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Study-Life Balance and Reducing Burnout

Finding a solid balance between study and life is super important. If you’re at school, TAFE or university, chances are you’ll have assignments to complete and study to get on top of. Sometimes, this can make it harder to manage other important responsibilities you may have, like a job, extracurriculars, or hobbies. 

 

If you’re finding it difficult to strike that balance between your studies and everyday life, you might end up feeling overwhelmed and stressed for long periods. And over time, these feelings can cause burnout and begin to impact your daily life, so it’s important to find a balance that works for you. 

 

What is burnout?

Burnout can be described as a state of complete mental, physical and emotional exhaustion. A few symptoms of burnout can include:

  • lack of motivation, drive and/or passion for things you usually enjoy
  • easily irritated
  • unable to focus or concentrate
  • emotionally withdrawn
  • unable to perform basic tasks.

 

You can learn more about burnout by checking out this article on what is burnout, or taking this quick quiz.

 

What does a good study-life balance look like?

Building a good study-life balance will look different for everyone and can help you stay on top of burnout before it happens. You could look at it like a pie chart, where in a day or within your week you’ve got time for yourself and your responsibilities. Take a look at this example from the BBC:Bel_RO_0-1713832159629.png

 

This pie chart shows you just how many areas form a part of your overall well being. Notice how it includes finding some time to study but also making sure you have time to chill. For example, you might spend two hours studying in the evening, and then the rest of the night you might watch a movie and relax. 

 

It’s important to find a balance that works for you, as this can help you to maintain perspective, recharge your batteries and improve your overall health and wellbeing – all of which can help to reduce the chances of burnout. 

 

Do you have a study-life balance? If so, what helps you prevent burnout? If not, what will you do to create a study-life balance? 

Bel_RO
Bel_ROPosted 23-04-2024 10:32 AM

Comments

 
alikay_jay
alikay_jayPosted 06-05-2024 05:04 PM

I had to learn the hard way how to have study-life balance 😅 During uni I always really pushed myself to do the best I possibly could, which usually meant super high expectations and ridiculous amounts of studying out of fear of failing. It completely burned me out 😭 I realised that the mental aspect of study-life balance (or even work-life balance) - being that I needed to change my attitude around study/work and the fear of failing - was the most important thing for me to change in order to not continue burning myself out. Now, whenever I am noticing that I am feeling stressed or overwhelmed, I try to check in with myself to wonder what it is that I am thinking might happen that is causing me to push myself so hard. If the thought is "I need to study non-stop until this exam or I'll fail", I try to think of less intense outcomes of not studying so hard such as "Even if I fail, I can always take this course again" or "The likelihood of me completely failing isn't actually that high, it's fairly likely that I will get a passing grade". Usually doing this helps a lot!

 
chika
chikaPosted 06-05-2024 02:58 PM

I have found spending time with animals or in nature a really great way to help reduce burnout and look after my well-being!🐶🌲

 
cats_wherever
cats_whereverPosted 29-04-2024 06:31 PM

Hi @Bel_RO

 

This post came at the right time as I have been experiencing some work burnout as I've had to work more hours than usual these last two weeks. I enjoy my university content as I am studying psychology so this isn't too much of an issue for me. Some strategies I've used to help me tackle burnout are:

  • Acknowledge that I am burnt out and it's important to take care of myself and ask for help when I need it.
  • Participate in activities that I like such as knitting, crocheting, and watching my favourite shows.
  • Spending time with loved ones and my pets

However, I have realised that consistently doing the same activities can cause burnout so I have the goal of beginning a book I have been meaning to read for some time now. I hope this will be a nice and positive change to my routine!

 
Rara
RaraPosted 29-04-2024 11:34 AM

Hi @Bel_RO

This a great post on helping find a balance. 

For me what I try to do, is a couple hours of study everyday or at least one topic (could be assignment, note taking etc). Ultimately I like to be able to work the days I study so on my days off I can really focus on self- care and doing the things I want or do as minimal study as possible the easy stuff on the content. 

