Fighting Lockdown Burnout

During our third national lockdown, we are faced with school closures, chilly weather, and lots of uncertainty. Consequently, a lot of people, high school students, teachers, professionals, etc. are experiencing lockdown burnout.

The symptoms of lockdown burnout include:

• Fatigue

• Negative Thoughts

• Stress

• Lack of Motivation

It’s not unusual to feel these symptoms at this time, and it will effect your work ethic, but there are ways to deal with it and alleviate stress.

Here are some suggestions that psychologists give:

• Try to get back into a similar routine to your typical school day- establish a routine which mirrors what you would have done when school was not online.

• Make sure you are laying the correct foundations: ensure your hydration, food, hygiene, etc. are as good as they can be. If you don’t have this solid foundation, it is hard to feel any better.

• Staring at computer screens all day can lead to headaches, fatigue and more. Try to reduce screen time when you’re not working: e.g. exchange watching a tv show for listening to a good podcast, or exchange texting your friends for calling them.

• During a normal school day, you will likely walk to and from lessons, lunch, and the car park, bus or your home every day. This helps us to have a little break from learning and energise us. Therefore, between lessons or at break times during the day, try to go for a little walk around the house or up and down stairs, or so some static cardio exercises to recreate this energy booster.

Lockdown is hard for lots of people, so check on your friends and family and offer them any help- maybe even share this post with them if they seem to be struggling!

For Y11s it’s a last push now: keep on top of your work, trying to attend online lessons and filling any gaps in your knowledge using revision guides, textbooks, YouTube videos or revision websites.

Stay safe and well.

- The Astute Student