Students study in the Center for Academic Success and Engagement on the University of Colorado Boulder’s campus. (Courtesy of Rhett Kaya/CUI)
Alexia: Hi! I’m Alexia Bailey, a freshman here at CU Boulder. While I may just be getting started, I’m here to share everything I’ve picked up so far, which is a surprising amount of information. “What’s Eating at Alexia” is my unofficial and unfiltered guide to some of the things that being a CU Boulder Buff brings. Think of it as your guide to navigating everything that makes CU Boulder, well, CU Boulder. Whether you’re a freshman finding your footing or a senior with “no body, no crime” level grievances about finals week, I’m here to share my takes, tips and honest observations on everything from the sometimes-unpredictable Buff Bus system to navigating campus protests (or dodging them entirely). College is a wild, unforgettable ride, and “What’s eating at Alexia” is here to make sense of some of it, one opinion at a time.
Spring is in the air here at the University of Colorado Boulder. With it fully being April now, there are many things that students are doing. Preparing to move out of the dorms, beginning final projects, celebrating 19th birthdays and…burning out?
Yep. You read me right. It’s fully burnout season. For the lucky few of us unaware of what burnout is, it is “a prolonged response to chronic emotional and interpersonal stressors on the job,” according to the American Psychological Association. This basically means that you are emotionally and physically exhausted due to prolonged work environments and with burnout, you can no longer do your job or activity in a productive manner. And nothing hits college students harder in the last month before summer than burnout.
It’s this feeling of overworked-ness that you cannot quite shake. It’s the voice in your head that tells you that you should be doing homework instead of sleeping. It’s the constant pressure that makes even simple tasks feel overwhelming. You might find yourself staring at your textbook for hours, but you can’t seem to focus. Every little assignment or exam starts to feel like a mountain you can’t climb, and suddenly, the whole world feels like it’s coming at you full force. For many students at this point in the semester, the stress is palpable. The looming weight of finals, the pressure to wrap up projects and the emotional exhaustion from months of juggling classes, social life and possibly jobs. All of it can lead to burnout. What started as a normal semester of hard work and motivation can slowly turn into a cycle of frustration, anxiety and exhaustion.
But assignments, exams, quizzes and classes don’t just end because you are feeling burnt out. So, what can you do to help this feeling?
The first option is that the university’s Counseling and Psychiatric Services offers six free counseling sessions. CAPS aims to “help connect students with resources and support services” and is available to support students who may be struggling. However, while CAPS offers a valuable lifeline to those struggling with burnout, six sessions may not be enough to address the deep, pervasive stress that many students face. I am not going to sit behind this overheating computer and lie to you. I have to tell you that the reality of this world is that burnout doesn’t magically dissipate after a handful of therapy sessions, especially when students are still dealing with the same overwhelming pressures day in and day out. But CAPS may be able to connect you to resources that may make your daily life a little bit easier.
Another counseling resource I was made aware of is Raimy Clinic. Raimy Clinic is basically where “graduate student therapists work with individuals and couples for a wide variety of problems, including anxiety, depression, eating/body image concerns, family and relationship difficulties.” It’s super affordable for University of Colorado Boulder undergraduate students with a fixed fee of $20 per session. It’s a great alternative if you’re feeling a little wary with CAPS. Just know that for Raimy Clinic, they video and/or audiotape all therapy sessions because it is a training-centered clinic. But all the folks that work there are super nice and I highly recommend it. To get set up, you just have to visit the website and follow the intake instructions on the bottom of the page.
But it would be ludicrous for me to assume that everyone reading this has the time in their day to go sit down and see a mental health professional. Between class, work and trying to maintain a social life (or just trying not to crumble in public), finding time for therapy might feel like another thing to add to your already overflowing to-do list. And trust me, I get it. So, what else can you do?
Well, for starters: lower the bar. I’m serious. Burnout absolutely thrives in perfectionism. You don’t have to write the perfect paper. You don’t have to ace every quiz. You are still worthy of love even if you don’t get an A in that class. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is just turn it in. Also, I recommend finding tiny moments in your day where you can breathe. Take a walk (yes, even if it’s just to stare longingly at the Flatirons for 10 minutes). Take a nap. Drink some water. Romanticize your coffee run like you’re in a montage. These little things matter more than they seem. Rest isn’t you being lazy; in fact, it can be the most productive thing you could possibly do in that moment. If you keep going without taking care of yourself, you’ll burn out harder and faster.
Burnout is real. It sucks. But you’re not alone in it — and you’re not weak or dramatic for feeling it. The fact that you’re even reading this article means you care enough to want things to be better. And that counts for a lot. So take a breath, close the ten million tabs on your browser (yes, I am targeting you) and remember: you’re doing your best. And your best, even if it looks a little messy right now, is enough. It always will be.
Contact CU Independent Assistant Opinion Editor Alexia Bailey at alexia.bailey@colorado.edu
