After this incredible journey through this quarter in my PhD classes, this particular season very tough, experiencing severe burnout very early on. Trust me: it is certainly not anything to look pass, as it comes with serious mental and psychological, even physical, effects. Thankfully, I was able to push through it, and get my fourth straight 4.0! I learned so much through this burnout process, though, that will help me with managing my heavy load in the present and future.
There are two big takeaways that I got from this quarter: 1) embrace rest, and seek to get as much as you can. One of the most annoying phrases that I hear people say is, “I’ll sleep when I’m dead.” What a terrible way of thinking! There are numerous studies of the benefit of a person mandating adequate rest to be a part of their week. Instead, people choose to earn merit badges by over-working themselves, and the only thing they are doing is killing themselves slowly.
The second thing is to get into the routine of properly doing your tasks bit by bit. I used to be the ultimate procrastinator, getting my creative juices churning by the pressure of a close deadline. Now, although that still applies, my weekly load would not even allow me to successfully get things done if I procrastinate; especially school work. As many papers, short essays, and research that I have to do every week, I can not afford to wait until the last minute to do anything.
So, this season of burnout allowed me to gain much better ways of handling an overload, as well as me appreciating even more (did not know that was possible) the supernatural strength that God gives us when we are burdened with anything. All we have to do is cast our cares, because His burden is easy, and His yoke is light.
Hope this is an encouragement for anyone going through similar struggles right now. Don’t give up. I am a living witness that you can exceed your current state by prayer, casting your cares, and using wisdom to strategically find ways to lighten the load.
@chrisprolific @vizionunitedllc
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