[Tbhimscared]

So basically all through high school I was top of my class. I worked hard and did extremely well, took school extremely seriously and would beat myself up over "bad" grades. Now I'm in university and I'm completely burnt out. I can't get work done, and the work is honestly no different from what I did in high school (I was an AP student). I'm just so exhausted to do it all, but I still have high hopes for my career. I want to become a doctor if I can, and I know I'm smart enough to do it if I put in the work but I simply can't get the work done. Anyone else struggling with burn outs?

[Stronger]

Hi friend,

Yes, I definitely understand what you mean. I was the same way in high school and my first few years of college. This past fall though I had to take a semester off on medical leave because my ED had gotten so bad. I was planning to only take a semester off, but then ended up taking a full year off to get more treatment. It was a hard decision to make, because my education is so important to me (I too plan to be a doctor and change the world someday), but I am so so incredibly glad I took the time to take care of my mental health.
When people would ask me why I wasn't in school I would just say I was taking a year off. Nothing more, nothing less. And everyone, especially adults, understood that sometimes you just need to take a year off for your own sanity. I didn't even have to add in the part about it being medical leave. All that to say that, taking time off is a widely accepted thing to do.
If you are worried about a scholarship or an internship (I had both to worry about) then you could ask your school what you would need to do to qualify for medical leave. Like if a note from a T would do, or if you have to actually be in the hospital. See what they say.
You are more important than your education, my dear. I've had to learn that the hard way many times over. No one wants to see a doctor who is burnt out before they even start working!

Good luck with everything!

[Tbhimscared]

Originally Posted by Stronger

Hi friend,

Yes, I definitely understand what you mean. I was the same way in high school and my first few years of college. This past fall though I had to take a semester off on medical leave because my ED had gotten so bad. I was planning to only take a semester off, but then ended up taking a full year off to get more treatment. It was a hard decision to make, because my education is so important to me (I too plan to be a doctor and change the world someday), but I am so so incredibly glad I took the time to take care of my mental health.
When people would ask me why I wasn't in school I would just say I was taking a year off. Nothing more, nothing less. And everyone, especially adults, understood that sometimes you just need to take a year off for your own sanity. I didn't even have to add in the part about it being medical leave. All that to say that, taking time off is a widely accepted thing to do.
If you are worried about a scholarship or an internship (I had both to worry about) then you could ask your school what you would need to do to qualify for medical leave. Like if a note from a T would do, or if you have to actually be in the hospital. See what they say.
You are more important than your education, my dear. I've had to learn that the hard way many times over. No one wants to see a doctor who is burnt out before they even start working!

Good luck with everything!

Thank you for your kind words. The school I go to is actually relatively cheap and our government really wants people to stay here (since nobody wants to live here lol) so there's a bursary everyone gets. I also get part of my student loan covered because I'm considered a student with permanent disabilities due to my mental illness so that's reassuring. I just wish I could get back to who I was in high school, even though I was so stressed I was ready to die. But I'm honestly not much happier now than I was then, and at least I had good marks to boost my mood. I may think about taking a year off, but for now I'm trying to tough it out since I'm only first year and these grades don't matter too much in the long run as long as I pass.