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IMPACT
3 Sustainable Student Life Habits to Avoid a Student Burn Out Student life can be tough. Features writer Sai offers 3 crucial bits of advice on how to sustain a student lifestyle. Often, we hear about people (mostly working adults) being “burnt out” by life’s ever-changing demands. Unfortunately, university is no different and at times, with the pressure of attaining perfect grades and the never-ending commitments to friends, societies, sports and living away from home, it can get overwhelming and pure exhausting. By adding any long-term academic commitments like a dissertation, these feelings can amplify. Doing the same thing a ridiculous number of times with little progress can fry your brain, and it can seem like you’ve hit a brick wall. Here are three things to consider if you’re feeling this way…
1 – It is okay to say “no” to commitments
2 – Sleep!
It is great to be part of societies and feel really involved, but this can occasionally make it seem like there’s no time to relax. So what if you skip out on a training session for your sports club or decide not to go out because you are not “in the mood”? As long as it doesn’t become a habit (unless you realise you do not enjoy it – in that case, it’s best you do not return), no one will judge and I am sure when you do return people will be there to welcome you with open arms.
“A chat with someone about what is going through your mind might help to bring things into perspective”
We sometimes forget that sleep is a way for your physical body to recover from the day’s events and when we’re stressed and over-thinking about incomplete coursework, it makes it much harder to have a restful sleep. Adopting a good sleep routine is not about going to bed at the same time every single day, (we are allowed to go out!), but it is about listening to your body and not always fighting tiredness with caffeinated drinks. Drinking too much coffee or power napping isn’t always effective, and your eyes can hit a new level of puffiness, as well as your productivity reaching an all-time low. It is better to have a solid number of hours for your body to de-stress; you will wake up feeling a whole lot more refreshed and might look at the same project in a different light.
“With the pressure of attaining perfect grades and the never-ending commitments to friends, societies, sports and living away from home, it can get overwhelming and pure exhausting”
It is easy to feel like you are alone; that all the responsibility is on your shoulders. However, a chat with someone about what is going through your mind might help to bring things into perspective. The cliché “a problem shared is a problem halved” does come to mind. Degrees are not easy and talking about your problems may help you. It is a bit like the Eureka! moment. Remember- your brain is subconsciously working through the problem, so stressing constantly may not be beneficial. Chat to a tutor, a lecturer, other students - it really can help.
Saira Akhtar
Graphic & Page Design by Natasha Phang-Lee
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