As the end of our school year concludes, Boise High students are experiencing academic burnout. It’s a totally normal phenomenon where as summer approaches, kids feel a lack of motivation and a ‘who cares’ attitude towards school, even if they don’t usually feel that way.

Burnout is a vicious cycle that ends with work piling up and stressing out students, which causes them to feel even less motivated and more missed work piled up. It can cause huge amounts of stress on students, which then gets amplified as upcoming AP tests and yearly finals seem to loom over all of our thoughts. So how can Boise High students combat burnout and finish off these last few weeks on a positive note?

It’s important to note that every student is different, and you might need different things to help. With that being said, here are five ways to help with your last-month-of-school burnout.

Make lists. Lists are a great way to deal with stressful amounts of work. You can organize them from most important to least, or color code them. Keep your list somewhere you’ll see it often, like on your refrigerator, bathroom mirror, or the front of your school binder. Try to get at least one task done every day, or one group of tasks.

Talk to your teachers. Keep them informed of any current stressors in your life and what you’re currently working on to catch up. They’re there to support and help you, and will be willing to encourage and assist you with the negative effects of burnout.

Get an appropriate amount of sleep. Sleep is one of the most important things in students’ lives as it directly influences everything from their relationships, jobs, mood, and attitude. Most students get less than seven hours of sleep every night, even though studies have shown that teenagers need at least nine to eleven hours to be fully well-rested. Because school starts very early in the morning, try going to bed a half hour before you usually would. Limit the amount of screen time you use before bed, or turn on blue-light filters.

Make a schedule. Set calendar reminders for upcoming assignments to stay on top of them. If you prefer to use a paper calendar, you can color-code reminders for specific classes or types of assignments.

Don’t put work off. Even though it sucks, spend twenty minutes of your evening working on that missing math assignment from last Thursday, or email your history teacher about that test retake. A few minutes out of your free time is worth it to relieve your stress.

As April draws to a close, it may feel like summer is so close that school doesn’t matter anymore. While it is important to keep up on your work so you don’t fall behind due to burnout, it’s just as important to focus on your mental health. Your mental health comes before school, always. Do what you can, but don’t make yourself more stressed out. Take a break in the Zen Den or chat with any of Boise High’s wonderfulcounselors. As our 2022-2023 school year ends, finish out on a good note and always remember to stay Brave!