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5 Steps to Deal with Burnout and Anxiety While Preparing for Admission

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Updated: April 8, 2024
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The admission process can be really tough and stressful. The applicants face a lot of challenges that make them worry a lot. If a person is always under stress, it results in negative outcomes for health and well-being. Consequently, more and more applicants suffer from severe anxiety and burnout.

This state is adverse not only for health but also for mood. When someone is anxious, this person has no desire and enthusiasm to live a quality life. Therefore, the situation is getting worse not only with admission but also in terms of different life facets.

After analyzing all data, we decided to prepare a working guide for you on how to deal with anxiety and have a good mind to overcome the admission process. You will learn the main symptoms and signs of this state, effective tips to cope with it, and the methods to prevent anxiety and burnout during the admission process.

Why Is It a Problem?

Anxiety and burnout are becoming widespread problems among applicants. The statistics show that the prevalence of anxiety among the students applying for college or university increased up to 40% compared to previous years.

Many factors are related to this problem. Excessive stress is the primary reason for growing anxiety among the applicants. What is more, this admission year differed from the previous ones:

  • Tests become optional;
  • More weight was put on the admission essays;
  • The number of applications raised up to 22% this fall, resulting in high competition.

All these aspects make the applicant more worried about the admission process, leading to severe anxiety and burnout. Hence, it is vital to know how to overcome this problem.

Signs and Symptoms of Anxiety and Burnout

More and more students share their stories about the admission process, hoping for support and understanding. Many of them believe that if an applicant has high grades, he/she feels calm and confident. But, what a surprise when they find out that almost 80% of applicants (not depending on their scores and achievements) suffer anxiety and burnout during the admission process.

Here is a story of a student who shared her admission experience with us: 

Helen (Application Season 2020):

Hi guys! I’m writing to share my story. When thinking about the application, the first thing that comes to mind is STRESS. I was like a cat on hot bricks all the time. The only interesting thing for me was whether I would be accepted or not. No, I wasn’t a little nervous. I was really freaking out!!! It was hard for me to live a normal life. I’ve forgotten how to sleep normally and do my routine task. The only thing I could do—check my email every free minute. 

This hell lasted till I got the letter (Thank God!) that I was accepted! Still, I was SOOO emotionally exhausted that I didn’t feel happy. Dear applicants, I should say that you need to take care of your mental health and don’t let this spoil your whole life! You should pull yourself together and not panic (I know that it’s easier said than done, but). Remember that you’re not alone! Wish the applicants all the best!

And it is just one of the hundreds of similar stories. As the problem is quite widespread, it is crucial to know how to recognize the problem. So, let’s talk more about it.

Anxiety

People are often anxious while facing various challenges on their life path. But in some cases, this feeling can transform into an anxiety disorder. This condition can affect both mental and physical health and other facets of life.

The main signs and symptoms of anxiety include:

1. Emotional:

  • Difficulties with controlling the feeling of worry;
  • The person is easily irritated;
  • Problems with concentration;
  • The constant feeling of fatigue;
  • Problems with sleep.

2. Physical:

  • Sweating and trembling;
  • Muscle tension;
  • Rapid breathing.

3. Behavioral: 

  • Social isolation;
  • Inability to remain calm;
  • Difficulties with performing routine tasks.

Burnout

If someone overcomes stressful situations and feels exhausted and helpless, this person is on the road to burnout. It is a mix of mental, emotional, and physical exhaustion caused by stress. Burnout is a serious problem because it leads to reduced motivation, lack of interest and energy, as well as feelings of hopelessness.

Signs and symptoms of burnout involve:

1. Physical:

  • Frequent headaches;
  • Muscle tension or pain;
  • Lowered immunity and frequent illnesses.

2. Emotional:

  • Loss of motivation;
  • Feeling of loneliness;
  • Helplessness and hopelessness;
  • Self-doubts;
  • Negative and cynical outlook on most things.

3. Behavioral:

  • Sleeping disorders;
  • Isolation from society, friends, and relatives;
  • Procrastination;
  • Avoiding responsibilities;
  • Sometimes, a person tends to use alcohol or drugs to cope with this state.

When coming across anxiety or burnout, you should remember that you are not alone! Almost every applicant had such an experience during the admission process. You can always rely on us, as our experts were also applicants. So, be sure that they know how it is to be in your shoes.

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How to Cope with Burnout and Anxiety: 5 Working Tips

If you see that the majority of signs and symptoms from the list above correspond to your current state, it is the right moment to act. We prepared a list of the most effective ways to deal with the adverse effects of anxiety and burnout in your life. Look through these tips to find the most appropriate variant that will work for you.

