The Student News Site of Souderton Area High School

The Arrowhead

The Arrowhead

The Student News Site of Souderton Area High School

The Arrowhead

The Student News Site of Souderton Area High School

The Arrowhead

The Arrowhead

Burned: The narrative of overwork

Underclassmen read red and upperclassmen read blue. [Editor’s Note: This piece was written with a satirical slant using differing and possible viewpoints of underclassmen and upperclassmen on the experience of burnout.]

It is that time of the year. Slowly the days all blend together. Mornings are darker when you {{take the bus}}/[[drive]] to school. Your dependency on {{over-flavored Dunkin’ iced}}/[[hard coffee]] has intensified.
At this point you have only grown {{more comfortable with}}/[[bored and ready to graduate from]] {{the high school setting}}/[[“this place.”]] You {{know}}/[[are ready to forget]] everyone in {{your classes}}/[[“this place”]], you {{know}}/[[have]] the teachers you have been {{taught by for over a marking period}}/[[told to fear]] and you have {{begun to find ways to cheat “the system”}}/[[accepted that there is a small margin of “the system” that can actually be cheated]]. You are not ready to leave behind the {{Valley or Crest piece of your identity}}/[[classes of 2018 and 2019]].
You begin your {{complaining}}/[[erratic sleep schedule]] in an effort to {{diminish your workload}}/[[salvage your GPA]].
You {{begin}}/[[continue]] to wonder why you are {{coming to high school}}/[[still in “this place”]].
This is burnout. You personify your burnout; “My {{early onset senioritis}}/[[senioritis]] keeps me from {{trying}}/[[performing]] to the best of my ability,” you say.
You begin to wonder what happened to {{“we’re all in this together”}}/[[“this will be the best four years of your life”]] as {{falsely advertised by High School Musical}}/[[hyped up by various administrators in your freshman year]].
At this point, {{high school}}/[[“this place”]] is not {{passing}}/[[going to pass]] the vibe check.
Over Thanksgiving break, that (you know the one I mean) extended family member bombards, {{“What grade are you in? Wow, I remember when you were *this* big… they really do grow up so fast. Do you like high school? How are your grades? What is your favorite subject? Are you on that TikTok app I hear kids these days are using? See anyone cute you like? Dating anyone? Want to date anyone? Are you playing any sports? Do you go to prom this year? Have you gotten a dress? Have you started a movement? Ended poverty? Cured world hunger? Graduated from college early with honors?”}}/[[“Have you gotten taller since last year? I swear you just started walking! Have you taken the SAT/ACT? Have you applied to college? Have you gotten into college? Well…what is your top choice college? Staying out of drugs and alcohol? I just read an article the other day about kids these days dying from these pods… Juul pods? Am I saying that right? Do you do the Juul? What do you want to do? Have you cured cancer? Have you bought a house? Planned your estate? Are you prepared to die yet?”]]
Okay, boomer.
These unavoidable and exhaustive questions lead to necessary stress eating, inevitable food comatose, enough family tension to last until next year, and a level of stress that is just not necessary.
The holiday season might not cut it in curing your {{early onset senioritis}}/[[senioritis]].
But if you are {{getting}}/[[once again]] bored of a daily and monotonous routine in {{high school}}/[[“this place”]] it might be time for a change, or just brave out the storm until {{next year}}/[[graduation comes]].

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