I’m a full-time postgraduate student who is expected to study more than 100 hours every month. Mind you, I know some students are more relaxed than me, but I have some strong goals I want to achieve, so I’m usually one of the hard-working students. Also, I’ve been working as a social media manager and a postgraduate student ambassador, and I’ve been volunteering at the Surrey New Writers Festival and I regularly write for The Stag.

If you’ve read any of my previous articles/posts then you will know that I like to write on mental health. I article I wrote was about experiencing burnout. Since then I have been focusing a lot more on not stretching myself too thin. 

Over the Easter break is when I really tried to get ahead on my work and be fully prepared for the upcoming deadlines. But I also wanted to enjoy the time off from zoom and fortunately, the weather was nice at around 20 Celsius on a couple of days, so I enjoyed my picnic by the lake with my flatmates. Other students at the lake were having picnics, playing football, or frisbee, or badminton, or simply throwing a rugby ball. Some people were having a BBQ, others were just lying down in the grass enjoying a drink or two. Everybody was chilling on the grass under the blue sky with pretty clouds. Apart from having to trek into a nearby building every time I wanted to pee, it was a paradise for me. I felt alive. After a couple of picnics, my creativity and productivity increased again. I was just living in the moment, forgetting about all the to do lists on my laptop back in my room, and chatting to my flatmates, listening to music and drinking cheap boxed wine we had got from the on campus shop Simply Fresh.

When you are experiencing burning out I suggest that you find your spot that helps you relax. I also recommend you keep your daily routine, including exercise or any hobby for a few hours a week, and getting up at the same time everyday – it’s so simple yet so effective. Or what about exploring new places in the UK like a tourist? Take the train and go on a day trip to Portsmouth or Brighton, or head to the London which is only 30 minutes away. I know that the pandemic makes our life hard, but we should not forget that we deserve to be happy, and we are the ones who can make ourselves happy.

So get your friends together and make a plan of one exciting thing you can all do together each week. This can include games night, movie night, hikes, day-trips, or just a simple picnic. Whatever it is, make sure it makes you happy!