it’s your worst nightmare: you have tons of work to do and yet, you can’t seem to get it done. you’re tired and you’re sick of working so hard. don’t let a burnout stop you! here are some tips for avoiding and getting over a burnout. you can do this! (:
** first things first.. what is a burnout? **
physical or mental collapse caused by overwork or stress: high levels of professionalism that may result in burnout | you’ll suffer a burnout.
burnouts happen to everyone now and then and the most important thing for you to know is that it’s okay!! *gasp* yes, it’s actually okay to feel like you need to stop once in a while. you’re only human. basically, it’s when you just can’t seem to focus on your work anymore or you really really need a break.
however, note that there’s a difference between procrastination and burnouts. procrastination is when you keep doing other stuff instead of your work. burnouts are when you keep doing your work and never do other stuff. (i suppose burnouts can lead to procrastination, but there is a difference!)
NUMBER ONE TIP FOR PREVENTING BURN OUTS is to not overwork yourself!! this is so important!! you should not be pulling all nighters every other day to study!! you should not be cancelling doctors appointments or meetings with friends to study! go out there and have some fun, care about your health, do your thing! even if you don’t have anything else to do, instead of just doing more work, find something else that’s fun and requires little effort. in fact, do that fun stuff while you study! make studying and work not a task or chore, but something you enjoy and doesn’t stress you out.
fun games to play during study breaks
drift : you’re a cat and you’re jumping over balloons. super simple to learn and really fun to play!!
tea : by the same person who created drift, there are two mice and you’re collecting sugar cubes for tea! so cute ohmygoodnesss
2048 : i’m sure you know what this is but use your keys to slide the tiles around and try to get the 2048 tile!
tetris : classic game of tetris. i like this one because it keeps your brain moving fast, but you’re still taking a (much-needed) break, which is great!
flower reaction : you’re a flower and when you click, your flower (and the flowers around your flower) grow bigger, and your goal is to time your first flower so that you’ll have the largest chain reaction. watching the flowers get bigger is really calming for me!
flow : interesting little game where you’re basically a mouth and a body, and you eat other teeny organisms.
if you play some cute little games every now and then while you study, your grade will be fine. don’t worry <3
another thing you can do instead of playing a game is to go to a relaxing website or look at motivational quotes. my absolute favorite is the 90 second relaxation exercise because it’s so quick but it definitely helps!! it’s super calming and *be sure to turn your sound on because the music is lovely*
more stuff to help you relax + get motivated during breaks
the quiet place : go to the quiet place if you need to take a step back and just relax for a little bit.
easewave : pretty background and a motivational quote every day! you can also go to the navigation and click “browse quotes” if you want to see more. you can also get it as a chrome extension in case you don’t want to go to the website.
tonematrix : click on the squares to make different sounds! plus you can make really cute patterns and such.
webchemy : basically makes symmetrical art, it’s really neat if you just need to frantically click at the screen and make something that looks cool!
relax.li : pick an option and look at a video + listen to some nice audio to relax! my favorite is the cat (;
sometimes instead of staying at your computer screen, maybe it’s better to step away for a little bit. go for a quick run, or walk, or even just a stretch. go outside (unless it’s raining. you still can, of course, but bring an umbrella, silly!) and take a breath of fresh air!
99 free things to do outside : exactly what it sounds like. 99 things you can do outside of your house for free.
101 things to do outside : also includes a cute little coloring page, though this is probably more for little kids there’s definitely still stuff you can do!
go for a walk with your friends/family and have a big discussion on something you can all talk about!
take a camera and just snap photos of things you find beautiful. it could be a mother and her child, some flowers, the sky, someone crying… i don’t know, whatever floats your boat~
bring a journal and just sit under a tree and write for a little bit. a diary entry, a song, a story you’ve been working on (that rhymes omg), it doesn’t matter!! but.. do not write your essay under that tree, okay? write something else!
relive your childhood and play tag. seriously just play something you used to play and haven’t played in a while because you will feel wonderfully nostalgic + exercise is great and makes you happy!
window shopping can be really fun if you need to get your mind off things. or just go to a shop and try half the store on and don’t get anything. y’know 0:-)
go to an arts store or something and buy things for diys or your bullet journal (washi tape yessss) or some art project you want to start and spend some time working on artsy fartsy stuff!!
lie in the grass with a book and read. or sleep.
