The quiet killer of the new age burnout

Several moments had passed before Niharika realized how long she had been staring at the ceiling fan rotating at its regular speed. It was 2:07 a.m. and she had her finals commencing from tomorrow, nevertheless she found herself unable to vacate her bed and start studying for real this time. Though her mind was agonized by the thought of her failing an exam, she felt stuck and paralyzed to even open a book and read a few sentences.

Niharika was not alone in this struggle of hers as she thought she was. Countless students, maybe not from her class or even her school but certainly present, were victims of this ailment called burnout, still unbeknownst to many. Student burnout refers to the state of chronic mental, physical and often times, emotional exhaustion that one experiences in response to academic stress. While not deemed as a medical or mental health condition by World Health Organization (WHO), it has been classified as a syndrome, meaning a collection of symptoms and signs associated with a specific health-related cause. According to Gao (2023), a survey that is conducted by the China Care for the Next Generation Working Committee in 2020 revealed that over 70% adolescents suffered from academic burnout. Reasons for this increasing impediment range from unrealistic expectations thrust upon students, intense academic pressure, school environment, to various other factors.

A knock on the door forced Niharika to finally abandon looking at her ceiling. She jumped out of her bed and managed to go inside the bathroom just as her mother gently pushed the door open. She came out of the bathroom pretending to have been in there and her mother had a concerned look on her face. “How come you’re still awake?”, asked her mother. Niharika was apprehensive at first to make up an excuse, for she had never dared to lie to her mother before. However, the fear of getting a lecture so early in the morning was much bigger which made her lie through her teeth. “I just finished revising, was washing up before bed.”, said Niharika, trying to maintain her composure. Her mother seemed unconvinced at first, but didn’t make a big deal about it. “Have a good night’s sleep dear, you can’t afford to mess up your finals now, can you?”, said her mother. Niharika gave a nervous laugh and bid her mother good night.

While not appearing fatal on the surface, burnout has its way of eating up the potential and ambitiousness of people. Academic burnout is observed in students studying in schools, colleges or those preparing for competitive examinations, and its prevalence is increasing as young adults are more susceptible to psychological illness. Between the ages of 18 and 32, they experience peak levels of stress, and learning to handle the demands and dynamism of emerging adulthood becomes a challenging task. As a result, many fall in the vicious cycle of trying to meet expectations of parents and teachers, giving way under pressure and yet again studying under the same conditions. This leads to mental fatigue as students feel overburdened and unmotivated, developing cynicism and helplessness.

After her mother left, Niharika sat on the bed and contemplated how things went so wrong. It had started with lack of motivation and harmless breaks, so she thought. Just like that, she lost her grip on the subjects she endeared and procrastination became her steadfast companion. Back logs after back logs, the mere thought of returning to her routine exhausted her beyond expression. Every muscle in her body was desperately telling her to get up and study but somehow, she just couldn’t. She defied the rules she had set for herself to achieve her academic goals which terrified her but she felt helpless at the same time. When this continued for a while, she knew nobody would understand what she was going through, especially not her parents. She believed they would just think that she was making absurd excuses to skip studying. The fact that she herself couldn’t seem to wrap her head around what was happening to her precisely, made her not share her worries with anyone.

The implications of a syndrome are such that they isolate you not only from the world but also from people you love. Burnout leads to feelings of energy depletion and anhedonia, which impede a person’s ability of emotional expression. Irritability, frustration, inability to focus, and loss of confidence in academic capabilities make communicating effectively all the more difficult. Studies by National Institutes of Health reveal that high-burnout individuals have a 66% prevalence of depressive symptoms, compared to 13% in low-burnout groups. Reduced productivity, lack of confidence and hopelessness drive a person to start doubting their worth. In order to drown these persistent feelings of dread, worry and anxiety, people tend to depend on intoxication and substance abuse, harming their physical health severely. Subsequently, frequent illness due to lowered immunity ensues, leaving one entirely powerless.

Tossing and turning in her bed, Niharika found it arduous to sleep as the thoughts of her sitting in the examination hall kept her awake. There was not much time left before her alarm would fill the silence in the room. It was already 5:00 a.m. and her mother had woken up. With considerable courage, she got off her bed and decided to tell her mother about her not wanting to appear for the exam. She told her mother how she felt underprepared and feared that her grades would not be up to the mark. Her mother accused her of lying and pretending which was the final straw for her. Niharika broke down crying in the middle of the kitchen, leaving her mother shocked. At last, she told her about the burnout and the point of satiety she had reached. Her mother, stricken with guilt, held Niharika in her arms and comforted her. Though she didn’t understand her daughter entirely, she knew it was something serious, given her unfamiliar behavior. She assured her daughter how this would pass and that she could skip this semester if it felt too much. Niharika, surely surprised, looked at her mother with weepy eyes and gratitude. All she needed was a modicum of hope from someone she loved and depended on.

Seeking help in times of utmost need is daunting but significant. Recognizing symptoms early can help prevent and aid recovery from academic burnout. There are multiple ways academic burnout can be avoided by making changes in habits and lifestyle such as making time for physical and recreational activities to escape a sedentary way of living and decompress to manage stress levels, setting reasonable and realistic goals, trying to improve time management skills, and enjoying leisure time and prioritizing rest at least on weekends to take a real break from school and gear up for the upcoming week. Additionally, awareness and stress management campaigns can prove to be beneficial in dealing with burnout. Guiding students to maintain a healthy work-life balance can help mitigate the risks of academic burnout.

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