<\/p>\n
Students form study sessions and prep for upcoming finals in the John C. Hitt Library on Thursday.<\/p>\n
Kymani Brown<\/p>\n
As spring break ends, the final weeks of the school year bring a surge of pressure \u2014 from exams and sports to graduation \u2014 leaving some students facing burnout.<\/p>\n
Students like Brianna Borges,\u00a0junior chemistry major,\u00a0said she\u00a0felt extreme energy loss and was less motivated to do assignments as the semester progressed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI think it is common amongst a lot of students \u2014 just talking to my friends, they\u2019re so tired and could normally do the assignments,\u201d Borges said. \u201cI could only imagine other students in other places that are just done with school just because of that little break.\u201d<\/p>\n
Around 78% of students reported experiencing moderate or high stress levels, according to a 2024 survey from the\u00a0American College Health Association<\/a>.<\/p>\n Academic stress is a direct result of the end of the semester and can cause side effects such as fatigue, loss of appetite, headaches and gastrointestinal issues,\u00a0according to the Frontiers of Psychiatry<\/a>.<\/p>\n To help combat seasonal burnout, UCF offers the\u00a0Counseling and Psychological Services<\/a>\u00a0program, included in tuition, and provides students with support.<\/p>\n CAPS specialist Caiti Bradbury said the spring semester tends to be the most draining.<\/p>\n \u201cSpring is specifically more challenging in my opinion opposed to fall or summer,\u201d Bradbury said. \u201cIn the spring, not only are you coming back from a month break, but you only have one holiday and then after spring break it’s crunch time.\u201d<\/p>\n Bradbury said the CAPS team and she support students year-round as they manage academic stress.<\/p>\n Students unwind at the Reflecting Pond on Thursday\u00a0as finals week rapidly approaches.\u00a0<\/p>\n Kymani Brown<\/p>\n \u201cEvery week throughout the year, we have a few workshops on different topics to benefit students,\u201d Bradbury said.<\/p>\n Workshops for the rest of the semester include building resiliency, dealing with burnout, the seven types of rest and distress management skills, among others, according to the UCF CAPS Instagram<\/a> page.<\/p>\n Jeliann Colon, junior\u00a0kinesiology major,\u00a0said she was surprised to learn the program was available.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019ve been at UCF for two years now and even though I haven\u2019t felt a big need personally, I\u2019ve had many peers who I could\u2019ve recommended it to that were going through a tough time,\u201d Colon said. \u201cI think it could be really good to know about.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n <\/p>\n