A survey from Common Sense Media found 27% of American teens struggling with burnout, while another survey found that 75% of U.S. high school students felt stressed by schoolwork. High school is normally described as “the best years of our lives,” but for many students, it can feel more overwhelming than exciting. Between classes, homework, extracurriculars, sports, jobs, and preparing for college, many of us end up running on fumes. This constant exhaustion, stress, and lack or loss of motivation is called burnout, a state most of us have definitely been in. Burnout goes beyond being tired after a long day. It’s a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by continuous stress. Though unlike normal stress, burnout doesn’t go away after one good night’s sleep, it builds up over time if not taken care of.
Mrs. Williamson, a counselor at Hillsborough High School, shared strategies to help students facing burnout including time management. She said it helps to break larger tasks into smaller chunks and to plan a realistic schedule to avoid last minute stress. William said it was also important to take breaks. “Balance between schoolwork with activities that help them recharge such as hobbies or time with friends, self care like prioritizing sleep, nutrition, and physical activity, and having boundaries are equally important. Check ins with yourself, you should always pay attention to how you feel, don’t ignore it.” These helpful strategies remind students that managing burnout starts with self-awareness and making their well-being a daily priority.
According to Mrs. Williamson, resources are available to help students. Examples include “Counseling services like school counselors, and student assistance counselors (SAC), as well as groups like SAC led mental health groups, before and after school teacher office hours, gaggle therapy, outside counseling referrals,” Williamson said.
To many, it’s easier to relate to our peers rather than faculty. Senior Vikhya Kota said, “I would definitely say that academics have gotten increasingly important over the years. There’s kind of this underlying pressure that you need to focus on your extracurriculars and your academics at all costs to get into an amazing college. Something you need to know is that in the future, high school is going to be a small percentage of your life that doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things. Yes, you have to work hard and try your best at this moment but it’s not going to matter whether you get a ‘C’ in chemistry in 40 years, right? Just prioritize yourself, I know that a lot of people say that, but, make sure you make time for things that you enjoy, so that you don’t tire yourself out really quickly.”
Similarly senior, Cynthia Lei, advises balancing school work so students can devote time to self-care and friends. “Spread out your work, try not to cram because it will work Freshman year and Sophomore year but not Junior and Senior year,” she said. “Make sure to take care of yourself, try to rest and get enough sleep or as much sleep as you can.” Lei reminds students to eat healthy food rather than to rely on junk food. “Your body needs fuel, eat good food. And have a good social circle that you can rely on. Friends are your best asset in this situation,” Lei said. By making space for self-care and connection, students can protect their well-being and rediscover the joy in these formative years, turning “the best years of our lives”into something that feels true, not just promised.
