Are you getting anxious about your coming GED exam? The GED test is actually a rigorous undertaking, especially during your test prep period. You may tend to study for long hours without breaks, earnestly hoping that you’ll get a high score.

But be wary because you might suffer from study burnout. How does this condition occur? Study burnout takes place when your studying has been prolonged until you become unable to retain or process information. It also happens when you can no longer concentrate on your test prep. Assignments tend to be neglected because you lack energy already. What are the causes, and the measures about how to prevent study burnout?

What Are The Signs Of Study Burnout?

Don’t take a study burnout haphazardly because it can lead to physical and emotional exhaustion. It is typically the result of excessive stress. Consider how you are carrying on with your GED test prep because procrastination along with lack of sleep can lead to study burnout. What are the signs to look out for pertaining to this condition? It is important to detect them early on so that you can implement ways to alleviate it.

Warning signs to watch out for in study burnout:
• You feel exhausted intellectually
• Your academic performance is declining
• You experience loss or lack of motivation
• You cannot concentrate on what you are studying
• You feel prolonged fatigue
• Your immune system is weakened

6 Tips About How To Prevent A Study Burnout

How do you overcome study burnout? Take note of the following tips:

Manage your time efficiently. Procrastination tends to be one of the main precursors of test prep burnout. You therefore need to steer clear of it. If you have set a daily test prep schedule, make sure that you adhere to it. Otherwise your study tasks will accumulate until you find yourself gasping for air to cope or to catch up. Utilize a daily planner or an app on your smartphone to note down your schedule and the pertinent activities that you have to do. It is very important to give yourself ample time for studying, so schedule your test prep ahead of time- possibly months before. You wouldn’t want to cram on the days or nights when your exam is nearing.

Take short breaks when test prepping. Pacing your effort accordingly can largely help you prevent a study burnout. It is a major blunder to study for long hours without taking breaks. Exerting too much mental energy without relieving your stress is a predominant factor of test prep burnout. Schedule 15-minute breaks after 1 or 2 hours of reading your books or taking GED practice tests online. You can go out for a walk and have a breath of fresh air, socialize with your friends or eat something healthy. The point of these is to let your brain rest for a given time. Then again, see to it that you don’t abandon your test prep tasks. If you have scheduled a 15 minute break, keep to it and go back to your studying.

Have adequate sleep. As a student or as a learner, you may be tempted to sleep less to be able to perform your academic duties optimally. But consider that you need sufficient sleep to recharge your energies and your brain. If you lack sleep, you’ll be easily stressed, and that could lead to a burnout. So while you are test prepping, be mindful of getting enough sleep, particularly for 7 to 8 hours every night.

Eat brain-boosting foods. Do away with eating chips, soda or chocolates (among other junk foods) because they make you feel sluggish. Eat brain boosting foods instead, such as those rich in protein. Fruits, vegetables and water, to mention a few fuel your brain and keep it functioning to the optimum. Nevertheless, chocolates should be reserved for later, as a reward for acing your GED practice tests.

Be physically active. An exercise routine should be incorporated in your GED test prep program. It could be a quick 30 minute aerobic activity performed regularly for the best results. Exercise is helpful in relieving stress and in calming your nerves, consequently enhancing your focus when you study. Whenever you feel that you’re about to have a burnout, grab and wear you sneakers and head out to walk or jog. This will counteract your impending exhaustion.

Keep your social life active. Being a learner, a student, a parent or a worker may often leave you a full schedule so that you cannot have time to be with your friends anymore. But it is necessary to make time to meet with your friends and go out and have fun with them to alleviate your stress and prevent a study burnout.

It can indeed be stressful to study for the GED tests, especially if there is so much demand (from yourself) to get a high score and plan to further your career or education. The above-mentioned tips about how to prevent a burnout are not to be taken lightly. Always take your overall health and wellness in consideration when test-prepping for the GED to achieve the best results.

Author's Bio: 

Winnie Custodio has been a publicist and writer for over 10 years, and she has broad experience in online and personal mentoring. Working with Test Prep Toolkit, an online GED, ACT and SAT study guide has been one of her most fulfilling careers where she and her fellow TPT staff work together as a power team in helping thousands of test takers pass their exams. With such an outstanding achievement, Test Prep Toolkit has become one of the top test prep websites on the Internet today.