Burnout: Welcome to Uni
Burnout, the very thing I deny having any day of the week, yet it is one of the things that I continually find myself struggling with in my university life. It is difficult to catch because, especially as students, we are so often juggling multiple commitments which strain us. Often, we don’t have the time to take a proper step back and look in the mirror and ask how you are doing.
Where you come in is that I want you, the reader, to take some time, alone and undistracted, to ask yourself the following questions truthfully:
1. Am I feeling exhausted more often?
2. Am I feeling more negative or cynical about the things I do?
3. And do I feel like I am getting less and less crap done that I thought I had nailed down?
Now, these questions are something you should definitely ask every other week or so to just check-in with yourself (set up a reminder on your phone) but the best thing you can do is SEEK HELP. Murdoch University has the resources to, at the very least, help you get started in taking better care of yourself mentally and physically. This, of course, can be done by walking right on into the counselling services and taking a quick triage session next to bush court – the session is free, so you have practically nothing to lose, and plenty to gain (although right now you might have to just call them) .
Here are some suggestions to create better mental health habits, including but definitely not limited to:
1. Consistently have conversations with a counsellor about your mental health and your commitments. As with all aspects of health, your mental health needs routine check-ups to make sure that you are running at your best – don’t run from them like you might run from the dentist.
2. Get better and more consistent sleep. See phone apps like Pzizz, Recharge, or Headspace for help sleeping and preparing for sleep. Try using Sleepyti.me to get a handle on going to sleep and waking up at better times.
3. Hydrate by carrying a water bottle with you and aiming to empty it every day (especially one of those 2L gym ones, they cost 5 bucks and they are GOLD).
4. Journal, even as little as 5 lines (I do this). This helps me be mindful of what I’m doing and makes it easier to keep track of where I am at and how I am travelling with my goals.
Take the time to answer these questions and spend as little as a couple hours to get started with the counselling service at Murdoch. I hope that my experience of burning out so quickly and easily can help you to avoid it.
Simply preventing a ‘headache’ is better than having one.
Here are some contact details to help you get started:
Perth campus
Cal l+61 8 9360 1227
Email: counsellingservice@murdoch.edu.au
Opening hours
Monday to Friday: 8:30am to 4:30pm
Mandurah campus
Call +61 8 9582 5501
Email: counsellingservice@murdoch.edu.au
Opening hours
Friday: 8:30am to 4:30pm