How do I minimize/prevent AND recover from burnout from studying?

[shivajikobardan]

TLDR-: student who feels like doing nothing eg not like to even read a page during some days. Used to happen a lot during exams. Is happening since 15 days, visited doctor, started taking meds. Meds might be doing their work. I need some guidance and advice that I might be missing.

1) I am Computer Engineering student and burnout is really a huge issue for me. I keep getting burn out(IDK the exact word for this tbh). I feel exhausted. I feel fed up studying. It feels like a brain fog. I don't feel like opening my textbook or watching video. I don't want to do anything at all. I instead browse reddit, watch youtube videos to pass my time. I feel so resistant to studying I don't have a word for that man. This has been happening to me since last 15 days. I am simply idle. It is not like I don't feel fear. Even if I feel fear, I feel like doing nth. I have already consulted doctor and doctor just gives me medicines and nth more. So hope people here will be considerate and give tips independent or dependent my medical conditions. My life really sucks due to this.

2) Even now I have been feeling this thing for around 15 days. I went to Psychiatrist and he added proate medicine. Hope that works. But even though it works I still need some advices and guidances as medicines can't fix everything.

3) It is not like I study 10 hrs everyday. I study 3-5 hrs everyday normally. I even had a vacation where I travelled a lot and had lots of fun. So it is not due to lack of entertainment NOW. but I agree entertainment lacks in my life a lot. I don't have any ways to relax my mind as most ways to relax would be expensive like guitar. And it is winter it is really boring to do yoga, stretching and meditation. (I used to do it as well in the past but still got burn out so this is not the reason why I am getting burn out.).

4) My medical conditions-: The medicines that I am using are-: 1) Proate 500 2) Zosert 50 3) Sizodon 2

5) In the past when I used to get burnout only during exams-: We have 3 days gaps to study during each exam. Our exams last 1 month long And I would finish studying 40% of topics before exams and during exams at least during 2 exams(we would have 5-6-7 exams depending on semester). I would get burnout and fail to do anything during those exams..And I keep failing exams that I have already studied 40% because I can't focus during exams. The culture here in Nepal is most students study during those 3 days and pass the exam comfortably. I have improved here as well. In the past, I used to finish studying once and I would not make revision notes so I had to re-read what I have studied all again. But nowadays I make summaries while studying and just revise it. So it is a bit better in this case. But I still get burnout.


6) What are hobbies,activities that are not very expensive that I can do in order to prevent myself from being burnout very frequently. I won't mind a burnout every 3 month.

 

[fourtytwo]

Don't spend so much time posting the same questions on every site you have ever encountered!

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

If you're 'burning out' I would suggest you're doing the wrong subject, and you've no interest or aptitude in it - even if you manage to pass the exams you're never likely to be of much use in that profession.

As for hobbies/activities, if you were interested in the subject those would be your hobbies and activities. Why did you decide to do this course?.

 

[shivajikobardan]

If you're 'burning out' I would suggest you're doing the wrong subject, and you've no interest or aptitude in it - even if you manage to pass the exams you're never likely to be of much use in that profession.

I find it hard to believe this. I think everyone gets burn out working...I have enough aptitude to study this lol. I got 4.0 GPA in both class 10 and class 11 and 12 and excellent marks in engineering entrance aptitude test lol. It is not like I am dumb.

As for hobbies/activities, if you were interested in the subject those would be your hobbies and activities. Why did you decide to do this course?.

everyone has hobbies. not everyone LOVES THE JOB. and this is pure bs. you can never love your job. anything that becomes work is never going to be loved by anyone.

 

[rjenkinsgb]

you can never love your job. anything that becomes work is never going to be loved by anyone.

False.

I have to agree with Nigel, your primary subject of study (outside compulsory stuff) should be something you are fascinated by and cannot get enough of!

There may be aspects of a job that you dislike - dealing with obnoxious customers / bosses / accountants or the commute - but the "core" work itself should be an interest, otherwise you will never be happy in life.

