Balancing burnout: Taking control by letting go
Preventing burnout means being responsible for yourself and to others, but what does that look like?
Working, learning and socializing on a college campus presents a lot of expectations, and can also lead to burnout if not balanced correctly.
When it comes to identifying and treating burnout, there are experts like Erica Heller, a lead care advocate, and organizations that can be helpful.
“We so genuinely care that students have a good experience,” she said. “It’s super cool when I can support a student in this unique time of life.”
What is burnout?
Burnout doesn’t always look like burnout. Melissa Hutchinson, the executive director of Central Michigan University's counseling center, said that burnout presents as a variety of physical and emotional problems:
- Trouble sleeping
- Feelings of apathy
- Loss of appetite
- Thinking nothing will change or improve
- Lack of engagement
“Burnout kind of creeps up on people,” Hutchinson said. “People are pretty adaptive … we don’t see it as a problem, we see it as a temporary bump in the road.”
This isn’t just for students, she said this happens to professionals in all fields.
“Take a pause, step back from your world to figure out what is going to help you,” Hutchinson said.
But saying ‘no’ isn’t always realistic or easy.
Abby McGuire is a professor who teaches in the Master of Science in Administration (MSA) program.
McGuire recommended “not saying yes to everything, but trying to strategically say yes.” She added that it helps to ask, “Is the cost of that ‘yes’ worth it to me?”
McGuire explained that professors are in a unique position compared to the students in their classes.
“When you’re a student in a class you’re balancing the expectations of multiple classes,” McGuire said. “When you’re a professor you have to be in front of students, beside them and behind them all at the same time.”
“Faculty on this campus really care about students,” she said, which can create a sense of urgency and a pressure to be available for students at the cost of their own time.
Burnout can present bigger consequences if it’s not addressed, Hutchinson added.
“Prevention and early intervention is much less costly, in terms of time and resources, than repair,” she said.
Moving forward with balance
What does that balance look like?
It depends on the person, but according to Hutchinson, there are a few universal activities people can engage in for self-care.
- Getting enough sleep
- Eating nutritious food, with the occasional indulgence
- Regular exercise of choosing
Hutchinson’s preferred type of exercise is hiking, which also gives her a chance to practice photography. This summer, she spent 8.5 hours hiking part of the Appalachian Trail in New Hampshire.
“There’s nothing more hope-building than when you do hard things and get through them,” she said.
McGuire said she makes a hobby of running for exercise. She and her husband also raise cattle and make their own maple syrup when it is in season.
Hutchinson emphasized setting both short-term and long term goals for different reasons. Achieving short-term goals, she said, creates a sense of accomplishment. Long-term goals provide a sense of purpose.
Heller said self-care isn’t just bubble baths and face masks, “A more long-term self-care is just doing something that will make you feel better.”
She added it can be helpful to ask ‘What’s one thing I can do tonight to make tomorrow better?’ to start every day on the right foot.
Leadership and responsibility
It is also possible to see symptoms of burnout in friends and loved ones, but Hutchinson advised sensitivity.
“The first thing that you do is don’t make the assumption that it’s burnout,” she said. Instead what you can do is approach them with your observations and ask how you can be helpful.
“We can’t be responsible for others, we can only be responsible to them,” Hutchinson said.
McGuire described part of her research into expectations and burnout. She said there are widening circles of expectations around any one person.
- The innermost circle: personal expectations of the self
- The second circle: expectations of jobs, classes or other organizations
- The final circle: social and cultural expectations
Part of her research puts the focus on the individual, but McGuire said it’s also important for people in leadership to play a role.
“(We have to) model taking care of ourselves and taking care of our people,” she said.
In Dec. 2022, the counseling center informed Central Michigan Life of three new additions to their staff to match student demand. But Hutchinson said they’re no longer at full staff.
“We had someone leave for a different opportunity… and I wasn’t allowed to fill the position,” she said. “It’s really frustrating when I’m not in charge of the funds.”
At the beginning of the semester there isn’t a waiting list for students to get into the counseling center yet, but Hutchinson said she’s expecting one. Losing a counselor simply reduces the number of appointments available to students.
“The folks that are here work really really hard … I’m tired of being blamed for circumstances out of our control,” she said.
Resources
The counseling center isn’t the only resource on campus for students who are dealing with burnout. Heller said the CMU Cares program is dedicated to students’ health, safety and wellbeing.
Their main method of making that happen, she said, is by responding to care reports and offering meetings to students who may be having a hard time.
“Students have so much to do and you came to college for this degree, but CMU cares that you’re well-rounded in other ways,” Heller said.
The CMU Cares team is working to promote a “Take Care” initiative, a program to promote wellbeing. She said it’s planned to launch with a kick-off party from 1-3 p.m. Sept. 20 in front of Bovee University Center.
“We want people to take care of their minds, bodies, just overall wellness,” Heller said.
If you’re having trouble, or are just interested in having someone to talk to, these are the campus resources available:
- Counseling Center
- CMU Cares
- Listening Ear Crisis Center
- Student Health Services
- Center for Community Counseling and Development
After ten years working as a care advocate at CMU, Heller said she still has that skip in her step when she comes to work every day.
“Working with you all and the age range you’re in, I feel so honored to be part of your experience,” Heller said.
