Listen up people, it’s “burnout season.” This pretty much means that your willpower to do anything is at an all-time low and you start to think that school is a waste of your time. Do not feel alone, everyone and their dog feels this way around this time of year. The reality of summer being gone, midterms approaching, and homesickness hit all at once with no mercy. These feelings are a product of less daytime and weird weather patterns that make you reminisce- I wish science would let me know why I miss the seventh grade at 19 every year. 

Burnout season is hard on everyone that’s affected. Seasonal depression starts and everything feels like it’s falling apart at once. I know it gets me pretty good, it affects everything I do: work, school, and my personal life. You just end up feeling all down in the dumps and gloomy- no matter how much you love the season. 

Yeah, so what does that help you? Well, I’m here to give you some tips that worked for me to get through it. As a self-diagnosed hot mess, I’ve tried many different things to get me through. Some work all the time, others work sometimes, and some work none of the time. 

First, get some Vitamin D. Yeah yeah everybody says it, but nobody does it. Seriously, take your little computer and homework and go sit in the sun like a cat in the window and bask. I should be telling you to get outside and feel the weather, but not everyone has that energy, so just do what you can. I like to go sit in a park in my car with my windows cracked so I can feel the breeze without dealing with the bugs. Bringing your homework with you, even if you don’t do a whole lot, can give you some sense of accomplishment. 

Next, study breaks! It sucks to just sit there and grind with no end. My solution is to do 30 minutes of study and ten breaks. It doesn’t always have to be studying, I use it for just about everything I do: cleaning, homework, writing and I modify it for driving long distances. You can modify the work/play balance however you need to, but when I’m in a crunch this really works wonders for me because I’m working towards my break and it keeps me on track in my mind! When you’re on your break, try not to fall asleep or down a TikTok hole because that will ruin your productivity. 

There are plenty of other small methods you can combine for maximum productivity, there are whole accounts and articles dedicated to them. Fidget toys for those who have to be doing something, like myself. My personal favorite two fidgets are a fidget cube and the classic fidget spinner. The cube has SIX sides of activities, are you kidding it’s perfect. I suggest doing some research on popular study methods and see if they work for you, it’s totally okay if they don’t but it’s worth a shot! Another thing is to listen to some type of sound or music. Some people listen to brown noise, personally, I listen to music I already know that way I don’t focus too hard on it or I listen to Minecraft music- there’s a whole 17-hour playlist on Spotify! The last thing I’m going to ask you to do is be kind to your mind and your body. Give yourself some grace and take a drink of water here and there, and perhaps eat a chip too. Whatever caffeine is your vice is not enough to keep your body up and going. Also, don’t beat yourself up over grades. It is important to keep them up, but you are worth more than your GPA. For those who are more academically driven, keep your momentum going and remember to have fun too, give yourself one day a week to not think about school and just enjoy your day!

I hope that this can help you battle through this dreaded season, whether it’s your first or your fifth!