2w ago

Is it normal to not be able to remember anything during burnout?

I'm tired boss. I've had a really rough semester and I can't look at my calculus without my eyes glazing over. Now that it's time for the final I'm looking back at all the concepts I had "breakthrough" moments with... And I got nothing. Can't remember a lick. I don't have any gusto in me still, I'm already planning to retake the course but fuck me ive never experienced burnout like this.

Is this normal?

33 comments

Yes. This is a common consequence of burnout.
Normal effect of burnout.
Retake because of the grade you expect to receive? Or retake to absorb the concepts better on a second go around?
If the latter, I recommend studying independently instead. There are so many online resources now that are better for learning than the traditional college lecture model.
- For learning calculus?
  
  Yes
Yes.
During prolonged and extensive stresses, a brain temporarily loses some of the ability to pay attention and remember.
When the stressful part is over, your memory will restore. I would not advise to strongarm through it, though - find a way to unload yourself and find better rest before your body forces you to by introducing stress-induced health issues you'll have to address.
Been there, lost a lot of health to it, don't recommend.
Also, agree with others saying you need to sleep well. Sleep is essential at sorting your memories and preparing you for the day. During the periods of stress and processing a lot of data it is more essential than ever.
- What about that type of "nothing I do matters" burnout, where you wake up at 5 am so you can sit in the kitchen with a cup of coffee for an extra hour, not wanting to go to work because everything I do is wrong and nothing really matters..?
  
  That's just the need to get out of social media and finding better work.
  
  Everything I do is wrong
  Changing workplace, if possible
  Nothing really matters
  Meaningful activities outside work
  I'm sure you heard it already, but both are complicated, which is why people often stick with what they hate. But both are so important and true you need to find ways to achieve it.
  For me, I found meditation to be the easiest point of entry into shaking my life up. It takes 10 minutes a day, requires near-zero willpower to execute (unlike, say, exercises, which are otherwise great), it helps me ground, relax and find out what I really think of stuff when I'm not pressured by a concrete wall of stress.
  After that, YMMV. I found out I can safely gear down and live a better life with less load for a while, even if it means less income (not that I was rich to begin with, but one thing even worse than poverty is living at work you hate). I've found inspiration in nature, long walks, and finding small things that matter. I also found it in people and joined some local activism. And from there, I looked for ways to get back to higher income without compromising my integrity.
  I still struggle with exercises and sometimes healthy diet, but I fuck off myself and do what I can, and know I do my best. Now I wake up with purpose and get to bed without regret. It's not sunshine and rainbows, but way better than it was before.
  Oh, and I restored my previous income, but with less pain and misery, doing what I like. I'm sure I could again pick a better paying career and earn twice as much as I do now, but screw it, it's not worth it.
  
  I'm gonna be honest that just sounds like straight up depression
  
  Nothing you do matters, but NOT doing it also doesn't matter. Whatever you do or don't do in the end it doesn't matter, nothing does.
  What is that thing in the back of your mind that you truly WANT to do but are scared of failing? It's not going away, it will re-emerge, gnawing at you every burnout until the end of your life.
  It doesn't matter if you succeed or fail at it, because either way nothing matters, so might as well try it.
Get in contact with student support services, most universities have some sort of mental health “crisis” support system. (Crisis between quotes because what they can handle varies wildly). They can not only help you with your burnout, but also get in contact with your prof and let them know. You could (likelihood depends on the university) get a second chance at a later date without having to retake the full course.
Unfortunately, burnout and similar health issues have skyrocketed between university students since covid, the universities try to keep up, but… funding processes suck, so it really depends on the state/county/specific university.
All the best!
- Its not that severe I don't think, though it's good to know that's an option, I think I just need to do what I can on this final and move on for now, I already get an extra hour for my disability, but I would love nothing more than to just take the test and be able to not think for like a week or more, ugh, and not look at converging functions
  
  It could get pretty bad pretty fast if you are not careful. Been in the situation a couple of times, thinking "meh. I will push through it". And then it got ugly. Please take care of yourself and take all the help you can get.
  
