5 Tips to Avoid Second Semester Burnout
Below we have listed some tips to help avoid burnout during the second semester of the school year. All of us have hit burnout at some point in our lives, and it probably comes from failing to follow one of these tips:
1. Pace Yourself
There is some truth to “slow and steady wins the race.” Both semesters and the whole school year, to be exact, are more like a cross country course. If your child runs it at a sprint, like they would a 100-meter dash, they will never make it to the finish line.
2. New Methods and Ways to Study
Sometimes we stick to the study methods we know. This is fine, but sometimes spicing up your child’s study methods can make the process a little less dreary.
Maybe that means they can have different scented candles, and for each subject, there’s a scent paired with it. That way, the next day, when they go back to study and light that candle for that subject, it will help with their memory. After all, our senses tend to be attached to memory.
Maybe it means when they have a bunch of problems to do for a subject, you get a box of candy, and for every three issues, they get to eat a piece of candy as a reward (or maybe every ten problems, whichever is most realistic). It will then help them stay on track and be motivated to push through the assignment.
3. Get Plenty of Rest
Anyone knows that when you’re exhausted, it’s hard to focus on any task at hand. So making sure that they get the rest that they need at night is important.
Sometimes they want to stay up and binge through a Netflix episode, sometimes they want to stay up to talk to friends. However, it’s important to balance everything out with rest.
Not only will a good night’s rest do them good for focusing and functioning the next day, but naps could be extremely beneficial too.
If you study psychology, science shows that when you sleep, your brain consolidates information into your memory. Or if you think of it like paperwork, all day long, your brain has been gathering paperwork, and right now it’s sprawled out everywhere, but when you take a nap, it all goes into nice neat folders and then into filing bins.
So if your child has a big test coming up, instead of cramming and staying up for hours and hours, it’s better for them to get a good study session in and then take a nap. That way, when they awaken and go into the test the next day, all of what they studied is stored neatly in their brain and ready to easily recall.
4. Do What You Love
Take a break. If your child is studying things that they’re not that interested in, or even subjects they are interested in, they will eventually become miserable if you spend all of their time doing something they don’t enjoy or all of their time doing one thing.
Whether it is a sport, painting, gardening, or hiking, make sure they take breaks to do the things they love. They will be re-energized and will have the motivation to put effort into their education as they become refreshed.
5. Practice Self-Control
First of all, we meant what we said in #4. Additionally, there must be balance. Sometimes, getting the “harder” stuff done provides the contrast to really enjoy the things you love.
As much as we would love to be doing our hobbies or hanging out with friends all of the time, it’s important that we learn how to say no. For your child to be able to say no will be such a great tool for them to have in the future.
There are times that we need to say no to the things we love because if we don’t, we will fall behind on important things; such as your child falling behind on their education. Then they will spend the entire semester playing catch up, being stressed, and end up with burn-out for sure.
The Key is Balance
At the end of the day, it’s all about balance. It’s not about doing all of this or none of that, but the in-between. Being a well-rounded individual and keeping a plan and schedule of things will help your child remain balanced from day to day.
Having a planner is super helpful to be able to refer to when planning their weeks and months. They can see what obligations they have and then sprinkle the rest of it with hobbies and things they enjoy. However, I would encourage them to prioritize hobbies as well!
The Crenshaw Academy
At The Crenshaw Academy, we are dedicated to our students having a great experience and maintaining the longevity to make it to the end of the school year. Our staff, and our school, work with parents to see to it that their children see success and become world changers and leaders.
After all, we are a community, and a community works together to see that each person becomes their best and reaches their full potential.
We are located in Gotha, Florida, and if you or someone you know is interested in The Crenshaw Academy, you may visit our website or call us at 407-757-2241.