 

I try to go the gym 3 times a week, I love moving my body and can help control my emotions especially when I am feeling anxious about an assignment or two. I also try to read at least 30 pages everyday since thats what I enjoy doing in my free time. 

 

I always try to leave Monday as my errand day as well, I will clean my bathroom, have any appointments and do some cooking for the week so I am set up and not having to worry about getting them done. I then I have uni on a Friday at a bad time in the afternoon but I have taken as an opportunity to have a social life, go out and see my friends when normally I wouldn't on a Friday because I have work.

 

These all prevent me from burnout because then I am not doing everything all at once. 

 
KaizerBiker
KaizerBikerPosted 28-04-2024 08:46 PM

Hello @Bel_RO

 

This is a very thoughtful and important post and something that we sorta overlook when things get really rough ( which makes it ever more important)

 

In terms of my study-life balance, I do have one albeilt it's not overly structured, for me it generally involves studying for certain amount of time ( lets say 2-3 hours), when a session is done, I often go about doing my passion project (trying to compile a lunch specials list at the moment) or/and relax with a nice little youtube video as well.

 

If I get overly exhausted in one of these study sessions, I would go off for a walk of some sort, breath in the fresh air a bit, or go off to a nearby park or garden to study instead ( so changing up the scenery a bit)

 

In any case, these are what I do normally and I hope to see more people go about posting their study-life balance as well 😊

 

 

 
Blueberry_Kudu
Blueberry_KuduPosted 26-04-2024 02:08 PM

Hi @Bel_RO

Thanks for this excellent post! 

 

It's so easy to forget to balance things out especially when you have so many assignments piling together and deadlines.

 

When I was at university I did try to maintain a study-life balance by doing the work I had to do on that day and then I would step away and try to exercise or get fresh air, or see my friends. I would also stop studying completely before it was time to sleep because I didn't want it to interfere with my sleep 

 
RalphyCee
RalphyCeePosted 24-04-2024 10:24 PM

Very important post!

 

I feel can inevitably be challenging and can take a toll on us.

 

That’s why I believe it is crucial to have variety in your life. For me this includes simply catching up with friends or exercising. It sounds cliche but it genuinely does recharge you. 

It can be tricky, however,  sometimes over-working can creep up on you just easily, so it’s important to have these outlets regardless of whether you think you need them!!

 
AcidMonster55
AcidMonster55Posted 24-04-2024 07:09 PM

Great post!

Ive been trying to improve on this a lot this year so far and I found what works for me is

-having CLEAR cut off points for studying (eg no study past 6pm/aim to submit assignment 2 days before it's due so I still have time in case there's last minute emergency) 

-planning when and what to study as soon as I get a task if possible to prevent procrastination

-excercising on days I don't study and

-reminding myself what I can and can't control in the present moment to prevent nonstop worrying/distraction.

Again, great post! 

 
Lemon_Parrot
Lemon_ParrotPosted 24-04-2024 04:01 PM

Soooo important to remember, thank you @Bel_RO😇

 

Balance in lifestyle is a huge goal and drive for me, there is so much to do and see so I try do a little bit of everything, everyday!

 

- have different daily schedules! some days I study, other days I watch movies

- move my body everyday so my mind can focus later 

- fueling my body with yummy food so I have energy to studying, work or socialise

 

 

 
Sprouting_Flowers
Sprouting_FlowersPosted 23-04-2024 08:46 PM

Hi @Bel_RO

 

Amazing post! It is so important to highlight that one of the best ways to prevent burnout is to try and prevent it. I also really appreciated that you mentioned that balancing work and life can look different for everyone, and it's all about finding out what works best for you! 🙂 

 
pink_butterfly
pink_butterflyPosted 23-04-2024 01:31 PM

Love this post!

 

I have study-life balance!

What I do:

- maintain a good sleep schedule no matter what!

- no study or phone an hour before bed (no late night cramming)

- check in with friends and people I trust when I'm feeling overwhelmed and stressed

- do little chunks of study each day rather than letting it build up and overwhelm me

 

🙂

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