Foundations: Burnout

Burnout

I have realized that burnout is not just something that happens with practicing occupational therapists; it occurs just as often (if not more) for occupational therapy students.  During gross anatomy, I did not experience burnout because that was basically the only course I was taking at the time and I had plenty of room to do things that I wanted to.  In one of the psychology courses I took in undergrad, I learned about the importance of self-care.  Practicing proper self-care means taking time out of a hectic schedule to do something for yourself: whether that be hanging out with friends, reading for pleasure, shopping, etc.  As my courses have loaded up in OT school, I have not had the opportunity to practice proper self-care and as a result, I am experiencing burnout. Also, I have noticed that I must make an effort to look beyond this material as something to study for an exam and see it for what it really is: my passion.  When I was studying for my neuro OCP test, I was looking at the different levels of lesion and functions associated (whilst being extremely stressed out).  I had to stop myself while I was studying and really think: I'm learning about levels of lesion...this kind of information changes people's entire lives.  I realized I needed to look at my coursework through a new lens and not allow my stress to interfere with my passion for occupational therapy.