Tip 1. Make a Schedule and Set Deadlines

In order to avoid excessive stress during the admission process, you need to improve your time management skills. Very often, the main reason for anxiety is the inability to cope with all tasks. Hence, the applicant should learn to plan everything carefully.

Make a schedule for the admission process. Then, divide all the tasks and set up the deadlines. It will be better if you list what you should do every day. Using this tool, you will feel control over the situation. As a result, the anxiety will be reduced after some time.

Tip 2. Ask for Help

Some of the applicants hesitate to share their feelings with others. Still, it is OK when you need support. And one of the effective methods to cope with anxiety and burnout is to ask for help. Remember that a problem shared is a problem halved. Try sharing your feelings with your relatives and friends. No doubt, you will feel better afterward.

If you lack support, you can ask our experts for professional advice and help. Our clients are often surprised when they get not only the chosen service but also useful recommendations and friendly advice. Be sure that EssayEdge is not only about expert editing, as you will get:

  • Thoughtful recommendations to add extra information, which is relevant to the essay prompt;
  • Elaborate feedback about how to strengthen the admission paper;
  • Editing, which gives a lot of confidence in a work;
  • Communication with the editor who helps to learn yourself from the new side;
  • Answers for specific questions related to the admission process;
  • Improvement of writing skills based on the edits.

Thus, do not hesitate to ask for assistance. We are also ready to give a helping hand!

Tip 3. Try “Previewing” Tool

Previewing is an effective tool recommended by counselors. In a constant rush, people often forget about their health and well-being. As a result, they understand that something goes wrong when it is late.

That’s why it is important to set up a working plan to overcome stress ahead of time. First, learn more about anxiety and burnout, their signs, symptoms, and main causes. Also, think about how you can act to cope with this state. This way, you will know how to recognize the problem in the early stages and what to do to avoid negative outcomes.

Tip 4. Find Enough Time for Rest

Even if you are overloaded with tasks, it does not mean that all you need to do is to finish them ASAP. While planning your schedule, leave some time for your hobbies or just relaxation. Additionally, applicants should ensure that they eat and sleep healthy.

One more crucial thing is to take breaks between the tasks. For instance, when you finish writing your application essay, go to the local park for a walk. After some time spent in the fresh air, you will feel full of energy and enthusiasm to handle other duties.

Tip 5. Make Your Life Balanced

The next important step to overcome anxiety and burnout is to make your life balanced. Of course, applying for a graduate program is one of the most important stages in your life. But, at the same time, you should not forget about other spheres of life.

It is difficult for the person to be happy if other life facets are ignored. If an applicant wants to live a quality life, he/she should remember about other spheres. In your pursuit of success, do not forget about communication with friends and relatives, your hobbies, personal development, and health.

How to Prevent Anxiety

The best strategy to solve the problem is to prevent it. When applicants ignore their stage, it results in numerous outcomes that aggravate health and quality of life. Therefore, we decided to enumerate three working methods to overcome anxiety long before it becomes a huge problem.

1. Learn to Prioritize

We have already mentioned the “previewing” tool, which is one of the working methods to deal with anxiety and burnout. And learning to prioritize is a related skill. If you try both of them, it will help to prevent such situations in the future.

Prioritizing is based on focusing on the urgent duties or activities that have a huge effect on your life. After finishing the prior tasks, you will be more confident and calm while handling the additional ones.

2. Rely on Support

You are not alone in your struggle. So, try to rely on the support of others. For instance, you can communicate with other applicants in the students’ networks. It will be easier to face the challenges on the road to success when you feel support.

You can also find the best experts in EssayEdge who know everything about the admission process. Their professional help and useful advice will make you feel more confident.

3. Try Meditation

Finally, you can try yoga or meditation. Your mental health is important for supporting a good mood and positive thinking. If you feel stressed all the time, find a few minutes to stay in a calm and quiet room. Regular practice will have great results after some time.

Final Words

To conclude, you should not forget about your health and well-being even while making life-changing decisions. Of course, the admission process requires a lot of time and effort. But if you feel tired and depressed, do not ignore this state. Remember that being anxious about your future is a normal thing. Still, it is important not to get stuck in this stressful situation.

When feeling that something goes wrong, do not hesitate to ask for help and support. If you are overwhelmed with the application, EssayEdge is always ready to help.

We send you good vibes and positive energy to succeed during your admission process!

Emotional burnout and stress are two constant satellites of modern students. These two factors make students order essay proofreading online more and more often. You already know the key signs of these states, so be careful. If you feel that one of these states is approaching, please, trust your papers to us and don’t waste your resources.

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Robin Wilson
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