From Burnout to Balance: Finding Joy in Studying Again

By Amirah Idris

Lately, it feels like we’re all running on iced coffee, Google Calendar, and pure survival mode. But what if slowing down, organizing your space and finding a little beauty in the chaos could be the first step back to balance? Sometimes, all we need is to really take a step back and remind ourselves how much we’ve already accomplished. 

I find that a lot of us on campus don’t recognize how far we’ve come because we’re too focused on everything left to do - the next assignment, the next exam, the next “should do.” We’ve been so caught up in trying to stay productive that we’ve forgotten what it feels like to actually slow down. But burnout doesn’t always look like giving up; sometimes it looks like trying too hard to keep it all together. That’s why I started focusing on organization and aesthetic studying, not to make things look perfect, but to make them feel peaceful. 

Sundays used to stress me out, but turning them into Self-Care Sundays changed everything. Have you noticed how most of us treat Sundays like a countdown to stress, just the day before school or work starts again? What if we changed that mindset? What if we looked at Sundays as a chance to reset, a chance to let go of last week and start fresh? 

For me, everything starts with my Sunday reset. It’s the one day I give myself permission to pause, breathe, and get my life together without pressure. I’ll throw on a cozy playlist, light a candle and start small: changing my sheets, cleaning my desk, writing out my

weekly to-do list. It’s not about having everything perfect. It’s about feeling calm, clean, and centered before the week begins. 

Once I started treating organization as self-care instead of a chore, everything changed. I began color-coding my planner with soft pastels, creating to-do lists that felt more like art than obligation. I even made study playlists: one for psychology, one for statistics and 

one just for when I need to focus in silence. It sounds small, but giving your space and your study time a sense of aesthetic calm makes it easier to show up for yourself. When your desk looks peaceful, studying doesn’t feel like punishment; it feels like self-love in motion. 

I’ve also learned that consistency doesn’t come from pressure; it comes from rhythm. I use the Pomodoro method, 25 minutes of focus followed by a 5-minute break, which helps me reset without burning out. During breaks, I’ll stretch, refill my water, or scroll through Pinterest for inspiration. It’s a balance between discipline and grace. Productivity doesn’t have to mean exhaustion, and rest doesn’t have to mean laziness. 

We’re all just trying to make it through the chaos together. Between the late-night study grinds and the early morning rushes, remember this: you’re not doing it alone. If you see me around campus, pull up for a study session, bring your laptop and join in. Let’s keep building a campus space where lifting each other up and supporting one another is normal. 

This chapter of our lives is messy, beautiful and still being written. Don’t rush it. Keep finding joy in the small things - the late-night laughter, the shared playlists, the quiet study sessions. We’re all growing through it together, and that’s what makes it worth it.