Avoiding Burnout in Law School [5 Tips to Prevent Student Burnout]
Law students deal with demanding schedules, and after having long periods of constant stress, it can often make you feel burnt out. You do not want to be in this debilitating state as a student, so here are five tips for dealing with student burnout. First, let us look into what “burnout” is.
What is “Burnout”?
According to the World Health Organization, burnout “is a syndrome conceptualized as resulting from chronic workplace stress that has not been successfully managed. It is characterized by three-dimensional feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion, increased mental distance from one’s job or feeling negativism or cynicism related to one’s job, and reduced professional efficacy. (World Health Organization, 2019) Burnout is characterized as constantly feeling exhausted, frustrated, and lacking motivation. As a law student who experiences large amounts of stress for an extended period of time, in order to prevent burnout, it is essential to know what causes it.
What are the common causes of student burnout?
In a study conducted by BMC Medical Education, academic burnout is one of the common challenges that affect students’ motivation and academic eagerness, so they decided to investigate the academic burnout, rate of depression, anxiety, and stress, as well as related factors among undergraduate medical students at the Tehran Medical Sciences Islamic Azad University.
According to the research study, the present study estimated the prevalence of academic burnout to be between 9.2 and 23.4%, considering the 5% error in the calculation. Possible causes of job burnout are the feeling of lack of control, dysfunctional dynamics, needing constant energy to remain focused, lack of social support, and work-life imbalance. Even though this study was focused on medical students, a high-stress career, like law school, is associated with a high percentage of stress, “Law students start law school with high life satisfaction and strong mental health measures. Nevertheless, within the first year of law school, they experience a significant increase in anxiety and depression. Research suggests that law students are among the most dissatisfied, demoralized, and depressed of any graduate student population.” (ABA, 2017) Now that we have listed out the common causes, we can dive into the best ways to handle burnout.
Preventing Burnout
Know the warning signs
It is critical to recognize and familiarize yourself with the early signs of burnout and anticipate its cause. The earlier you can identify the feeling of burnout, the faster it will be to address and take action before it progresses to severe mental health issues.
Take care of your physical and mental health
Prioritizing your physical and mental health can ensure you stay in a healthy headspace during tough times. Take care of your mental health by staying away from situations that cause anxiety, making time to exercise, balancing alone time and social activities, and seeking counseling.
Set boundaries
As a student, you want to take on any challenges and accept as many opportunities that come your way. However, it is essential to set boundaries and learn how to say “no.” Only you are aware of how much stress and busyness you can handle.
Keep track of your sleep
As mentioned in my previous blog post, sleep is incredibly important for various aspects of your brain function. Having late-night study sessions might give you the illusion of productivity, but you will perform better academically by prioritizing sleep. Having good sleep has improved problem-solving skills and enhanced memory performance.
You do not have to go through it alone
Do not be afraid to ask for help. Many higher-education institutions have several resources, mental health professionals, and counseling services to help you cope with the symptoms and causes of burnout.
If you want to learn more, watch the video below to learn more about how to avoid burnout.
References
Burn-out an “occupational phenomenon”: International classification of diseases. (2019, May 28). World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/news/item/28-05-2019-burn-out-an-occupational-phenomenon-international-classification-of-diseases
Vries, Hooff, M. L. M. van, Geurts, S. A. ., and Kompier, M. A. . (2016). Exercise as an intervention to reduce study-related fatigue among university students: A two-arm parallel randomized controlled trial. PloS One, 11(3), e0152137–e0152137. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0152137
Buchanan, B., Coyle, J., Brafford, A., Campbell, D., Camson, J., Gruber, C., Harrell, T., Jaffe, D., Kepler, T., Krill, P., Lemons, D., Myers, S., Newbold, C., Reardon, J., Shaheed, J. D., Shely, L., Slease, W., & White, J. (2017). The path to lawyer Well-Being: Practical recommendations for positive change (the report of the national task force on lawyer Well-Being), part II, recommendations for law schools. SSRN Electronic Journal. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.3021218
Job burnout: How to spot it and take action. (2021, June 5). Mayo Clinic. https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/adult-health/in-depth/burnout/art-20046642
Curtis, K. (2021, July 13). What is college student burnout? Signs, symptoms, and how to get help. EduMed. https://www.edumed.org/resources/college-student-burnout-survival/
How to avoid burnout: Crash course business – soft skills #17. (2019, July 3). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJq9zVLu5_Q