4 Ways To Help A Burnout Student

In the fast-paced and demanding world of academia, it is not uncommon for students to experience burnout. The pressures of coursework, deadlines, extracurricular activities, and personal commitments can take a toll on even the most resilient students. This can have very serious consequences for the child’s physical and mental health.

As a parent and a teacher, you should realize the impact of burnout on the student. In addition to damaging the students health it can also effect their academic output. Recognizing the impact burnout can have on students' well-being and academic performance, it becomes imperative for teachers and parents to extend a helping hand and provide the necessary support.

This article aims to shed light on the negative effects of burnout on students and also offers information on identifying and combating this problem.

 

What Does A Burnout Student Mean?

Student burnout is mainly an adverse reaction of a student to studying for too long. This reaction includes physical, emotional, and mental responses. For example, your student may be exhausted in classes.

Some students also become frustrated because of burnout. It may also affect their ability to pay attention in class. The main reason why a student experiences burnout is due to studying the same learning material for weeks or months.

Working on the same school project for a prolonged time can also lead to burnout. Remember, this condition has a more chronic status and can last for a long time. Many students confuse burnout with frustrated feelings that one may experience after studying all night.

 

Causes That Make Students Experience Burnout?

There are several factors that might result in a student’s burnout.

Academic Pressure

One of the primary causes of student burnout is the overwhelming academic pressure students face. The constant need to perform well in exams, complete assignments on time, and meet high expectations can lead to chronic stress and burnout. Heavy workloads, rigorous coursework, and the fear of failure contribute to a sense of being overwhelmed and mentally exhausted.

Excessive Workload

Students often find themselves juggling multiple responsibilities simultaneously. Balancing coursework, extracurricular activities, part-time jobs, and personal commitments can leave little time for relaxation and self-care. The pressure to excel in all areas can lead to an excessive workload, causing physical and mental exhaustion.

Lack of A Strong Support System

Lack of a strong support system can significantly contribute to student burnout. Limited access to academic resources, insufficient guidance from educators, or feeling isolated and unsupported can increase stress levels. Students may struggle to cope with the demands of their studies without the necessary assistance or a strong support network.

Students Don’t Invest Time and Effort In Self Care

Neglecting self-care and well-being is a common factor in student burnout. When students prioritize academic responsibilities at the expense of their physical and mental health, they become vulnerable to burnout. Some students might stay awake to study late and some might skip their lunch so that they can stay in the library and study. Inadequate sleep, poor nutrition, and limited relaxation time can all contribute to a student's overall burnout.

High Expectations

When it comes to academic performance, some parents have really high expectations from their kids. This can make the students work extra hard to meet the expectations of their parents. Many students also set unrealistically high standards for themselves, trying to achieve perfection in every aspect of their academic journey. The fear of failure and the constant pursuit of perfection can be mentally and emotionally draining. These expectations can intensify stress levels and contribute to burnout.

 

What Are The Consequences Of A Burnout?

Severe burnout can also lead to disastrous consequences such as:

• Depression
• Cynicism
• Academic anxiety
• Physical illnesses
• Drug abuse

Some kids who isolate themselves due to burnout and treat others passive-aggressively may also lose their friends. These things can affect their emotional capacity more negatively.

 

How To Identify A Burnout Student?

As a parent or teacher, it is your duty to help your students the best way you can. This is why you must be able to identify burnout to help the kid get some relief.

The good news is that there are various symptoms of academic stress and anxiety. So let’s look at the top five ways you can identify burnout:

1. Lack Of Interest

The initial signs of student burnout include loss of motivation. Because of this, a student may lose interest in their education. They may laze around the class or skip the lecture altogether.

Sometimes it may be hard to determine that your student is experiencing burnout through this sign. This is because many kids procrastinate and only study at the last minute generally. You can understand the symptom better by knowing your student.

For example, if a student who is highly motivated most of the time and has specific dreams lose interest in their education, it is likely because of burnout.

If the burnout is severe, a student may even consider dropping out of school or university. They may even question their goals and ability to achieve them.

2. Focusing In Class May Be Hard

It is true that every student is a bit distracted in classes, especially morning ones. They may try to have fun by talking to friends during the lecture or doodling in their books instead of paying attention. Remember focusing can be severely difficult during burnout.

Anxiety and lack of sleep are the top reasons behind the difficulty of focusing. These signs are also more prominent in a burnout student. A kid may read a sentence multiple times without understanding what they read.

Other signs that may indicate your student is having focus troubles due to burnout include forgetful behavior and low productivity. Indecisiveness may also follow this condition.

