If you are already or if you are considering becoming an online student while working full time there is something you need to be aware of.  It’s called burnout and almost to a man (or woman) we all experience it at some time or another in our academic career.  Burnout is nothing to freak out about though and it’s not something you should especially worry too much about, it’s natural to the student life experience.  There are multiple kinds of burnout that you should be aware of however so that maybe you can better deal with the feeling of stress and being overwhelmed more productively.

1.) Rapid life changes type of burnout.  Simply put you went from going 30 miles an hour to 110.  At first it’s exhilarating to take charge of your life and the first several weeks to months just breeze by with you in solid control.  Eventually the excitement wears off and school feels like a second job.  It’s a good thing though because generally this type of burnout is simply a period of adjustment.  Once you become adapted to your new lifestyle you will be a high performance engine of productivity.  Think of this as the burnout before the second much harder and longer wind.

2.) The overwhelmed, I can’t see the top or the bottom from where I’m at feeling.  Trying to grasp the enormity of the task before you (looking at the short term picture) can cause a feeling of paralysis.  This type of burnout is largely psychological and not physical so toughen up, congratulate yourself for having what we Texas refer to as “grit” and plough through the feelings into a new life.

3.) The fatigued, physically burnt out feeling.  This one is dangerous.  Stress changes your body chemistry and maintaining high levels of stress will eventually harm your health.  If your body begins to send you signs of impending burnout, you need a break or at least slow down significantly for a while.  To get by until you get to a period where you can break you need to indulge in massage, a hobby that you find relaxing mentally, exercise and believe it or not you need to eat right.  Avoid caffeine, sugar, fried foods or anything that can slow you down.  Signs of this kind of burnout in my experience have been body aches (which is unusual when you’re in your 20’s to early 30’s), bags under the eyes, facial tics (don’t laugh, it happens), constant irritability, irritable bowels (this happens too), insomnia, oversleeping, long periods of time where you simply cannot concentrate, angry outbursts, rapid weight gain, rapid weight loss, overeating or under eating, unexplainable impulsiveness where there previously was none, etc.  The list could go on and on but you get my point.  Look for anomalies in your physical and psychological makeup, these could be signs you’ve pushed too hard for too long and you need a short, well deserved break.  But understand it’s just a break and you will eventually get back to work.  It helps you to relax better when you can envision the end result in your head.