Give yourself Grace: How to stop burnout catching you in October

I know you’re familiar with the feeling of shutting your laptop and staring, slumped in your chair, at a reflection of yourself in the window opposite where you’ve been studying for six hours. It’s dark outside, despite the fact that it’s 4pm. It’s been raining all day, so you look blurry in the glass, and the life seems to have literally drained out of your face, like tears of miserable British weather. You can’t bring yourself to move. You know that on top of the wet and cold, you’ll also have to face a queue for the bus, the sight of your empty cupboards at home, and an alarm toggle for the next morning. It’s all a bit much. This particular feeling is commonly known as burnout, and it was a daily routine for me in the winter of last year.

So, here’s a bit of a controversial opinion. Social media and self-help books will tell you that routines are the recipe for success, happiness, and a positive overall life trajectory. But I think sometimes there’s a fatal flaw in the concept of routines: they quickly become mindless groundhog days. I used to plan my days down to the minute because I thought it would reduce my stress levels and make sure I got everything done. But eventually, I started planning out fun activities to the minute, too. An evening with friends was scheduled, every nutritious meal I ate was scheduled, short breaks were scheduled, and I felt completely trapped. Being at the mercy of a routine works for some people, but taking it too far certainly didn’t work for me. I felt like I’d lost the genuine in-the-moment experience of my days, and any enjoyment felt muffled. So how do we strike a balance? There’s no doubt that university requires a degree (pun intended) of structure. But how do we avoid a mindless groundhog life? Here are my suggestions.

Take a few days to practice measuring your energy levels on a scale of 1–5 every few hours

Firstly, it’s really important to listen to your body and your mind. The first step to avoid burnout is to actually experience your internal life before planning anything that requires engaging it. Take a few days to practice measuring your energy levels on a scale of 1–5 every few hours. How do you feel when you first wake up? What about after some food? On a walk? When 5pm hits? Before bed? Then look at your to-do list: which tasks consume the most energy? Try to be realistic about what time of day your energy levels are right for each task. If you have a big project that needs a lot of focus, don’t leave it until 9pm on a Thursday when you’re probably exhausted from the day and winding down for bed. For non-negotiable activities like lectures, seminars, meetings, or sports practices, I’d recommend looking back at your list of things that make you feel happy and well. Is there a way you can incorporate these, even for five minutes, before your activity to boost your mood and energy?

For a course with four modules […] you could find four of your favourite places to sit and work, associating each one with its own module

Secondly, release yourself from the pain of sitting in one spot for six hours. I recently read some helpful advice from a fellow student, who changed up their study locations depending on the topic they were targeting. For a course with four modules, for example, you could find four of your favourite places to sit and work, associating each one with its own module. Not only does this force you to get in some movement and give your brain a mini reset between study blocks, it actually aids your long-term memory. After a few weeks of practising, when you arrive at location A for module A, your brain has forged a neural link between the two, and you’re likely to remember more of what you’ve been learning there.

Thirdly, the final weeks before restarting university or work are the perfect opportunity to try out some meal prepping. Meal prep has a mixed reputation (boring, only for gym rats, or for schoolchildren taking a packed lunch in). But for me, it’s really helped me avoid burnout. One of the things I struggled with most on dark, cold nights and post-exam-season study days was getting home to find I had no idea what to cook, or four random ingredients in my fridge I didn’t know what to do with. Even if you prep three dinners a week for the end of your longest days, it might totally turn around your trajectory to burnout.

I’m a persistent advocate against the chokehold of the doomscroll before bed

Finally, build a nighttime ritual. As I’m sure you know by now, I’m a persistent advocate against the chokehold of the doomscroll before bed. I don’t need to bore you again with why it’s bad for you… but a nighttime ritual is one positive kind of routine that will hopefully restore your energy when the next morning arrives. I used to find myself feeling even more drained if I was on my phone right before sleeping. Now, I take some time to read a fiction book, listen to calming music, and I’ve recently bought a lavender pillow spray that I love incorporating into my nightly routine to help me relax.

I hope these tips guide you to feeling more optimistic about restarting your university and work routine. Good luck to all of you, and remember that you can’t do your best work without taking care of your mind first!