Exhausted? Avoiding study burnout in the long term has a lot to do with our study habits - as well as our daily habits. We need to make sure that our bodies and minds receive the things they need, and that we aren’t overworking them. Here are 10 different ways of avoiding burnouts in the future:
Study A Lil' At A Time
Break your down notes into sections. This could be according to topics or subtopics. This allows it to be easily digestible and understandable. Dividing your notes into sections avoids overwhelming your brain, allowing you to let the newly absorbed knowledge settle in.
Manage Your Time Well
It's important to plan out your schedule to prevent procrastination. Thus, preventing yourself from stressing. To avoid procrastination, start working on your assignments and projects early. Sometimes leaving things to the very last minute can lead to burnouts.
Get Enough Rest!
If I've not stressed tugh, sleep is crucial. It's important to get at least 6 to 8 hours of sleep daily. Sleep helps improve your cognitive functioning and also enhances your mood, preventing burnt outs from occuring. Aside from getting sufficient amount of sleep, power naps are important. 30-minute nap during the day is sufficient to recharge your body before you get back to doing your revision.
Also, try not to pull all-nighters! Studying before sleeping allows you to remember things you've studied, as sleep is also involved in cementing memories in your brain.
Rotate Your Study Environment
Being in the same location for prolonged periods of time will make you feel tired both physically and mentally. Studying at different places will help change that feeling of tiredness and fatigue. Try to switch your study environment every three to four days - at your desk, the dining table, a cafe or at the library. However, this may vary from person-to-person. If you're comfortable with a particular place, stick to it. You don't have to change if it works best for you. This point is for those struggle with studying at one single spot. Thus, changing spots might help them.
Eat Healthy
Next, eat healthily. Being a student, its important to consume healthy food - high in protein, vitamins, mineral and fiber. Eating healthily improves one's mood and physical health. If you're struggling with memory, consume "Brain Food" which will provide you with the brain power you will need. Click -
Avoid skipping meals. Keeping your stomach empty will prevent your brain from functioning efficiently, making you fatigue and tired, as well as giving you the desire to feel sleepy.
Take Frequent Breaks.
Studying for long periods of time will make you feel tired. Thus, it's important to take breaks. This enables our brains to understand and digest the information we learnt. Besides, breaks gives us the opportunity to help us focus on things aside from studies. I'd usually like to watch a YouTube video [or] read a book [or] even an article online.
Set Realistic Goals
It's important to list down your goals. I'd often set daily goals that I'd like to achieve through your day - about five goals each day. It could be both studies and health related. Research have proven that excess studying and overdoing yourself will lead to lower productivity, and fatigue, as well as burnout. This will then result in lower academic performance. Thus, instead of overdoing yourself, list down your priorities.
Maintain Your Social Life
As a medical student, it can be a challenge to maintain your social life. However, I'd highly Wherever you lie on the introvert-extrovert spectrum, everyone needs social interaction once in a while. It keeps you sane and healthy. Go out with your friends, have a sleepover, or maybe even a study date.
Stay Optimistic!
Regardless of the situation, it's always important to stay positive. When burnt out, staying optimistic can be a challenge. Negativity makes our condition worse. Thus, stay positive!