Signs Your Child is Academically Burnt Out

Studying, extracurricular activities, after school programs--is there a chance that your child may be academically burnt out? How can you tell? 

Causes of Academic Burnout
Many high schools put a huge workload on students and expect everyone to be an overachiever. There is often a competitive environment, and many teachers look down on students that simply do an adequate job. The combination of unending work and constant pressure eventually takes its toll on the psyches of some students. According to the Washington Post, a recent study by the Academy of Finland found that burnout seems to run in families. Students with burnout often have parents with similar feelings about their work, life, or financial situation. The reasons for this connection are unclear, but Scientists have theorized that it could be related to parenting techniques.

Signs of Burnout
Burnout is a gradual process that occurs over an extended period of time. It doesn’t happen overnight, but it can creep up on you or your child if you’re not paying attention to the warning signals. The signs and symptoms of burnout are subtle at first, but they get worse and worse as time goes on.

• Feeling tired and drained most of the time
• Lowered immunity, feeling sick a lot
• Frequent headaches, back pain, muscle aches
• Change in appetite or sleep habits
• Emotional signs and symptoms of burnout
• Sense of failure and self-doubt
• Feeling helpless, trapped, and defeated
• Detachment, feeling alone in the world
• Loss of motivation
• Increasingly cynical and negative outlook
• Decreased satisfaction and sense of accomplishment
• Withdrawing from responsibilities
• Isolating yourself from others
• Procrastinating, taking longer to get things done
• Taking out your frustrations on others
• Skipping work, school or activities or arriving late and leaving early

Avoiding Burnout
According to the experts, it's possible for students to avoid burnout by taking more breaks, spending more time on their social lives, and taking better care of their health so that they feel better. Think of the early symptoms of burnout as warning signs or red flags that something is wrong that needs to be addressed. If you pay attention to these early warning signs, you can prevent a major breakdown. If you ignore them, it may eventually lead to burn out.