You may also have to take different jobs until a vacancy in the right one becomes available - but the end target is still there.

 

[shivajikobardan]

False.

I have to agree with Nigel, your primary subject of study (outside compulsory stuff) should be something you are fascinated by and cannot get enough of!

There may be aspects of a job that you dislike - dealing with obnoxious customers / bosses / accountants or the commute - but the "core" work itself should be an interest, otherwise you will never be happy in life.

You may also have to take different jobs until a vacancy in the right one becomes available - but the end target is still there.

my experience comes from working as a blogger. I thought I would love that job. But lol hell no. When you do it to make money, it is never going to be fun.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

my experience comes from working as a blogger. I thought I would love that job. But lol hell no. When you do it to make money, it is never going to be fun.

I'm still doing electronics professionally 54 years after it was (and still is) my hobby

My daughter went to York University (doing a Masters degree in Chemistry), and a (male) friend of hers went to York as well, but doing Electronics - rather bizarrely I thought as he no interest in Electronics, and had never done it as a hobby or anything.

My daughter never saw him once she got to Uni, and when she did he said it was because he was finding it so hard - and was studying 15+ hours a day just to keep up. Last time she saw him was a few weeks before his final exams, to be told he had dropped out and wouldn't be taking his exams. So three years of his life wasted, and three years of student loans to pay back.

My comment was because you appear to be in the exact same situation, with no interest or aptitude in the subject, hence your problems - and what has Computer Engineering got to do with blogging?, which I thought was more like journalism than anything else?.

 

[shivajikobardan]

I'm still doing electronics professionally 54 years after it was (and still is) my hobby

My daughter went to York University (doing a Masters degree in Chemistry), and a (male) friend of hers went to York as well, but doing Electronics - rather bizarrely I thought as he no interest in Electronics, and had never done it as a hobby or anything.

My daughter never saw him once she got to Uni, and when she did he said it was because he was finding it so hard - and was studying 15+ hours a day just to keep up. Last time she saw him was a few weeks before his final exams, to be told he had dropped out and wouldn't be taking his exams. So three years of his life wasted, and three years of student loans to pay back.

My comment was because you appear to be in the exact same situation, with no interest or aptitude in the subject, hence your problems - and what has Computer Engineering got to do with blogging?, which I thought was more like journalism than anything else?.

ok but I will hard disagree that I lack aptitude to study this subject. I was never a dumb student and generally a topper student. I passed my entrace exams with good marks as well(i.e aptitude tests of colleges of Nepal).

Anyway, I need to complete my degree as I am in last semester lol. There is no option of dropping out. It is not like I get burn out studying every subject lol. it is purely natural.
There are tons of courses to avoid burnout as well. I am just trying to fix sth that is fixable. I know I am not dumb lol.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

I know I am not dumb lol.

Struggling on a course you're not interested in, and have no aptitude for, doesn't make you 'dumb' - apart from I suppose the decision to do that course could be considered 'dumb'

There are certainly plenty of courses I'd not even consider, as I already know I've no aptitude for them and no interest - one would be Nepalese - BTW, your English is remarkably good!. To be fair, I wouldn't attempt any foreign language, we had to do French at school, and that went badly

Funnily enough I went to a local Nepalese restaurant over Christmas, we had a lovely meal - not been there before, but it was handy as it's mainly gluten free, and my daughter (who was over for Christmas) is gluten intolerant.

 

[shivajikobardan]

Struggling on a course you're not interested in, and have no aptitude for, doesn't make you 'dumb' - apart from I suppose the decision to do that course could be considered 'dumb'

There are certainly plenty of courses I'd not even consider, as I already know I've no aptitude for them and no interest - one would be Nepalese - BTW, your English is remarkably good!. To be fair, I wouldn't attempt any foreign language, we had to do French at school, and that went badly

Funnily enough I went to a local Nepalese restaurant over Christmas, we had a lovely meal - not been there before, but it was handy as it's mainly gluten free, and my daughter (who was over for Christmas) is gluten intolerant.

