Burnout: When Is It Time to Recharge?

By Lucy Swearingen

From homework assignments to sporting events to part time jobs, it’s no doubt that teens stay busy. And with social pressures while growing up to academic pressures like college acceptance expectations lingering through teens minds while they navigate and experience many of the world’s firsts, pressure undoubtedly comes with this stage of life.

Expectations set on teens either from themselves, their parents or their school may put productive pressure on them for achieving their goals while other times may cause anxiety leading to burnout. As recent data from a survey by the Center of Disease Control (CDC) supports there is a crisis in teen mental health, different ways to combat stress make themselves topics of conversation during this time.

Elizabeth Hollomon, recent highschool graduate, experienced stress from managing her extracurriculars with school. As a competitive equestrian, member of her school’s basketball team as well as a plethora of school clubs, the expectations she put on herself contributed to her anxiety.

“It got to a really bad point and where I would be riding at a competition, and I would completely have panic attacks and freak myself out,” said Hollomon.

One outlet that helped manage Hollomon’s stress was finding time for herself. Whether it be in the car or in her room, having time that wasn’t devoted to one of her many responsibilities brought her peace.

An article by the New York Times supports how time alone can benefit mental health, as well as makes the point how spending time alone is often discouraged in society. This article notes that the key to reaping the benefits of being alone is choosing to be alone because it helps regulate emotions. The ability to recognize moments where solitude is needed can help with managing burnout as well as foster personal growth. 

“Cultivating this sense of being alone and making the choice to be alone can help you to develop who you are, your sense of self, and what your true interests are,” said Dr. Angela Grice, a speech language pathologist who has conducted research on executive functions and neuroscience at Howard University and the Neurocognition of Language Lab at Columbia University.

Many fear that solitude comes with loneliness, which ultimately is bad for our health, because loneliness is often not a choice, and how solitude has historically been used as punishment. The fear of missing out (FOMO) also discourages people from choosing time to be alone because that time may be thought of as wasted or could hurt our social lives; however, evidence supports that solitude doesn’t necessarily hurt our social lives, and rather could add to it according to Thuy-vy Nguyen, an assistant professor in the department of psychology at Durham University, who studies solitude.

Intentionally setting time for ourselves to decompress and recharge helps us manage life and stay present even during stressful scenarios. Finding the balance of spending time with others while still making time for ourselves helps make us a priority in our own lives. Balance and checking in with ourselves often helps with productivity and socialization which makes it possible to give time and energy to friends, family, and responsibilities without stress robbing us of being present during those times.