School is back in session and with it is the pressure of being an “academic weapon.”
It’s safe to say at least a few people want to relive their childhood by being a productive, energetic student. But, let’s be honest, most people will never be that same student again, especially with the impacts of COVID-19 thrusting students into online learning nearly 3 years ago. As a result, student burnout and the need for productivity are more common than ever among students.
In order to match the speed of today’s society, the iconic academic weapon was brought into the limelight.
According to the Urban Dictionary, an academic weapon is usually a student who “acquires traits that are seen by many as scholarly” such as completing as many assignments as they possibly can. With that being said, the rise of the academic weapon among high school and college students is no big surprise. Many are burnt-out students attempting to relive their pre-COVID academic glory days.
School is in session and with that, people are back at the library and study lounges trying to finish assignments like the academic weapon they strive to be. However, when students start to prioritize their assignments over their well-being, it becomes damaging.
The academic weapon used to be rather harmless, but the way students have been going about it nowadays shows otherwise.
Here’s a list of negative experiences that come with being an academic weapon:
This is the most common negative experience by students who abuse being an academic weapon. Lack of sleep can throw off your circadian rhythm and is bad for focus. Additionally, a lack of sleep contributes to students developing mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, as they get older.
- Ignoring one’s needs
Students have often complained about their heads, eyes and more hurting but have chosen to ignore these signs of stress in favor of the grind. There have also been students who accidentally starve themselves during the grind.
Similar to ignoring one’s needs, there’s also the issue of letting yourself become stressed to the point of your health deteriorating. However, this is far worse than having a headache. Many people unknowingly have worsened their physical health because of how much stress they’ve been put under. The lack of sleep combined with ignoring warning signs such as headaches has made some students more likely to get sick.
Students have to remember it’s important to put themselves above their grades, especially in today’s society. Here’s a list of tips for how to deal with student burnout and the academic weapon mindset:
- Know the warning signs of student burnout (fatigue, irritability etc.)
- Ask for help
- Give yourself leisure time
- Put your health and wellbeing first
- Stay organized
- Know your limits
It’s important to keep in mind that although being an academic weapon is great for productivity, the academic weapon can unintentionally cause more harm than good. It can ruin a person’s physical and mental health because of the priority productivity has over self care. Overall while being an academic weapon is great at the moment, it becomes detrimental to students in the long run.