I urge you try Indian food. They are even better man. As well as Nepalese momos.

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

I urge you try Indian food. They are even better man. As well as Nepalese momos.

I've had many Indian meals, Indian restaurants are VERY common over here.

 

[JimB]

I was never a dumb student and generally a topper student.

Oh dear, what a statement....

scottadams | Twitter | Linktree

If you want to find Dilbert or Scott Adams, here are some leads.

dilbert.com

JimB

 

[shivajikobardan]

Struggling on a course you're not interested in, and have no aptitude for, doesn't make you 'dumb' - apart from I suppose the decision to do that course could be considered 'dumb'

There are certainly plenty of courses I'd not even consider, as I already know I've no aptitude for them and no interest - one would be Nepalese - BTW, your English is remarkably good!. To be fair, I wouldn't attempt any foreign language, we had to do French at school, and that went badly

Funnily enough I went to a local Nepalese restaurant over Christmas, we had a lovely meal - not been there before, but it was handy as it's mainly gluten free, and my daughter (who was over for Christmas) is gluten intolerant.

TBH I agree that I don't have enough aptitude for computer science to top exams but I disagree that I don't have enough aptitude to just pass exams with decent exams. I don't think burnout has anything to do with interest or not man..

 

[Nigel Goodwin]

TBH I agree that I don't have enough aptitude for computer science to top exams but I disagree that I don't have enough aptitude to just pass exams with decent exams. I don't think burnout has anything to do with interest or not man..

Being interested in the subject means you're already well ahead, so your workload is vastly less - having no interest in the subject means you're starting from scratch.

My daughter for example is a Mathematician as well as a Chemist (she could easily have done a Maths degree instead), and a full Chemistry degree is VERY maths intensive (as is Physics) - and they make a big thing about they will 'teach you the maths'. Her existing maths skills meant she didn't need to attend the maths lessons at all (saving an hour or two each day) and in fact was asked to do maths coaching for the year below.

I imagine taking 2 hours per day off your workload would make live much easier for you

My experience was at Technical College on 'day release' from work, so one day a week for 4 years. The course was called ETV (Electronics and Television), and as I had O Level Physics (exams you used to take at 16) I was able to skip ETV1 (the first year) and start straight in ETV2. I got the highest possible marks in ETV2 and ETV3, and along with a few others skipped ETV4 and moved to T3 (a technicians course), something which had never happened before. However, T3 was a HUGE step backwards, and for some of the class it was their 8th year at college, and as I was learning nothing new (and knew more than the instructors) I saved the waste of a day of my life per week, and dropped out at Christmas.

 

[shivajikobardan]

Being interested in the subject means you're already well ahead, so your workload is vastly less - having no interest in the subject means you're starting from scratch.

My daughter for example is a Mathematician as well as a Chemist (she could easily have done a Maths degree instead), and a full Chemistry degree is VERY maths intensive (as is Physics) - and they make a big thing about they will 'teach you the maths'. Her existing maths skills meant she didn't need to attend the maths lessons at all (saving an hour or two each day) and in fact was asked to do maths coaching for the year below.

I imagine taking 2 hours per day off your workload would make live much easier for you

My experience was at Technical College on 'day release' from work, so one day a week for 4 years. The course was called ETV (Electronics and Television), and as I had O Level Physics (exams you used to take at 16) I was able to skip ETV1 (the first year) and start straight in ETV2. I got the highest possible marks in ETV2 and ETV3, and along with a few others skipped ETV4 and moved to T3 (a technicians course), something which had never happened before. However, T3 was a HUGE step backwards, and for some of the class it was their 8th year at college, and as I was learning nothing new (and knew more than the instructors) I saved the waste of a day of my life per week, and dropped out at Christmas.

I see but as I say, I am in last semester. And dropping out is definitely not an option. And also it's not like I fail every exams. I fail exams when I get burnout and can't study at all.
Any quick remedies to this problem? Because that is what I need at the moment...