Library School Burnout

I have one term left of library school. We are all gearing up for "the big job search" and trying to get back into the swing of things after a long holiday off. The key word of that sentence is 'trying'. Maybe it's just me, but I'm losing the motivation to 'try'.

Burnout. That's what I've decided is my problem. A year and a half of solid grad school - I'm not sure my poor brain will hold any more knowledge or do any more learning.

"Burnout is alienation from work, i.e., physical, emotional and psychological exhaustion. Burnout can be defined as a disabling reaction to an overload of stress on the job [during library school]."

'Running on Empty: Dealing with Burnout in the Library Setting', an article by Tim and Zahra M. Baird, note the symptoms of burnout, and relate why it can be present among library workers. The authors also give the following tips for dealing and overcoming with burnout:

• set and maintain realistic boundaires
• reorganize and reevaluate your priorities
• reorganize and reevaluate your schedule
• know your strengths weaknesses and limitations
• learn how to manage stress (Megan wrote a great post about that here)
• listen to your body and maintain your health
• refrain from being a perfectionist
• don't take things personally
• maintain a positive attitude
• choose your battles and know when to cut your losses
• make time for activities that are relaxing and/or enjoyable
• maintain healthy connections with friends/family
• ask for and accept help from friends and colleagues
• know when to seek professional help

Sounds easy, right? Some of those tips are hard to do when you have to juggle assignments and work and family and personal commitments. However, I do believe taking care of yourself and taking action to remedy the situation are vital steps on the road back from burnout.

A wise woman once gave me the following advice, and now I'm passing it on to you: "Trust your abilities. Not everything has to be done to perfection. You are better than you think."

Of one thing I am certain: library people always stick together and help each other through tough times. I'm sure library school burnout is a bit different from librarian burnout, but I'd welcome any tips/advice/comments from library students and librarians alike about dealing with burnout and work related stress in general.