Each year 2 lakhs of aspirants attempt the CAT in order to achieve their goal of studying at an IIM. Each year the number of applicants, competitiveness, expectations and pressure also increases many folds. And rightly so, because this examination not only requires immense patience, perseverance, consistency, resilience but also regular practice, and ‘smart hard work’.
When someone decides to take this examination, it is with prior knowledge and acceptance of the fact that they might not be able to lead their former pre-aspirant lives anymore. A certain amount of change in the personal life and habits are required to clear this exam. Aspirants, as such, have to undergo many changes, starting with their lifestyle and daily habits, and extending to the kind of people they remain in touch with; and to some extent, managing social pressures from family and friends.
Most serious aspirants are therefore well aware and prepared for the fact that this journey would require them to sacrifice a lot of things. However, what needs to be consciously kept in mind is that in this preparation process one shouldn’t get ‘burnt out’ because if that happens the goal of clearing the CAT will be defeated before it’s truly even begun!
The Burnout
It’s common practice for CAT aspirants to sit up late at night and study back to back, day after day, which makes the adage ‘burning the midnight oil’ sound literally right. Aspirants also often let go of their sleep so that they can cover an ‘extra chapter from Quant’ or ‘topic’. No doubt, utilising the highest possible number of hours in a day is essential to cover more and more of a syllabus but what aspirants must understand is that they should not compromise on their health while doing so.
Always know that when we subject our bodies to high stress, and to rigorous discipline and discomfort, in order to increase our efficiency, we also at the same time need to let the body rest properly. A healthy body, that is well rested and a mind that is free from stress are therefore two of the foremost requirements for any CAT aspirant.
Let us now see how we can avoid a burnout while preparing for CAT.
Time Management
Time is the most crucial part of all CAT aspirants. Hence, most aspirants end up making tight schedules and try to ‘squeeze-in-squeeze-out-time’ whenever possible. They tend to think less about their health and more about how to reach their goals. However, here is one place where the age old saying – health is wealth – applies.
Another thing is that when our body fails to keep up with our pace of work we might end up spending more time in unproductive labour. So, first, aspirants should ask themselves, do they want to be winners of the sprint or the marathon? Do they want to become helpless midway and give up on their dreams or do they want to work towards their goals till they reach the final stages? Do they want to burnout or do they want to keep burning until they succeed?
Acknowledge the situation
There are other emotionally draining experiences too, which CAT aspirants face like peer pressure, the inability to maintain a balance between professional lives and study life, constant surges of desperation/exhaustion/anger etc.
Here it is important to understand that acknowledging an issue or problem is always better than closing our eyes to the warning signs and wishing for it to go away. And since prevention is always better than the cure so, start taking precautions. This is because burnout is a situation which is better prevented than cured. And because sometimes it might get too late for a cure. Hence, staying alert on this is very important. One needs to be vigilant here, and be on the lookout for burnout symptoms and take precautionary steps as early as possible.
Useful tips to overcome Burnout
1. 8 hours of undisturbed sleep:
The human body, since ages, have learnt to adapt to survive in various stressful conditions. It is because of this fact that our species has survived for so long. But the question now is – for how long can we manage stress? If we start putting our body through a lot of stress and discomfort, and keep doing it for a long time, initially our body will resist but then, as nature intended, we will get adapted. But slowly after some time, we will start realising that our body needs a considerable amount of energy to function. And if we expect our body to really catch up with us, we will need to supply it with constant doses of energy which we can easily get by sleeping properly for a good 6-8 hours a day. One must never consider sleep as a waste of time. On the contrary, these napping hours will ensure that our faculties get a well-deserved rest. This way our body will catch up with our pace of work (and life). Sleep is thus, the best natural rejuvenation one can find and it works for the best in our case.
2. Short rests in between long study sessions:
Sitting for long hours at a stretch can be mentally tiring. We might soon start feeling headaches, blurriness or even a feeling of suffocation. Short 10 to 15 minute breaks during study hours are a must. If one feels stress building up, one can listen to soft music or even practice short yoga sessions to relieve of the stress. Moreover, a brisk walk in the park or garden can also be a great option for refreshment. The point here is that one has to take the mind away from books during these short breaks.
3. Cutting of negative people:
There is no dearth of negative people surrounding us. CAT aspirants need to understand that people with negative feelings should be at best avoided. Any kind of negative thoughts or discussions can become a deterrent while pursuing the IIM goal. It can especially become more dangerous when one is in his weakest moments. Rather, when at times one is feeling really down or discouraged it is best to be around people, friends or family, who can instil positivity in us. People who say, “you cannot do it” or “this is really difficult and not something you can manage” or “don’t waste your time as it’s unachievable for you”, etc. should always be kept at bay.
4. Not cutting your social life:
This is one of the most prominent myths related with the CAT examination that staying away from your social life is critical for success. One can think that becoming the modern-day version of a hermit can assure us of our success, however, and on the contrary, completely shutting off our social life can become one of the main reasons for a burnout. So, a mindful social life is also important to avoid burnout and to achieve success in the CAT exam.
5. Talking to your mentors more often:
Sometimes, mentors may be the ones who can lift our mood greatly. This is because there is a sense of assurance that they are the ones who mean the best for us, always. Talking to them or seeking their guidance is going to help immensely whenever a sense of helplessness or a feeling of confusion engulfs the mind. At times, we may even have that one or two close friends or relatives who inspire us and help us elevate our motivation levels. Keeping in touch with such folks is gainful and therefore recommended.
6. Setting small, realistic and achievable goals for a day:
Preparing a time-table to cover the syllabus of CAT is only the first step. After that, planning for small and achievable goals within that time-table (like reading the articles from Bharath Curated list inside of 45 minutes), and planning it for everyday, is also critical. This is important because doing so provides us with a sense of achievement at the end of each day. Feeling accomplished works magically for the betterment of our various psychological states. The daily accomplishment of goals and recalling it while retiring for the night can help us recharge our batteries and bring us closer to our goals.
7. Giving yourself small incentives:
On completion of a daily goal (could be weekly too), we could give ourselves a small incentive or reward in the form of a small gift or treat. This is a great method for teaching oneself to work enthusiastically towards achieving one’s own goals. If you remember, in order to make us learn, our parents, teachers and elders had all tried this strategy on us when we were young. Perhaps it is now time that we use this strategy on ourselves. Do give it a try.
8. Taking out time for your hobbies:
Pursue hobbies to avoid burnout. The importance here is on connecting to a hobby emotionally so that it refreshes the mind from time to time. In any case, one has to fill up hobbies in the Application Form for Interview, so there is no harm in pursuing your favourite hobby during your preparation.
9. Believing in yourself:
It is a well known fact that when you believe in yourself, half the battle is already won. Keep reminding yourself why you have embarked on this journey. Each time you are reminded of the reason and your goal flashes in front of your eyes, it will make you realise that all the sacrifices you have gone through are not meaningless. You will then realise that you are, in fact, on the right path!
To conclude, when you look back at the above points you will have realised that although the issue of burnout is severe, the preventive methods are relatively very simple. It’s all mind play. What you feed the mind is exactly what it returns back to you. So, why not be masters of our own mind and conquer all of our dreams? And, let us also spread this awareness and stand up against the issue of burnout such that the next time when any CAT aspirant says “I am feeling a burnout..”, we reply “Burnout? What is that?!”
Best wishes for CAT 2021!!
Abhishek works for 2IIM, and is a keen writer.
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