11 fun things to do on a rainy day : if it’s raining, that doesn’t always mean “hit the books”. here’s stuff you can do (not outside, i guess) when it’s rainy.
if you really have to study for something and you don’t have time to spare but you’re worried about a burn out, there are still some things you can do to help!
set a schedule : make a solid, never-changing-regardless-of-circumstance, study schedule. leave plenty of room for breaks. studying non-stop WON’T help you, but if you have a set schedule that you’re used to and you know works for you, use it.
study in new places : this may not work for everyone but sometimes the best way to prevent a burn out is to make sure you feel like you’re not always doing the same thing! switch it up with study spaces – study outside, go to the library, stay at your desk, etc. – but try to make sure you’re not getting distracted!
break it down : break everything down into smaller tasks that are easier to accomplish! instead of “finish final project”, make it “finish outline” “finish design” “type it up” etc. so that you don’t feel too daunted. also, if you’re like me and you feel a great sense of accomplishment + motivation when you check things off a to-do list, making more manageable tasks will be like many bursts of motivation!
experiment : like with the new study spaces, maybe try new techniques! have you never ever used flashcards before? try those out (especially for vocab!) studying for history and you think you should make a timeline, even if you’ve never made one before? go for it!
talk to other people : it might help to teach what you’re learning to someone else. it’ll help you remember it better and that way, you actually understand the material. i would recommend “teaching” to someone who has already learnt everything so that if you make a mistake they can correct you!
make it right for you : lots of great studyblrs post gorgeous pictures of their studying. but that’s not how everyone needs to study, and we know that! if you don’t study well by taking pretty notes, and instead you like hearing recordings of your lectures, that’s great too! get yourself in your own study zone, not anyone else’s.
** bonus – some other posts that talk about studying tips and self care that you should take a peek at!! **
6 things people don’t always tell you about studying : great if you need help getting over procrastination
all the self care : some nice self care stuff like what to do on a bad day or beating stress and anxiety!
10 rules of good and bad studying : this is so immensely helpful!!
how to get motivated / stop procrastinating : short but sweet
motivation : best post for motivation i’ve found!! like honestly if you are unmotivated click here and i assure you waves of motivation will pour over you!
** getting over a burnout **
first of all, stop comparing yourself to other people. this might not help you, but for me, when i get burned out it’s because i’m trying hard to prove everyone wrong and my competitiveness is just messing everything up. focus on yourself instead of other people. so what if they got a better grade than you on that test, what matters is that you got a better grade than what you got last time!! it’s so stereotypical but you really just need to ignore what everyone else is doing and just go for it.
if you’re having a huge burnout i would suggest to sleep a lot. go to sleep thinking about things you’re grateful for, things that make you happy, things that relax you, etc. and take lots of nice, long, hot showers. wear comfy clothes. drink lots of tea/coffee/hot chocolate/your preference. just get yourself in a more comfortable zone, you feel?
sometimes you might be burned out for one subject but not the other. your mindset should not be “oh, i can’t do this anymore, guess i’ll devote my energy and soul to that subject instead!” learn from your mistakes! you can still study that other subject but remember to balance your time out. maybe by studying your other subject you’ll regain motivation to study the original one, and that’s great! but if you’re just burning out more and more, take. a. break.
talk to someone about it!! other people may have experienced the same and have super valuable + great advice for you, especially if they know you well. i’m a person on the internet who you’ve probably never met, i don’t know what works best for you! if you talk to people who are close to you about it, maybe they can spark an idea in your head.
woohoo, that’s it for now ^^ this is my second masterpost (ohmygoodness that sounds so cool hearing it now) and i really hope it helps you!! also, i’d like to thank you for all the nice comments and support i got on my first masterpost ♥ i honestly never expected you guys to like the idea so much! thanks again and have a looovely day (also coming up : more on online schools, study playlists!)
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