The rise of burnout and overexhaustion amongst high school students

High school can be a time to build connections, make new friendships and grow as a person. However, it may quickly become a place of constant stress and anxiety for students. This can lead to burnout over time, causing one to lose motivation in school. Burnout is a fear among many students, as it can lead to grades slipping and overall degradation in participation in activities both inside and outside of school. Students often feel excited about their first year of high school as freshmen since they experience little to no pressure, according to students. The classes they take are deemed easier than in other years of high school, as they cannot take any Advanced Placement (AP) classes.

“I think sophomore year comes second [in difficulty] because it’s the first time where you take AP classes,” San Marin High School junior Stella Craig said.

It is also during this time that students start to consider which colleges they plan to apply to and what extracurricular activities they need to do to get into them. Junior year is generally considered the hardest year, with students taking numerous AP courses. As college approaches, pressure mounts to succeed in both areas. Craig is the captain of San Marin’s Speech and Debate club, babysits every Monday, participates in track and field, as well as taking AP Art History, AP United States History and AP English Language Composition.

“The hardest [school year] probably is junior year,” Craig said. “I expect senior year to be hard in the first semester because of college applications in addition to everything I’m doing now.”

She also stated why and when she feels the most stressed during junior year.

“[I feel most stressed during] the lead up to AP exams, because I’m trying to juggle all of [my] classes, and the same amount of workload I’ve had for the past year, plus studying for [non-advanced placement] exams.”

During their sophomore and junior years, a majority of students experience burnout as the stress from college pressure and peer pressure to do well can often be a breaking point for students. A phenomenon commonly known as “senioritis” happens after a student is finished with college applications. Many people experience a lack of motivation near the end of their senior year due to feeling like they have finished the goal they have worked towards for the past four years.

“I’ve just had [senioritis] all of high school, so it’s not much worse,” senior Eliza Stickle said. “I think my teachers have it worse than I do. They are slowing down with their grading or complaining more about coming to class.”

Burnout can lead to some profound psychological effects that can further send a student into it. These include extreme emotional, mental and behavioral changes. Students who work for hours on end, as opposed to spending time relaxing
or sleeping, are more likely to experience burnout and overexhaustion. However, there are many ways students can try to stay motivated in school and avoid burnout. First of which is blending school work with relaxation time to avoid overworking yourself.

These activities do not have to be overcomplicated, just something simple enough to make an individual feel better.

“Focus on the things that make you happy and in your life and at school,” Stickle said.

As the year comes to an end and students begin feeling the weight of the school year, motivation comes to an all-time low. This feeling of burnout reaches all grade levels, but with summer break around the corner, students are itching to break free from school.