April is recognized as National Stress Awareness Month, and it is important for students to recognize that mental health is just as important as physical health. Stress and burnout can disrupt a student’s learning and lead to lower grades, missing assignments and failing classes. 

The latter half of the semester can be one of the most stressful times of the college experience. Students need to be focused and mentally prepared for the upcoming finals. Some students express feelings of stress with their courses this far into the semester. 

“I definitely do feel stressed out, especially with my major courses,” said Jasmine Perez, a junior majoring in accounting. 

There is a difference between stress and burnout. A burnout phase comes after long-term stress, according to Daniella Mendoza, a mental health educator of the Student Health and Counseling Center (SHCC). 

Signs of stress and burnout can include changes in appetite, trouble concentrating, procrastinating, feeling irritable, muscle tension and not feeling well rested. Feelings of fatigue, hopelessness, detachment and negative feelings toward school life accompany burnout. 

“It can feel like school needs our 100% attention at all times, but having that balance between school and personal life is important to remaining successful in school,” Mendoza said.

Mendoza recommends prioritizing sleep in order to mitigate stress and burnout. Students cannot perform their best physically and mentally without adequate rest, according to Mendoza. 

Mendoza also recommends a self-care routine and good study habits. Studying for too long will lead to mental exhaustion, so managing study time instead of cramming and skimming is crucial. 

“Studying for hours on end without breaks is simply not effective for retaining information and only causes mental exhaustion,” Mendoza said. “Giving yourself enough time to study and studying effectively will help you feel prepared and more confident, therefore less stressed.” 

There are a variety of mental health resources available to the student body. 

The SHCC offers resources such as individual therapy, group therapy and Let’s Talk. Let’s Talk is a drop-in consultation service available to students who want to talk about their concerns for 30 minutes. 

A variety of routines and resources such as good study habits, adequate sleep and Let’s Talk can help students deal with stress and burnout by the end of the semester. 

“Burnout definitely is something that you have to keep track of, especially when it comes to getting down to your final years at Fresno State,” Perez said.