Opinion: Burnout blues

Online Poster

Online Poster

By Jon Monteith

Most college students seem to have a favorite club or cause that partially defines who they are as individuals. There are times, however, when what was once was an expression of identity turns into total burnout, and over-involvement is to blame.

When I first arrived at the University during fall 2003, I was eager to become part of a registered student organization that truly represented my beliefs. Within weeks, I found myself regularly attending meetings of PRIDE, an organization for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) students and their allies.

My interest in political activism and building a support system for other students in the LGBT community intensified as I became more involved in PRIDE. By the end of the year, I had been elected co-president, and I was determined to lead with passion and perseverance.

Well, it was a nice thought.

Before I knew it, I was completely burnt out. At one point during my freshmen year, I was so hyper-involved with PRIDE that my frequent absence from get-togethers at my residence hall started to hurt my friends’ feelings. Less than one year later, simply thinking about the organization made me irritable.

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I can’t help but think there could have been a way to prevent such powerful disinterest in an organization that once claimed me as one of its most dedicated members. I’m afraid I went through the same experience that many other organization members encounter: I simply got too involved. I let one single organization dominate so much of my free time that when things didn’t go exactly as planned, I was more frustrated than any person should be over a student organization.

As a result, I have made the decision not to run for re-election next semester. Perhaps this is the same cycle through which most student organizations progress: a committed group of individuals is excited to take the club to the next level, but after a year or so, the enthusiasm fades and new blood ascends to the throne – as eager to lead as their predecessors had once been. Maybe people just get burnt out and move on.

Still, the “cycle theory” can’t be the only answer. I’ve come to the conclusion that moderation is the key. If I wouldn’t have set such high expectations about PRIDE meetings and activities, I probably wouldn’t have gotten so annoyed and upset when things didn’t turn out the way I had expected. Ultimately, taking a more realistic and evenly paced approach to the things that interest you will cause you to appreciate those interests and activities more in the long run because your own mood and emotional stability won’t be directly attached to the successes or failures of the organizations you join.

It also is important not to let “organization burnout” become a self-fulfilling prophecy. I started to get disappointed with the direction PRIDE was taking, but my acknowledgement of this disappointment got a little out of hand.

I was so sensitive about being let down that I let the most trivial and unimportant details become catastrophic events in my mind. Separate meetings gradually became one connected series of eye-rolling and unfair thoughts on my part. Once I started to think that PRIDE was unfulfilling, I began to associate everything related to the organization with disappointment, even when it was completely irrational to do so.

My advice to officers and active members of a particular organization is not to let it take over their life at any point. It can only lead to profound disappointment. When one raises the bar too high, he or she winds up being the only person who can reach it. The only direction to go from there is down. And when you begin to resent the causes that once filled your heart with passion, you risk losing that passion for good.

Jon Monteith is a sophomore in LAS. His column runs Tuesdays. He can be reached at [email protected].