Beating the Burden of Burnout

Ah, burnout. No matter how I try to keep motivated through the semester, I always end up feeling like a stepped-on Capri-Sun by the end of it. The foot is responsibilities and deadlines. The Capri-Sun is me. And the sweet sugary nectar is my limited reserve of motivation. I’m no stranger to burnout. This week’s blog is a lesson for both of us as I examine the cause, effect and prevention of what I consider the worst B-word.

According to the American Psychological Association, burnout is “an extended period of time where someone experience exhaustion and a lack of interest in things, resulting in a decline in their job performance.” Not sure if you’re burning out? Symptoms include persistent exhaustion, suffering grades, social disengagement and a lack of motivation. The key feature of burnout is a decline in performance. If you’re experiencing an unusual amount of stress, but it isn’t affecting your performance, it isn’t burnout. 

Burnout doesn’t just happen overnight. It can take months or years to develop. There are multiple causes that can contribute to it, but mostly, burnout is caused by having too much going on in your life to keep up. A study by the University of Southern Maine in 2006 found that over half of students surveyed felt that their overbearing course load was the cause. Other factors included health issues, lack of personal motivation and outside influences such as part-time work or family struggles.

What’s the prescription? For one, put more consideration into the number and difficulty of your courses for the semester. Considering the study mentioned above, this is probably most important of all. Try not to give yourself more work than you can handle. Learn the power of the word “no.” Overachieving students are often prone to stretch themselves thin, thinking they can do it all. If you have a lot going on at the moment, and you’re considering more work, think about it seriously. Don’t be afraid to say no if you’re worried you won’t be able to finish in time. Another factor is sleep. If you aren’t getting enough sleep, you aren’t going to function at full capacity. Make sure you’re getting between 7 and 9 hours of sleep at night. Most importantly, if you think you’re burning out, ask for help. If you’re not comfortable talking to a mental health professional, reach out to a family member or friend. You might be surprised at how much they can relate.

In all, be like the Eagles and take it easy. We all have the tendency to overestimate our ability when it comes to work, and I’m no exception. That doesn’t mean slack off and only do the bare minimum, but give yourself some breaks and recuperation time between tasks. If you have so much going on that you can’t get a break, you’re going to burn out eventually. In time, you’ll find the perfect balance for yourself and your grades will thank you.

By Danny Holland - Danny is a senior public relations and advertising major and the Communications Intern for the Division of Student Affairs at The University of Southern Mississippi.

From Education to Employment: A Surthrival Guide

With only four years of undergraduate studies to figure out a potential career— college can be a stressful time for many students. While we have all been conditioned on the academic side of higher education, the road to securing that dream job is not quite so clear. If you want to not only survive the path to employment, but to thrive on it, there are a few steps you are going to have to take on your own. 

Start now. Whether you are a freshman just beginning your undergraduate career or a fifth year senior, there is no time like the present to start making moves. When you are considering a job you might have for the rest of your life, you can never start too early. The earlier you start, the more time you have to consider your options.

Begin from within. Figure out what you like. This may sound easy, but many people force themselves into a career they simply do not mesh with on a personal level. Study your everyday interactions. A journal can be helpful. Take note of the things you do on a day-to-day basis. Keep track of those interactions, activities and tasks that were not so fun and those that inspired you and made your day better. These insights can be extremely helpful in the process of finding a career that you will truly be happy in. 

Do more than just research. Of course, good research is one main aspect of any job search, but when it comes to your career go out and try something new. Interested in accounting? Go job shadowing or attend a hands-on accounting class. As with anything, you cannot really know if you like something until you actually do it.

Network. No matter what you choose to do, you need to have people there to help you along the way. Get to know your classmates and professors. Even if you do not need help or have any questions, attend those office hours. Show your professor that you are serious about your academic and future professional career. They can be a wealth of knowledge about the subject. Remember, your professor was in the same boat as you at one point. Attend that career fair. Get your name out to those recruiters and establish a connection that may lead to something bigger after graduation. The people are there. All you have to do is make the choice to ask them for help.

Don’t stress it. Above all else, have fun. While it can be stressful, college is the time for you to spread your wings and soar. Believe me, you are going to run into some challenges on the way, but overcoming them will only strengthen and empower you to keep going. Failure is necessary for success. If you want to land that dream job, you are going to have to work for it. No matter where you end up after college, if you find something that adds value to your life and contributes to society in a meaningful way—that is all that matters. 

By Danny Holland - Danny is a senior public relations and advertising major and the Communications Intern for the Division of Student Affairs at The University of Southern Mississippi.

Campus Chauvinism

College is hard. It can be even harder when you’re a woman. The effects of misogyny on the learning experience in America cannot be denied. From catcalls, to underrepresentation, to simply not being taken seriously, women on college campuses throughout the country have been dealing with the same issues for decades. With it being Women’s History Month, there is no better time than now to discuss this phenomena.

No matter how you feel about these organizations college fraternities have been a breeding ground of misogyny since their inception. Studies have shown time after time that members of fraternities are more likely to hold sexist views or sexually assault women than your average male student. In fact, a study from Springer Publishing found that fraternity membership is one of the largest predictors of sexual aggression in a male student. This is not to say that all fraternities or fraternity members are sexist but the correlation cannot be denied.

