Embedded Files
Teenage burnout has become an epidemic in today's society, and is being ignored. In this article, Mia Reese will discuss how burnout can affect everyday lives and provide first-hand insight on the issue.
Teenage Burnout
By Mia Reese
Teenagers have an abundance of responsibilities and parental or personal pressure placed upon them. A few expectations include attending school five days a week for around eight hours, while some attend practices for hours directly after school or go to work– all while being expected to maintain a respectable GPA, good sleep routine, social life, family relationships and, not to mention, completing homework for hours on end every day. In a lot of cases, these taxing daily responsibilities and high expectations are more than a single person can manage, which is leading to the surge in teenage burnout people are seeing. This is especially true within our generation's seniors and juniors, who are completing their hardest years of schooling. Teenage burnout is common and sadly overlooked, and is a rising problem that a majority of teenagers experience.
So what exactly is burnout? Burnout is described as when an individual, a student in this case, is faced with more work than they can handle, resulting in shutting down from an overload of stress. You may be wondering, what is the difference between being burned out and stressed? The answer to that question is explained in an article for Psychology Today where the writer explains that “Under stress, you still struggle to cope with pressures. But once burnout takes hold, you’re out of gas, and you’ve given up all hope of surmounting your obstacles.” Burnout can disable a person from acting to their fullest potential, which is why it is such an important problem. According to Jacqueline Weisse’s article for FamilyEducation, a website designed to guide parents, some signs of being at risk of burnout include insomnia, heightened anxiety, mood swings and a change in eating habits, whether it be overeating or undereating.
Credits: Thinkstock images
A fellow classmate at Grants Pass High School, Alexia Favero, who is completing her senior year, shares her experiences with teenage burnout. Alexia has dealt with being burned out multiple times throughout her high school journey, specifically in her junior year and now senior year. She expressed that it is easy to feel burnout, especially in her case. Working 20-25 hours a week, running a committee for leadership, being in two AP classes, all while having a load of responsibilities, is tiring. It is clear that burnout has affected her life. She explains that “As a high school student, I feel like I’m trying to balance so many aspects of my life that one responsibility is always being neglected. Whether that be one of my classes, my social life or my mental health because I don’t have enough time for everything.” She has noticed that many of the symptoms of burnout have bombarded her life, such as now having a messed up sleep schedule, suffering from extreme exhaustion, and severe procrastination. When it comes to teenage burnout, she believes that “It is a real thing that affects more high schoolers than we know. We are faced with so much at a vital time in our lives and are expected to do so much while trying to learn how to be functioning, social human beings. I think feeling burned out has become normalized and overlooked by society.”
Nevertheless, like any other mental health issue, there are coping strategies to help with the effects. Brayden Whyte, another student at Grants Pass High School, shares his coping methods and offers advice based on his experience with feeling burnout. Brayden expressed that he likes to listen to music. He says, “Listening to music is a great way for me to calm my mind. I like to just be able to focus on the beats and lyrics. I think music is a great coping mechanism for all mental health issues, not just for feeling burnout.” Additionally, Brayden advises anyone dealing with burnout to “ Just go to whatever place makes you happy or go do something you love to do. Take a break because you can’t work while being burned out.” If you know anyone who is suffering from the effects of burnout, you can help them by making sure they set aside time to go do things they enjoy, whether it be with you or alone.
Being a teenager is difficult enough without having to work through burnout. It's a mental health issue that has the capability to really interfere with a person’s full potential and day to day life. However, overcoming burnout is not impossible. By setting aside downtime for yourself to focus on activities that help you feel relaxed or content, you can start to help ease your brain from those overwhelming amounts of stress.
Page updated
Report abuse