Is the trend of burnout a normal thing to deal with – or something more serious?
Maybe you should take your feelings more seriously than reposting a TikTok.
We’ve all experienced the spark of a burnout before, right? Whether that’s from your schoolwork overloading you, your grades disappointing you or something else, everyone will eventually know the feeling of succumbing to your emotions and just being exhausted.
And especially if you go on platforms like TikTok, you will constantly see videos of people that say they’re burnt out, they feel exhausted, they tend to procrastinate and they can’t be bothered, specifically towards exam seasons. The term has been plastered across the platform as if it is a ‘trend’, you’ll see someone post about it yet you’re given no clarity on what it feels like - just a bunch of random mutual friends reposting the video, and simultaneous comments of ‘this is so real’.
But do you think these posts define what a burn-out is? Are these typical feelings of a burnout?
Do they really know what it’s like to burn out?
According to the World Health Organization (WHO) burn-out is an "occupational phenomenon" that is “a syndrome resulting from chronic, unmanaged workplace stress, characterized by three dimensions: energy depletion/exhaustion, increased mental distance/cynicism about the job, and reduced professional efficacy”
As you could tell, it can be significantly common in an environment like school/sixth form, as keeping up with schoolwork, enrichment, hobbies and home life is a lot – its stressful and consumes more of your energy than you think.
They’re certain symptoms outlined by Mental Health UK that are common when experiencing a burnout.
These include:
- Physical symptoms like feeling exhausted for most of the time, Reoccurring insomnia/sleep disturbances, headaches, joint pain, high blood pressure.
- Emotional symptoms like feeling helpless and defeated, self-doubt, demotivation, loss of interest and a lack of sensation
- Behavioural symptoms like procrastination, lack of focus, decreased output, isolating yourself and becoming irritable/short-tempered.
Whilst I haven’t provided the most information and depth about a burn out, I hope I made you realise something – its more serious than you think. Its more than a little stress, a TikTok video to repost or a new word to add to your vocabulary. It can result in more serious health impacts and can lead on to mental illnesses like depression.
So, if you are currently struggling with these feelings, you’ve struggled beforehand, or you just want to know more about it – Talk about it! Talk to your friends, family, teachers, or other networks out there to help you – like mental health charity Mind. There is always light at the end of the tunnel.
- Grace Pollock
