I was the type of student in high school who, despite performing relatively average academically, was also highly ambitious. I don’t remember much about my time in Year 11, but I do remember always having a never-ending to-do list full of just schoolwork. Even on the odd occasion that I managed to get through it, I would keep adding more tasks. By the end of the year, I found myself in a state of burnout for the very first time.

Thanks to a Christmas casual job, I came to Year 12 feeling refreshed and ready to learn. I still kept with my impossible to-do lists, so stress crept up on me. I started experiencing physical symptoms of stress, yet I was in complete denial that I was even at risk of burnout. Despite the ambitious to-do lists, I struggled with intense procrastination by final exams.

Once my exams were over, I rolled through one stressful event after another. Finalising my course preferences, getting my ATAR, then looking for casual work. By the time I started university, I was even more burnt out. Like Year 12, I had all sorts of symptoms due to burnout, but worse. I was in and out of doctors’ offices every week or so. Eventually, enough was enough. The realisation hit me hard in December. I was well overdue for a break. So, I took a gap year after doing three consecutive trimesters.

My gap year ended up being exactly what I needed. Even though I had just lost my job at the start of my gap year, I resisted the urge to hurriedly apply for another job, or sign up for any other commitments, because I knew it would worsen my burnout. Yet, after a few short months, I felt rested enough to take on a small commitment: a single, stand-alone university unit. From July to the end of October, this single unit gave me a trial run of how I could approach my studies without burning out. It was by doing this subject that I first learnt to spot my early warning signs of stress, and address their potential causes promptly.

I now have strategies to recognise the signs and how to respond before they escalate to burnout. I also better understand when I am most productive as well as my limits, including how many things I can realistically put on my to-do list per day. Since my gap year, I completed my first year of a different degree without burning out, and have already started my second year. Preventing burnout for me has not just been about recovering from it once I’m in the state; it has also been about building a life that has long-term sustainability, which includes adequate rest.

– Anonymous

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