learn, taking it easy should not be acceptable, the only reason it is because EVERYONE ELSE IS DOING IT. This is where you train and test your personal will. So long as you stick to your personal convictions you should be ok.

 

[Ryker]

Stop studying so much and cut out the extra-curriculars that you aren't doing because you find them enjoying. Seriously, this is high school. Do you really want to start toiling your life away at that age?

 

[hadsed]

College will be easier if you don't do so many extra-curricular activities. You'll have probably 4 or 5 classes and the rest of the time is spent studying for those or hanging out/doing whatever you want. Depends on how hard your college is. It's common for high school to feel harder because there's too much to pack in for one day, but kids do it anyway. It's rather unfortunate really.

 

[sweetpotato]

I actually found freshman and sophomore year of college to be easier than senior year of high school. This was partly because I had a very long commute in high school (1.5 hours one way). I agree with everyone that says that you may be doing too many extracurriculars. Try just doing one or 2 that you truly enjoy.

 

[Choppy]

The question is how to avoid getting burned out.

And the solution, really, is to make sure that in what you're doing, you are taking enough time for yourself. It's easy to say that you've bitten off more than you can chew, and that you have to start cutting some stuff out, but another option is to look at your efficiency. Where are you spending your time? What do you feel you're missing out on? What do YOU need to do in order to keep yourself fresh and on track? The answers to that last one are not the same for everyone and may take some experimentation.

 

[aspiring_one]

During college I found it helps to take a Saturday and Sunday to myself at least once every 2 or 3 months (depending on the course load). I usually try to read something I enjoy or am interested in such as comic books, science journals/magazines,or even short literature works. I also do the typical video gaming (though for me, I don't enjoy it thoroughly but my friends play so..), watching movies, listen to music, etc.

The point is you're in college now because you want to, not because you have to be. You need to take that step to work harder and longer than you've ever had (or not haha) but you should also take some time to enjoy life and not worry about the future. This is your life after all, live it.