College burnout is unfortunately very common. At some point in most students’ college careers, the threat of physical and mental exhaustion becomes real. Thankfully, it is avoidable, as long as you recognize the tell-tale college burnout signs.

Classwork, exams, balancing studies and work, etc. all tax the average college student’s mind. If you aren’t careful though then burnout will result. Avoid that problem by keeping an eye out for these college burnout signs.

Besides college, here are common high school burnout warning signs to watch out for.

Lack Of Motivation

Motivation level is one of the first things to dip during burnout.

Here are key questions to ask:

• How often do you put off completing your weekly assignments or readings?
• Do you struggle to meet your class deadlines in a timely fashion?
• Do you ever feel up to take on extra tasks?
• Do you care about doing your best in classes anymore?

If you find yourself answering these questions negatively, then burnout is real.

Cognitive Difficulties

Burnout-induced stress impairs brain functionality.

Burnout-induced stress fosters serious physical effects on your mental state:

• Weakened memory retention
• Poor emotional control
• Impaired decision-making and focus

If you have problems remembering class information or important obligations, then it’s time to pay attention.

Poor cognitive abilities not only affects judgment and concentration, but it can also affect your physical health. It’s easy to get into an accident if your judgment is impaired from stress.

Constant Grade Deterioration

Are your grades suddenly dropping across the board?

Ask yourself this question – do you see that your grade point average and class grades are getting lower fast? Are you not sure why this is happening?

The aforementioned motivation loss often leads to grade drops, which, in turn, reinforce a feeling of failure. That perceived failure only becomes fuel to further burnout symptoms.

If your grades are dropping, then pause and assess how you’re feeling about everything else in your life at that moment.

Physical Health Problems

Mental stress quickly leads to physical stress.

Ask yourself these questions:

• Do you experience frequent headaches or migraines after classes?
• Do you feel sudden backaches out of nowhere?
• Do you find yourself coming down with cold or flu more easily than before?

Students going through burnout will begin manifesting physical symptoms as the constant stress begins wearing down their nerves and immune system. This stress can also induce obesity from stress eating too.

Constantly Feeling Tired

A constant lack of energy is another tell-tale sign.

Another common college burnout sign is constantly feeling tired. The consistent stress and anxiety will inevitably lead to poor sleep quality.

If the mind is constantly racing, then you won’t achieve high-quality REM sleep hours, it’s as simple as that. An easy way to tell is if your need for caffeine grows over time.

Do you have a quick cup of coffee in the morning, or need several just to finish the day awake? If it’s the latter, then chances are good that burnout has set in.

Strained Personal Relationships

Burnout affects the people around you just as much as yourself.

Students handling mental and physical burnout will deal with others in one of two ways:

• They will avoid friends and family as much as possible
• They will lash out emotionally over insignificant reasons or events

Even if you’re normally a positive person, burnout will induce stress, which then makes you cynical towards others. How you express that cynicism doesn’t matter in the end; what matters is that you’ve been driven to that point in the first place.

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