A healing kit of 10 English songs when you have a burnout

As a child, I harboured a great interest in the workings of electronic devices. All adults always said, “She’ll definitely grow up to be an engineer.” Well, guess what? I didn’t. And I love that about my life. Evolution is inevitable, and instead of running away from it, one should embrace it. But that is easier said than done. While growing up, I fell in love with doing things that took less effort, things I was already good at. I’d quit anything that required me to strive hard. In the process of all this, I lost hope and focus and began underachieving academically. Finally, after months of feeling numb and unaffected, I found a glimmer of hope and happiness in music. I hope that my list of recommendations helps you through something similar, if you’re going through it.

Here are a few personal favourites that provided comfort during tough times:

‘2 days into college’ by Aimee Carty consists of so many lyrics that hit so close to home. The song begins with the lyric, “I'm two days into college, and I'm three lectures behind.” It is mainly a fast-paced song that ramifies into the overwhelming nature of academic demands. Time is always running out when you’re a student, and this song assures you that you’ve still got time to figure everything out. The only important thing is to try not to burden yourself with pressure. Deeply emotional lyrics like “to everybody else it looks like I’m doing so well” and “There’s so much that I want to say and far too little breath” will have you in tears in no time.

“All the world’s a stage,” but you are just tired of playing a part. A part where you’re winning the academic rat race without exhaustion. ‘The End’ by Thomas Day embodies that feeling with his vocals in this song. The song starts off with a melancholic tune but lets all the frustration out with the titular lyrics. Just like many other things in life, academic burnout is out of our control, and you’ll never know when it all started. The lyrics, “ ‘Cause I’m staring in the mirror / Wondering where it all went wrong,” are perfect in this sense. Thomas is right when he says that it’s always “One step forward, two steps to hell.” The song gives you hope that this is not the be-all of life, that you’ve still got a lot more to live for, and to do that, you must not give up, no matter how much you think you can’t.

If you work better with tough love, Vedo is the one you turn to. While his song, ‘You Got It,’ may not directly be about burnout, he asks all the right questions to make you understand your self-worth and ability. “Go get that degree,” and “Unlock potential that you didn’t know you had in you” are ones that urge you to get your life together. Not one fine day at 3 am. Now. My favourite lyric from this song is, “I know you gon’ win, shawty / You just gotta play-ay.” It makes me feel like I could cross any hurdle in life.

‘gifted kid burnout’ by Tom O’Donovan calls it exactly like it is in the first lyric itself, “Did they tell you / When you were eight-years-old / That you weren't like the other kids.” It’s another one you can turn to for a reality check. The song tells you to get over whatever this antisocial numbness you’re feeling is, and that “You’re always blaming circumstance / You never blame yourself.” Finally, it ironically comforts you by saying, “You are not the genius they made you out to be / So, break free.”

Another fast-paced song that makes you want to run around the block is ‘Whatever It Takes’ by the iconic Imagine Dragons. “Fallin’ too fast to prepare for this” is so relatable when you feel like you’re failing at everything in life and that there is absolutely no way out. But, this song motivates you to do ‘Whatever It Takes’ and “break the chains.” It’s a powerfully invigorating song that will just keep on giving, no matter the situation causing you mental turmoil.

When you’re distressed in life, you must turn to the musical veterans for advice. We have Billy Joel with his song ‘Vienna’ that has comforted so many adolescents across the world. This track has become a universal rite of passage for all generations of teenagers. It is meant to prevent those chasing their dreams too fast from tripping. Billy tells you to “Slow down you crazy child / You’re so ambitious for a juvenile.” It is always great to have a passion, something you want to achieve for yourself, but know that satisfaction is an unattainable feat. You will always want more. The singer gives realistic big-brother advice when he says, “Dream on, but don’t imagine they’ll all come true, ooh.”

For all those of you who say that Taylor Swift only writes about her exes. ‘This is me trying’ is a song that will prove you wrong. All artists write from personal experience, and like us, Taylor has also had times when she just can’t take it anymore. She beautifully rephrases the feeling of playing a game you know you’re going to lose: “I was so ahead of the curve, the curve became a sphere.” She opens up her scars to her listeners and admits she’s struggling to keep up, and there’s something so honest in the way she says, “At least I’m trying.” It’s such a simple line, but it says so much about burnout and how hard it is to just keep going sometimes. The song allows you a space to completely shatter into pieces if you must, but also encourages you to pick yourself back up again.

‘Judgement Day’ by Stealth is a rather haunting song, as if the clock is ticking and you’re stuck in a loop of hopelessness. This song describes being anxious, the best. Its lyrics, “The calm before a storm, you could hear the drop of a pin / Never been claustrophobic, but now the walls are closing in,” will make you so beautifully uncomfortable. Later in the song, comes complete surrender accompanied by a sweet release: “Face what I deserve / Here comes judgement day / I won’t run the guilt is mine.” It is the perfect song to help you face your fears and was featured in a very critical scene in the series ‘Suits.’

With reflective instrumental music, perfect to cry along to on a rainy day, we have ‘False Confidence’ by Noah Kahan. It talks about how even the most confident people can be burdened with crippling self esteem, causing mental turmoil. “All that’s left of myself, holes in my false confidence” calls on all those putting on a mask for disguise. So many lyrics in this song, when you hear it, will run deep in your veins. “You’re here for a reason but you don’t know why,” and “And I wonder why I tear myself down to be built back up again” are just a few.

‘Run Boy Run’ by Woodkid can forge the intensity of the feeling when you miss a train and everything in life is going wrong. “Run boy run! / They’re dying to stop you” is a lyric that nudges you to push yourself and prove others wrong, and “Break out from society.”

While burnout is extremely depressing and difficult to survive. We have a happy track that will instantly free you from all your sorrows. ‘Don’t Stop Me Now’ by Queen is the best of the best. How can you not be happy listening to this song? How can you not dance all your troubles away? Imagine singing it: ”Tonight I’m gonna have myself a real good time / I feel ali-ah-ah-ive.” When I am listening to this song, nobody can stop me. In fact, “Don’t stop me / ‘cause I’m havin’ a good time”!!!

Not all of these songs are about burnout, but trust me when I say this, they’re a must-add to your playlist during psychological burnout. You’ll regret it if you don’t, and surviving the constant exhaustion will become more difficult.

So don’t delay happiness any further. Stream all these songs and add them to your playlist on the Gaana app - the GOAT(greatest of all time).

(This article is written by Yashvi Sonawala).

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