Women in college sports are not taken seriously. In 2017, forty-two percent of Division 1 college athletic funding was spent on men’s athletics while only twenty-one percent was spent on women’s athletics. The amount of effort that goes into providing women with the same athletic opportunities is laughable. One study found that NCAA colleges would have to offer 148,030 more sports opportunities for women to equal the same ratio that is provided to men.

Who could forget the prevalence of sexual assault on college campuses? The Rape, Abuse, and Incest National Network reports that 26.4% of all female undergraduate students experience rape or sexual assault. That is 1 in 4 women. Something has to change. The Brock Turner case of 2016 really brought this issue to light and could have been a turning point for women across America. Yet again, they were let down as Turner was only sentenced to 6 months in jail and three years of probation for rape. The more you analyze the issue you will find similar results and inaction on the part of the justice system and the country as a whole to bring some restitution to these victims.

The combined effect of these factors on the female student’s learning experience cannot be ignored. How can you study when you have to worry about sexual assault lurking in every corner of campus? Forget about test anxiety. Consider how it feels dealing with the trauma of sexual violence on top of everything else. The bottom line is this—if you are a woman in college, you may not be receiving the same quality education as your male peers because of these outside factors. Change is possible but it will require intentional work on everyone’s part to make the college experience, a safe experience for all students. 

By Danny Holland - Danny is a senior public relations and advertising major and the Communications Intern for the Division of Student Affairs at The University of Southern Mississippi.

Food for Thought

You are what you eat. It has been said a million times but what does it really mean? The mystical powers of so-called “brain foods” have been making headlines since the dawn of the Internet. Eat this to sleep better. Eat that to improve memory. I do not really know what an Omega-3 fatty acid is, but with the way people talk about it, the fountain of youth might just be found inside a can of tuna.

What is the rub? Well, when you look past the clickbait and trendy diets, there is some real truth to the hype. You cannot deny that some foods are better than others in terms of physical health. An apple a day keeps the doctor away, right? The challenge is connecting food to mental health.

The body and mind are intrinsically connected. It helps to think of your body like a car. It needs fuel to run right? Everyone knows there is a difference between premium and unleaded fuel. Your brain’s fuel is food. Junk food is unleaded and healthy food is premium. Your brain is going to function better on premium. You want the cleanest fuel possible for your body’s engine, the brain.

In general, the best diet for physical and mental health is more like the traditional Mediterranean diet- mostly plant-based including whole fruits and vegetables, nuts, legumes, whole grains and seeds. Fatty fish, such as tuna or salmon, and other types of seafood should be the primary form of meat consumed. Poultry, dairy and eggs should be eaten modestly. Red meat should be avoided or eaten sparingly. Of course, water should be the beverage of choice but tea and coffee are acceptable as well.

Not only is this type of diet better for your body but your brain will thank you too. In fact, diets such as this have been linked to a 25-35% lower risk of depression compared to the typical American diet. Nuts, coffee, and fatty fish are known to boost memory and supply your brain with much needed vitamins and nutrients too. Studies have repeatedly shown that students who eat more fruits, vegetables and milk as opposed to processed foods perform better in school.

In general, you should be taking care of your car because it is the only car you have. Avoid highly processed, sugary food as much as you can and always reach for whole fruits and vegetables, when possible. This is crucial for optimal brain performance and mileage. So, if you want to improve your grades—a good start might be to clean out your dorm’s mini fridge.     

By Danny Holland - Danny is a senior public relations and advertising major and the Communications Intern for the Division of Student Affairs at The University of Southern Mississippi.

Learning Styles: Separating Fact from Fiction

We have all heard it by now; the four learning styles are visual, auditory, tactile and reading/writing. Figure out which one you are and box yourself in. It seems simple enough, but the reality is the concept is quite outdated.

Who actually learns better by focusing on only one of the styles? Let’s say you are an auditory learner— would you rather hear a description of the location of Peru or simply look at it on a map? Do you think reading a recipe or listening to an audiobook would be more effective?

Truth is even if you do learn better using a specific style; the learning process is too complex to use it for every application. Science backs this up too. Up to this point, there is no scientific evidence that there are four definitive learning styles separating students. All studies point toward a different conclusion— the learning style you should use depends on what you are trying to learn.

Generally, there are some learning styles that are better suited for certain applications. If you are in a lecture, taking notes is probably the best way for you to memorize the material. However, what if you take up sewing as a hobby? Your only choice is to learn by doing.

In fact, you probably already knew this even if you did not realize it. We have no choice but to use all four learning styles every single day. Oftentimes, we even use multiple styles at once. Ever read subtitles while listening to and watching a movie? There you go.

So why do we still teach that there are four specific learning styles? Well, they are not completely useless. We all tend to favor one of the four over the others— so they can still be somewhat useful in constructing our own study methods. For example, if you favor reading and writing over visual means of learning, you might learn better by reading the textbook rather than watching a video lecture.

It is helpful to think of the learning styles as a simple guideline rather than a structured concept. As with most things, labels are often inherently limiting. Just because you took a Facebook quiz does not mean you have to learn to cook Risotto by looking at a Venn diagram. But, by all means if that is what you prefer— do you. 

By Danny Holland - Danny is a senior public relations and advertising major and the Communications Intern for the Division of Student Affairs at The University of Southern Mississippi.