Somewhere between “being prepared” and “trying not to fall behind,” students end up living in a constant state of almost. Almost studying. Almost catching up. Almost becoming the version of themselves who has it together. The gap is seriously exhausting. The distance between where you are and where you think you should be, the effort it’ll take to get there, and the fear that you’ll be tired the whole time anyway. The anticipation of it all just might be as draining as doing the work itself.
I think I’m not alone in this, or at least I hope I’m not. Because if you’ve ever sat down to start something important and immediately felt overwhelmed by everything you haven’t done yet, you know the feeling I’m talking about. I wouldn’t say it’s burnout but it’s definitely the phase before it: pre-burnout. The quiet pressure of feeling behind before you’ve even started.
I know as students at the beginning of the semester, we always believe that we’ll be better than the last; attend all lectures and exercise sessions, study at the library after lectures, read all course materials, cook healthy, pre make meals and so on. Let’s be real though, it becomes overwhelming at some point, the end goal always being more desirable than the work it takes to get there. A lot of pre-burnout starts with big plans and no real outline. Not because we’re lazy, but because it’s easier to imagine the finished version of life than to face the messy middle: the awkward first drafts and the trial-and-error of building habits that actually stick.
When you focus on the end picture, the grades, the internship, the “put-together” version of yourself, your brain starts treating everything you do now as a test. The end picture is clean. The process is not. When you only picture the destination, every imperfect step feels like proof you “can’t do it,” so starting gets heavier than it should be. The problem isn’t wanting more. It’s overestimating what you can do in a week and underestimating what real consistency costs. You tend to build expectations that don’t match your actual time or energy. That mismatch creates a specific kind of stress: you’re not failing at the work…yet, you’re failing at the idea of who you planned to be.
“We plan our weeks like we’re robots with unlimited focus, then feel guilty when we act like humans.”
And there’s always something else. It’s so hard to be satisfied with ourselves when we feel like we’re so behind and like we have too much to do. The keyword here however is feel. What we feel doesn’t necessarily match with what’s actually happening. Humans have a tendency to be rather harsh on themselves, young adults especially from what I’ve noticed, most likely because there’s an invisible pressure to have yourself figured out during this time (which is a whole other topic in itself.) It helps to look back sometimes. To notice that you’re not where you started. Even small changes count since progress is rarely dramatic; it’s often quiet and NOT linear. I’d say it’s okay to mess up every now and then. The important thing is to never lose sight of your real goal.
I’d say one of the biggest contributors to pre-burnout is planning your life kinda unrealistically. We plan our weeks like we’re robots with unlimited focus, then feel guilty when we act like humans. Sometimes the issue isn’t discipline, it’s that the plan doesn’t match the life we’re actually living (sleep, commute, work shifts, mental health, social needs). So what actually helps? For me personally, starting smaller than I think I need to. To break the big tasks into small ones that feel almost too easy. Build habits that fit into your current life rather than your idealised future one and celebrate your efforts, not just the outcome! As long as you’re trying your best and are consistent. And maybe most importantly, take a deeeeeeeep breath when things don’t go according to plan.
This is the thing about pre-burnout, it thrives on the belief that you’re always falling short. You think that everyone has it figured out except you. The truth is, everyone else seems fine because you’re only seeing their outside. If your expectations don’t match your reality, your reality will feel like failure. But again, that doesn’t mean you’re actually failing. One more time, just because you’re struggling does not mean you’re failing. Instead of scrutinizing yourself over every little thing, you can start appreciating the version of yourself who keeps trying anyways.
Writer: Mariyah Khan
