As we patiently await the end of the school year, it can be more difficult to find time to practice self-care and things you enjoy. Last Wednesday at the HigherEdMilitary Careers and Coffee chat hosted by Jill Hinton Wolfe, HigherEdMilitary staff and military-affiliated individuals within higher education met virtually to discuss burnout, how work-life balance can inhibit relaxation, and ways to alleviate stress during challenging times.

Stress ebbs and flows during demanding times, and our ability to handle stressors differs at various points. Burnout, described as a state of emotional, physical, and mental exhaustion caused by excessive and prolonged stress, is a common response among students in higher education. Some signs of burnout include frequent illness, irritability, and exhaustion. One way we can measure our ability to handle stressors is our percentage of burnout. It is important to ask ourselves "What is your percentage?" Knowing our capacity for dealing with problems can not only help us from becoming too overwhelmed but also protects our friends and family from any outbursts due to excess stress.

In COVID times, work-life balance has become less and less of a balance and rather non-existent in some cases. Setting boundaries between work and home life can preserve family and friend relationships. Logging out of work emails or shutting off work phones during times meant for recharging can be the first steps in re-establishing work-life balance for working individuals with many conflicting demands. Dr. Michael Barany, Director of Military & Veteran Success Center at Stockton University, and Hira Byrne, the Assistant Dean of Admission for Military and Veteran and Transfer Students at Amherst College, talked through ways in which military-affiliated students are especially affected by a lack of work-life balance. It can be difficult to decondition one's mind once you leave the military to make sure that those boundaries can be set. Additionally, many college and universities' resources for military and veteran students are stretched thin, further underlining the many responsibilities of military-affiliated communities on campuses across the nation.

Finding ways to relax and reduce stress brought on by school, work, and personal responsibilities is also critical to avoiding complete burnout. Prioritizing time to exercise, spend time with family and friends, and read are a few ways that individuals can momentarily escape the pressure of studying for tests and writing papers during finals. Even indulging in your so-called guilty pleasure once in a while can help balance all responsibilities. Speaking to your friends and family about stressful times in your life can help them assist you in the best way they can.

As you venture into your next (maybe last!) finals weeks, best of luck from us here at HigherEd Military. Remember to recharge your battery. What are some ways that you ensure that percentage remains manageable? What are some ways to communicate to your family and friends that you are experiencing burnout?

Make sure to join us at the next HigherEd Military Careers and Coffee Chat on May 25th hosted by Kat Schorr, Program Manager of the Military/Veteran Resource Center at Anne Arundel Community College in Arnold, Maryland!

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