Burned Out and Unmotivated Senior. What Should I Do?

Student Lounge College Life
1

Hello. I am a senior in college and for the last year I have been experiencing burn out and have lost all motivation I once had. At the end of fall of my junior year, I had three papers due at the same time and although I finished and did well, I felt like I lost all interest in school after that semester. I tried seeing a counselor on campus but that didn’t help at all. I thought that winter and summer vacation would help and I even took a vacation abroad last summer but that didn’t help at all. I came back even worse last fall semester. I have so many opportunities to take, but I just can’t bring myself to do what I am supposed to do.

I am a full time student taking 15 credits, in addition, I am writing an honors thesis and I work part time. I am also involved in extra curricular activities. I am very behind on my thesis, as don’t feel motivation to work on it, and when I do, it gets in the way of my other classes. I also feel as if all of this started when I started to work. I work in the mornings and have class in the afternoons. I just feel as if waking up early to go to work takes away time that I could be using to sleep and I feel horrible when I don’t sleep enough. Although my job pays well and everyone there is very friendly, I have experienced carpal tunnel syndrome since I started working because I work in data entry and spend all day typing and clicking at work, in class, and after class.

I exercise when I can and I’m trying to have a social life to keep my mind off things, but it takes away time from my school work and I feel guilty whenever I sleep, work out, go to social events, etc.

Also, I just can’t bring myself to do all of my work. I get very turned off by it. I’m not always aware of it, but I get distratected very easily when attempting to study/do homework. I have no interest in working and I have even stopped caring about the consequences.

I think all the stress of being in college finally caught up to me. I can’t pull off all-nighters like I could when I was a junior/sophomore. I feel like I can’t function at all if I don’t get 9 or so hours of sleep per night. I could get away with sleeping 3-6 hours per night before but I can’t anymore. In addition, my doctor thinks I may have IBS and it’s most likely due to being over-stressed. I feel as if I have to choose between my health and my grades/job.

If I weren’t in debt, I would most likely have dropped out or have taken a break.

I don’t know what to do anymore. I can’t bring myself to do my work. I have no interest at all in continuing. This has been going on for over a year. I would greatly appreaciate any suggestions. Thank you.

2

Do they have any mental health counselors at your school who can help you with this? Can you look for a job that isn’t in the mornings so you can start your day rested? I think sleep deprivation can be quite a hardship for some people. So sorry you are going through this; you are so close to finishing, I would try to power out and then take a break.

3

Thank you for the response. I have spoken to a mental health counselor before but it didn’t help at all. I have tried to power through the semester but I think that’s what led to my demise when I powered through finals at the end of 2013 and I haven’t been able to recover since. Very desperate and I feel as if this problem gets worse as time goes by. Sometimes I want to cry because I feel so useless. I feel like a shell of my former self. I have thoughts of just dropping everything and moving to a different country and starting life anew but obviously that’s not an option. I would greatly appreciate any suggestions I am VERY desperate. Thank you.

4

Keep your eyes on the prize…graduation. I have seen people burn out right before graduation and always wonder if it was because subcouciously they were afraid of the future…“What if I don’t want to be an <engineer, or=”" whatever="">" “What if I can’t get a job” “What if they hire me and I don’t know what to do”.</engineer,>

I agree with others that you need to see a professional. I would suggest going to a psychiatrist because you show symptoms of depression.

5

Do you absolutely HAVE to work right now?

6

Yes, specifically make an appointment to see a psychiatrist. Many people with circumstances like yours have been helped.

Doing an honors thesis can be draining. Try to divide it into chunks, and reward yourself as you finish each part. Sounds silly, but it works for some people. Good luck, you’ll get through this.