WRITTEN BY Soleil Hernandez-Amaro

GRAPHICS BY Isabella Handel

//The Oxford Languages dictionary defines burnout as a “…mental collapse caused by overwork or stress.” And although stress is a given for high school students, burnout spreads like wildfires upon the educational frontier. As of  2020, the United States has experienced a sharp increase in burnout cases not only in the student population, but across the board. So what may be triggering this invisible epidemic?  

In large part, burnout can be attributed to a collective mindset. “Grind mentality” and “hustle culture” are to blame. Both are rooted in the belief that success is solely achieved through hard work at expense of oneself. Even though sacrificing one’s present for the “bigger picture” sounds like an even exchange, there is no one size fits all to success. While “grind mentality” might work for some, it may only chip away further at another’s dreams, the ones they may be working so hard for in the first place. This narrative prevails in the school scene as students are expected to be ambitious and productive. And with the surging competition over university acceptance, a profusion of Las Lomas students find urgency in reaching for that extra AP class or volunteer opportunity in hopes that their hard work would eventually pay off. In some cases it undeniably would, but what is the point of getting into your dream school if you’re burnt out before your college career has even begun? This is the paradox of burnout. Working so hard until you feel as though you can’t work at all. 

As a response to this worrisome issue, society has promoted ‘self care’ which again, is not a one size fits all kind of concept. It is illogical for one to be told to put on a face mask if they feel an emotional burden. It is almost comparable to putting a bandaid on a big gaping wound. Burnout is invasive, cruel and usually cannot be completely healed through the modern day conceptions of ‘self care,’ as it will never address the root cause which instigates the condition. 

Often, stigma against burnout runs rampant. If you are labeled a burnout, the public eye accuses you of being lazy or a lost cause, but it is often that these negative social beliefs prevent an individual from seeking help in the first place. Contrary to popular opinion, burnout is so much more than just ‘laziness’ as it has the capacity to degrade one’s brain structure. 

According to the National Library of Medicine, burnout’s effects extend far beyond emotional irregularity as it is closely linked to “a reduction in the volume of gray matter of the anterior cingulate cortex and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex as well as in the volume of the caudate and putamen structures, with reduced dendritic arborization…” The common denominator between all of the brain’s aspects mentioned is that each one is imperative to the process of learning. All components are negatively impacted when burnouts vexes emerge; solid evidence of how difficult burnout can make the life of a school student whose main objective is to learn, and proof of burnout’s existence that society cannot negate. Adjacent to the stigmatization of burnout, it is also normalized. 

Terms like ‘senioritis,’ synonymous with burnout, are often thrown about the everyday verbiage of Las Lomas High School. The truth is, senioritis could quite literally affix to anyone. Even children in elementary school can have burnout and it is not exactly something you just get over, like a cold, for burnout’s can stretch from a couple weeks to several years.  

Recovering from burnout is no easy feat, but if left untreated it will consume every aspect of one’s life. And while there is no singular anecdote to burnout, there are ways to stunt and potentially part from its grip. Exposures to stressors are advised to be decreased in any way and improving physical well-being through adequate sleep, physical exercise and quality nutrition may play a significant part in alleviating burnout’s effects.

One of the biggest challenges in navigating the complex landscape of mental health is doing so alone, but it does not have to be. There are resources available at Las Lomas from the Wellness center to a trusted friend. It is the choice to utilize them that makes all the difference in slaying the beast that is burnout.