How Caregivers Can Support Teens to Better Manage School Burnout

Author: Kathryn Lodwick-Jones

Understanding Teen Burnout

Adolescent academic burnout, characterized by fatigue or exhaustion, lack of motivation, apathy, irritability and anxiety can be experienced at various points throughout the year. Burnout is often driven by a combination of academic pressure, extracurricular commitments, and social stressors and often occurs during one (if not all four) of the following points in the year:

Early Fall (late September/early October): A critical transition period when students are still adjusting to the demands of the school year. The novelty of the new year has worn off, and by mid-semester, many teens may feel overwhelmed by the accumulation of tests, assignments, and extracurricular activities.

Post-Holiday Season (January to February): After the winter break, many students return to school feeling exhausted or less motivated. The second semester can be challenging because students may be facing midterms, final projects, and the pressure of keeping their grades up. Additionally, the days are shorter and the weather colder, which can lead to lower energy and mood.

Before Spring Break (March): This is often a time when many students feel the weight of final exams, upcoming standardized tests, and end-of-year projects bearing down on them. Spring Break can seem like a distant goal, and the long stretch of school without a break can cause fatigue and burnout.

End of the Year (Late May): As the school year comes to a close, students often experience burnout as they try to wrap up final projects, take finals, and prepare for summer. The pressure to finish strong can feel overwhelming, and students may struggle with the emotional and physical exhaustion that comes with the end of a long academic year.

Recognizing the Signs of Burnout

School burnout is often caused by a variety of factors, most often a combination of academic pressure, social stress, extracurricular overload, and lack of or inconsistent sleep. It is important to address school burnout early on to avoid a worsening of symptoms and to promote long-term wellbeing and success. Caregivers can build awareness around signs of burnout in their teen by identifying emotional, physical and behavioral signs.

Emotional Signs: Increased irritability, stress or anxiety often directly related to academics/assignments, increased anger or apathy, decreased motivation or energy level.
Physical Signs: Headaches, chronic fatigue, poor sleep, stomach aches and other digestive issues, tense muscles, frequent illness, dizziness or lightheadedness, skin irritation including eczema flares or acne.
Behavioral Signs: A change or decrease in productivity, change or reduction in consistent behavioral patterns like change in sleep schedule or how quickly homework is completed, change in eating patterns or social withdrawal.

It’s important to note that while symptoms of burnout can look similar to depression, depression is more generalizable. Whereas burnout in teens stems from stress related to academics and or associated social pressures like extracurricular involvement.

How Caregivers can Provide Support

Prioritizing Self-Care and Mental Health: Caregivers can support teens to better manage their burnout symptoms by modeling and supporting them with changes to their Activities of Daily Living, or ADLs. The impacts of poor sleep hygiene, inconsistent food intake and other aspects of taking care of the body have a direct impact on physical and mental health. Caregivers can also support teens by addressing the mental and psychological impacts of burnout. Practicing mindfulness and relaxation techniques to reduce stress or if necessary, seeking professional help through counseling and therapy.

Encourage Time Management and Organization: Stress related to organization and effective time management are impactful and can easily overwhelm teens, further compounding their stress. Caregivers can offer strategies to improve time management skills including creating schedules, breaking tasks into smaller chunks, and planning ahead.

Build a Support System: Caregivers are the primary model for both effective and poor management of life’s workload. Emphasize the importance of communication with trusted adults, teachers, and peers. Discuss how to seek help from school resources (counselors, mentors) or friends and encourage building a network of supportive relationships for emotional and academic support.

The discussion of balancing school work, social activities, and personal time is an ongoing conversation and may look different throughout the school year. Explore ways to set realistic goals and set parameters to reduce overwhelm. As caregivers, it’s important to recognize the signs of burnout and take proactive steps to help teens manage their stress and maintain balance during these times.

Equilibria is a group of licensed mental health professionals in Pennsylvania and New Jersey with multiple specialties to serve all aspects of our diverse community’s mental, emotional, and behavioral needs. We provide in person and telehealth services to individuals of all ages, families, and those in relationships. Click here to schedule an appointment today.