Being Tired Doesn’t Mean You’re Weak

By Rausyan Kayyis Abrary

Editor: Kinarya Hana Luthfiyah

Source: https://www.weljii.com/blog/good-stress-bad-stress/

Nowadays, mental health issues are a frequently discussed topic among university students. Campus assignments, organizations, and the demand to always be“productive” make rest time feel like a luxury. Strangely, rest is often considered a“failure.” The culture of measuring success by how busy one is has become commonplace among students today.

Many students admit that even when they finally take a break, guilt starts to creep in.They scroll through social media and see their peers achieving something, winning competitions, joining exchange programs, or building startups and suddenly their own progress feels too slow. Without realizing it, the constant comparison and pressure to“keep up” slowly drain their motivation and happiness.

As deadlines pile up, mental exhaustion becomes harder to ignore. For some, the line between working hard and overworking begins to blur. The idea of “taking it easy” feels like weakness, when in fact, it might be the very thing they need to stay mentally healthy.

Ratna Yunita Setyani Subardjo, a lecturer in psychology at Aisyiyah University Indonesia and a Ph.D. graduate of Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, refers to this phenomenon as a form of subtle “social pressure." Social media plays a big role,she explains. “We constantly see other people's achievements and start comparing ourselves to them. In reality, everyone has different capacities and growth timelines.”

According to her, the feeling of guilt when taking a break can actually be explained through the concept of “social comparison.” “Humans tend to compare themselves with others. In the past, this may have only been within the campus environment, but now social media makes these comparisons constantly appear before our eyes,” she explained.She added that this habit often leads to what is called “toxic productivity.”“There is a drive to continue being productive because of the fear of being left behind. However, the body and mind also need time to rest,” he said.

She also mentioned the importance of “self-compassion,” or being kind to oneself."We are often hard on ourselves. But if we can be a little more forgiving of ourselves,the result is actually healthier and more stable. Rest is not a step backward," he concluded softly.

Source: https://www.verywellhealth.com/psychological-stress-5205714

“Sometimes when I take a break, I feel guilty,” said Nauval Chairudzaky, a third-year student at the Faculty of Engineering and Environment, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. “That's because I like to compare my life with others. I feel like I'm falling behind if I'm not constantly productive.” Nauval also said, “In the end, I just get tired because I feel like it's never enough even though I've tried.” “I know I shouldn't compare myself to others, but it's really hard to stop,” added Nauval.

Unlike Nauval, Faris Al-Munawwar, a third-year student from the Faculty of Economics and Management at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, has another way of dealing with this pressure. "When I feel burned out, I like to turn off all notifications and go hang out for a while. But in the end, when I open my phone again, I immediately panic when I see the group chat about assignments."

It's not just Nauval and Faris who feel this way. Many students experience similar feelings of guilt when they take a break, as if resting time is a sign that they are fallingbehind. Behind their seemingly productive routines, many of them hide their unspoken exhaustion.

The story of student burnout is not just about piling assignments or packed schedules,but about how they perceive themselves amid the pressure to always “succeed.”Sometimes, forgetting to rest is not because of laziness, but because of the fear of falling behind.

As Mrs Ratna said, perhaps it’s time for students to learn to pause without feeling guilty.Because behind the pause lies space to get to know oneself, recharge, and movforward not to appear strong, but to stay sane on the long journey called campus life.