Malik B.
If you’re reading this, here’s a reminder to take care of yourself!
As we move into the beginning of the school year, there’s so much excitement and there’s so much craziness. With all of this, it is easy to get overwhelmed and burnt out, between the new orgs you want to join or the ones that you’re already putting to work, all the assignments that your teacher throws at you, the fun events around campus you want to attend or even the grind of day to day life: it is important to take care of yourself first. Get some rest, hit the gym, take time to eat full meals, and make sure to check in on yourself because it’s hard to be present for all your responsibilities if you’re not present for yourself.
A time came for me when I started prioritizing others before myself and felt the very real effects of burnout. It was last year’s Homecoming when I had a lot on my plate, and the weight of my assignments and projects, trying to enjoy homecoming week and the planning of Tigerama were all coming down on me at the same time. I knew people were counting on me to come through and I didn’t want to let them down. I tried to get some rest that Sunday night and then the whirlwind began
Every free moment that I had, I was tabling and canvassing campus selling Tigerama tickets because I wanted everyone to get a chance to experience Clemson’s longest-standing homecoming tradition being revived for the first time since classes had moved to online but all this time out and about ended up giving little time for myself. The looming schoolwork over my head also didn’t help. Eventually, the workload got the best of me and I crashed. I mean can you blame me, I was exhausted. With all the pomping late at night, selling Tigerama tickets all day, and making the best of all the homecoming week events, I left little time for myself to get some rest or even eat. When I returned to my apartment Thursday night, only 24 hours before the busiest night of the week with Tigerama, I reached my limit and everything hit me at once.
This was the first time I had felt the effects of burnout in a while. My body was tired and my head was pounding and I still had assignments to get done. I tried grinding out my essay and homework knowing it wasn’t my best work but all I could think about was my bed that night. After all the work and all the craziness of ticket sales wrapped up, I could finally rest and that’s what I did.
This week really could’ve gone differently for me if I took the time to prepare myself for what I was going into. I wish I had prioritized my rest a little more and checked in with myself about how I was feeling more frequently throughout the week. I could have prevented the burnout if I had taken a little bit better care of myself. This is all to say it’s important that you put yourself first because burning out from exhaustion is no fun.
Malik B., Clemson University
2022 Student Body President
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