Jacob Edwards
Now that I have made it all the way to final year, having taken a year abroad last year, too, I feel like I’ve gained a marginal degree of wisdom that I wish I could tell my first-year and second-year self. One of which is how to handle bouts of burnout or how to avoid these from occurring. In my first semester, I remember signing up for numerous societies, all of which I felt bound to attend alongside my classes. Contrarily, at the end of the day, that just isn’t the reality. My mum also gaslit me into thinking I wouldn’t obtain my student finance if I didn’t attend class, so I was there every week, hours on end. This is of course great; showing up is an important part of learning and growing. However, university can be awfully overwhelming and is a massive jump from high school and sixth form. What I would recommend is always prioritising yourself! I never did enough of that, perhaps not until this year; it’s only recently it feels that I’ve learnt to say the word “no”.
However, it is important to stay sane and look after yourself above all – how else will you be able to pass your degree? If you’re showing up to far too many society meetings, or classes are becoming a bit much and a slice of mouldy bread would be better off sitting in your seat in the lecture hall instead, maybe slow down. Finally, don’t forget to reach out! Talk to others, friends or staff who you get along with, or go even further and take advantage of the wellbeing services, but also talk to yourself and ask yourself if you are handling things okay or if you need a bit of a break. It is brave to recognise and take action when you are feeling burnt out!
Jacob Edwards
This article is part of our series for University Mental Health Day (UMHD) 2025.
Logo in featured image courtesy of UMHAN/Student Minds. A pink background has been added to this logo.
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