  When I was a student, I tried to take rest days before exams if possible. During my bachelor I had a strict rule of never studying more than 6 days a week, 10 hours a day (including commute). Having some time off was fundamental. I dropped that rule during the master and barely graduated :/
  Now as a teacher, I often see students not able to pace themselves, giving it their all and collapsing half way through exam season. Understanding your own limits is rough… in particular when it had worked for so many months. But they overlooked how each month took a toll and at some point you can’t keep it all together.
  If you see your burnout lasting more than a couple of days of rest, reach out. The sooner the better.
  
  You sound like me at uni. If you can, go and try get your exam deferred, take a decisive week break and get back to it at a pace that works better for you.
  I have 4-5 realllly dark spots on my transcripts because of my stubbornness. Didn't help in job searching very much.
Stress and being short on sleep are two things well established to make your brain worse at forming memories.
Yes.
I remember studying until I forgot. It's normal.One year I had 4 final exams on one day - it was a real "Jesus take the wheel" moment...
Attention takes cognitive energy, and once that energy is depleted you go stupid.
Best practices: -Sleep around 8hrs, mandatory, helps with memory consolidation,error correction and resetting the battlefield for next day ( see "Why we Sleep" by Mathew Walker of Stamford).
-Exercise or vigorous activity -break a sweat -it'll refresh the neurochemical soup in your brain.
Sugar snacks and caffeine before and during studying - brain uses a shit tone of energy and it loves glucose,, and the caffeine does some Dopamine stuff that helps. Spread it out through the session, don't smash it upfront and crash an hour later.
-Creatine monohydrate supplementation 20grams/day will supercharge your cognition when burnt out/sleep deprived- plenty of research on it- it's a precursor to ATP and brain loves it some ATP.- check out the studies/protocols on it.
Other things Nicotine gum- boosts memory.
Modafinil /Adderall and Vyvanse etc.. get your dopamine roaring- spiking focus, cognition and memory- but they are like flipping a switch. But be mindful of state dependent learning, dependence ,legality, clean supply etc.
- How the hell did you have 4 exams the same day? Are your professors that mean?
Yes, it's common. If you have the time, I recommend spending a day or two just literally doing nothing stressful, giving yourself permission to relax and not work. Or maybe an afternoon. Or any hour. Hell, a single minute, or one single good inhale and exhale. Imo, the best way to do this is to go out into nature where there are few people around, and just have leisurely walks or maybe read a fun book under a tree. Or else spend the time with friends, sitting on the porch in the sunshine drinking tea or coffee and chatting. Avoid electronics devices or driving vehicles (especially in traffic) as much as possible. If you don't have the time, I recommend trying to find some time to do this after your exams, before your next semester begins.
Imo, it is good that you anticipate re-taking the course next semester. Now you get to study and take the exam as if it is just practice for next semester.
Also, as you study, my bet is that you will find the concepts come back to you faster than you learned them the first time. It is quite common for us to forget how to do things, expecially things like academic math which is seldom used outside the classroom. We remember things more easily when we learned them recently, when we repeat them more, and when we can relate them to other useful and important things in our lives. Hence why I could probably tell you the exact order of operations dor disassembling and reassembling a motorcycle clutch, but I could only tell you that the Hamiltonian has something to do with matricies.
Remember that the most important thing you're learning is that you can do hard things. Look at you, right now, burned out and feeling terrible, but still giving this exam your best shot! Knowing calculus, passing this class, getting good grades, getting a degree - those are all nice. But what will really help you succeed in life is exactly what you are doing right now - perservering. Trying your best even when success is far from guarenteed. Remember, you have to be the hero in your own story, and it's not a good story if the hero never struggles!
Take a deep breath, accept the fact that you are stressed, accept the fact that remembering this stuff is difficult. And then try to appreciate the fact that you're showing a lot of character by doing something so difficult. Be proud of yourself, and get back to studying.
ive done that in college, especially with very tough stem courses like gem chem, gen bio, and gen biochem. basically have to reread all the material from last semester, plus googling things to remember.
It's called a blackout. It's common, yes.

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