The Fall 2021 semester brought some return to normalcy after a year of Covid-19 mitigation on campus, which required significantly limited campus activities, and virtual classes and meetings. This semester, with most classes being held in person, rehearsals and performances taking place again, and campus activities such as in-person homecoming reinstated, some students are feeling a sense of burnout.
Madison Noelle Chang, junior dance management major, said the re-institution of in-person homecoming, philanthropy weeks, and performances contributed to her feeling of burnout.
“I feel like the burnout comes from adjusting to the transition back to in-person learning and events,” Chang said. “I’m glad we do have these opportunities, but going through this transition while still facing the impact of COVID-19 is something that we’re all learning to navigate again.”
OCU Director of University Counseling Mindy Windholz defined burnout as “reaching a physical and or emotional point of exhaustion as a result of demands and responsibilities that are no longer supported by previous coping skills.”
According to Windholz, addressing burnout in oneself is important.
“Ways to address burnout are first identifying that burnout is occurring,” Windholz said. “Being able to accept that things may be getting harder to do does not mean one is not capable of completing all the tasks, but rather that a break is in order.”
When asked about advice for handling burnout, Windholz recommended speaking about these feelings with someone.
“Finding a supportive friend, mentor, counselor, caregiver, etcetera and receiving support and validation, as well as suggestions to help to prioritize tasks and figure out next steps can be beneficial,” Windholz said.
In addition to the relief one can feel from speaking about these feelings, Windholz stressed the importance of taking breaks from activity in order to recharge.
“Remember that being busy does not have to have moral connotations and that we as humans do better when we have breaks and can re-evaluate,” Windholz said.
Windholz argues that a return to more campus normalcy has potentially lessened the sense of burnout in students by allowing them to participate in their passions of performance.
“Especially in the performance world, I believe students are feeling more invigorated by being in performance spaces with audiences again.,” Windholz said. She said taking time for relaxation and rest can help students make it through the last weeks of the semester, before a longer break can offer relief from school burnout. Madison Noelle Chang said she manages this feeling by “Binging my favorite 80’s movies and lots of snacks!”
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