3. Poor Physical Health

Every kid is not athletic or highly active due to laziness, anemia, and other reasons. However, that does not mean that such kids have poor physical health. A decline in health is mainly seen when a student experiences burnout.

Digestive issues can arise because of burnout due to the body being in stress. In addition, individuals experiencing burnout may also develop skin reactions such as rashes or hives, ranging from mild to severe types. It's essential to distinguish between rashes vs hives in some cases, as they can have different causes and require different treatments. Most students also experience headaches frequently because of tension.

Some people also experience sleep disorders. For example, a child may not be able to sleep out of guilt of not studying, but they may still not be able to study due to a lack of motivation.

Declining physical health also makes a person susceptible to other health issues, such as flu. If these signs are ignored, the student experiences mental health problems such as depression.

Some students also drop out of school because of severe academic burnout.

4. Reduced Creativity

Creativity is commonly present in students pursuing a field they love. For example, engineering and computer tech students are more enthusiastic than other kids. They may constantly present creative ideas in class and among their peers.

When such students experience burnout, the first thing they lose is their creativity. Coming up with original ideas can be a difficult task. Your student may also lose their inspiration behind a project and quit in the middle.

The main way to understand this symptom is by determining whether the student's thinking process has become slow. If the kid feels whatever idea they come up with is not good enough, they're experiencing burnout.

You will have to talk with the student before you can understand this symptom completely.

5. Declining Academic Performance

It will come as no shock that student burnout will lead to their grades declining. Low productivity and lack of motivation mean the kid will not understand most topics in class. Covering those subjects at home will also be tough due to focusing troubles.

The overall result of all these things will be reduced academic performance. A student may go from being top of the class to the bottom because of burnout.

Some students may experience reduced performance due to a lack of studying, while others may face issues due to hyperactivity. Burnout students who pull all-nighters overwork themselves. This is why they may end up being blank during exams.

 

4 Ways To Help A Burnout Student

Now that you know how to identify students experiencing burnout, you may be wondering how to help those kids cope with it. So here are the top four ways that will assist you:

1. Plan Out Their Studies

Many students face burnout because they try to cover everything in their syllabus at once. Doing one subject throughout the week can also have negative emotional consequences. This is why planning out their studies will help the kid.

You may help your student develop a weekly timetable for things they should cover at home. Maintaining a good balance of different subjects in the schedule will help the kid cover their syllabus easily without feeling they have done a specific thing too much.

Organizing things makes studying more manageable and it is also helpful if the student has a lot of deadlines. As a parent, encourage your child to use a planner app for tracking their weekly tasks.

You may also encourage your student to start journaling to prevent negative thoughts from affecting their studies. Writing and acknowledging issues can help them find a solution for them.

2. Ensure They Don’t Study On Weekend

Some parents and teachers are strict with their students. This is why they want them to study all seven days of the week. However, this can have a negative impact on the student’s mental health.

Studying daily can make a student feel they have no time for themselves. For example, your kid may not be able to read fictional books due to their learning material. This is why keeping their weekend free can help them enjoy a better balance.

You may encourage the student to go out with friends on the weekend. It can also be good to plan family outings on Saturdays to help the kid enjoy some mental relief. Even if your kid does not go out on weekends, it is okay as long as they have free time for themselves.

3. Talk To Them

Some students with burnout can experience severe symptoms if they have no one to guide them. This is why it is important to be a friend to your kid. Talk to them about their studies without intimidating them or scolding them about their grades.

If your child’s academic performance is declining, sit with them to understand their mental situation instead of imposing punishments on them to make them study. Most students share their problems with parents and other friendly figures.

Sometimes you may even have to seek help from a counselor for your kid. This is because some students are afraid of talking about their issues to their parents. A school guidance counselor or other figure may help them overcome their burnout.

4. Plan Activities Together

Enjoying family time on the weekend is different than participating in regular activities with your kid. Some students are interested in fitness, so practicing exercises or going on daily runs with them can help them maintain a routine.

You may even cook with your kid or play board games with them to help them stay happier. These activities are also good for allowing students to get a break from studying. So they may not experience burnout if their work-life balance is good.

Remember to focus on what your kid likes and do those things with them. Some parents try to force hobbies on their young children without understanding their needs. A prime example of this is taking your kid golfing every week even though they don't like sports.

Another way to engage your kid in activities is by encouraging them to participate in school extracurricular activities. This will allow them to spend more time with their friends and enjoy their academic life more.

 

Final Words

These four practical strategies can assist students in their journey towards recovery after they have experienced a burnout. By implementing these approaches, parents and educators can collectively ensure an environment where the student’s well-being isn’t effected and where the students can achieve high levels of academic success.