MTU’s final Husky Hour of the year hosted by the Student Health and Wellness Center was on Apr. 1, and focused mainly on helping students to distinguish between burnout and laziness. The topic was chosen due to its proximity to finals season when students can start feeling overwhelmed.
Jen Wall, a clinical health counselor who graduated with a master’s degree eight months ago, led the session and emphasized that burnout is a serious issue among college students. Defined as a state of emotional, physical, or mental exhaustion caused by prolonged stress, burnout affects 75 percent of adults, with 40 percent experiencing severe symptoms according to a 2010 national report.
Wall highlighted that burnout often manifests subtly through signs like loss of motivation, irritability, mood swings, chronic fatigue, difficulty concentrating, and neglect of self-care. These changes happen gradually. Wall said, “Prolonged laziness could be a sign of something deeper, like burnout, depression, or anxiety.”
An energy audit activity helped students assess their stressors and motivation levels. Participants drew a flame representing their current motivation levels, surrounded it with sticky notes identifying energy boosters such as relationships and exercise, and then smothered the flame with sticky notes identifying stressors like deadlines and negative self-talk.
Wall emphasized the importance of allotting time for yourself. “Don’t say you don’t have time to do what fuels you,” she said. “It’s the opposite — you don’t have time not to.”
Common causes of burnout among students include lack of sleep, financial stress, academic pressure, and uncertainty about the future. A report cited during the session found that 51 percent of college graduates sometimes feel burned out, while 29 percent said they often do. Of the remaining 20 percent, 16 percent said they rarely do, and the last four percent said they never feel burnt out.
Wall warned that short-term burnout, like the kind experienced during exam periods, can pass quickly, “but burnout can become chronic, which can lead to depression.”
Wall recommended sleep, nutrition, exercise, effective time management, and seeking academic or emotional support to prevent burnout. She also urged students to avoid overworking, skipping classes, isolating, or striving for perfection when feeling burnt out.
Campus resources include individual and group therapy, wellness events, and exercise programs at the SDC. As for why exercise can help prevent and deal with burnout, Joshua Carlson, an exercise scientist and Outreach and Prevention Coordinator, noted, “Cortisol builds up with stress, exercise releases the stored cortisol.”
The practical takeaways occurring to audience members included working in groups for increased accountability and social connection, taking breaks when necessary, and practicing sustainable study habits.
