We’ve all been there, I’m sure of that. Burn-out is a very common feeling for college students, and I’m no stranger to it either. To be quite honest, I’m kinda regretting being the Weather Vane editor for two semesters, since I could already feel myself getting burned out by the end of the first semester. But I’ve pushed through and am now nearing the end of my second semester. I love being an editor, but it is a lot of work and commitment, and taking that on for two semesters has been a bit of a doozy. So how does one deal with that? There are a number of solutions, and it won’t look the same for any two people, but maybe this could give you some ideas for wrapping up your semester with.
This first, and probably most basic idea for dealing with burn-out is just quitting or taking a break from whatever you are getting burned out on. This may not always be the most practical option, especially if you have commitments to whatever it may be, such as a job or a class. In my case here, I can’t really just drop the Weather Vane entirely, as my staff and co-editor rely on my work and contributions to the paper. Taking a break is more feasible, since I can control how much I work on the paper to a certain extent. Also, this year’s production schedule with two weeks in between each release is a lot more flexible, and I tend to enjoy it a lot more, as does the rest of the staff, or so they’ve told me. It gives a lot of people a lot more wiggle room, and allows them to not think about the Weather Vane at every waking moment.
Another idea is doing almost the exact opposite, and just pushing through until it’s done. This works better from a practical standpoint, as any commitments that you may have made are not rendered obsolete, and you get more experience in whatever your situation may be. The downside to this, however, is that it is likely to have a greater toll on you and your stress level. Just pushing through seems feasible in theory, but it can really wear you down even more in the long run. In my situation, this has been basically what I’ve been doing, and it’s been working alright for me, but if I were to go any longer than two semesters with it, then I could see there starting to be a problem.
Overall, the best option is probably to take breaks and see how you feel when you come back to it. But, if you only have a little bit of time with it left, a couple weeks maybe, then I think it’s worth it to just push through and see if you can get to the end, since you might as well if you’re this close to the end already. We are very close to the end of the semester, and you’ll soon have the whole summer to relax and be free of whatever it may be, so might as well just bear with it for the little time you have remaining. The experience of whatever it may be will be worth it in the end!
