US’ EduBirdie unveils its ‘Way Out of Burnout’ project, painting New York’s Skyline to draw attention to academic burnout

EduBirdie, an all-in-one website for students’ needs in the US, has teamed up with famed street artist Lady Pink and her team — widely known as the ‘First Lady of Graffitti’— to create a series of murals across New York that draw attention to the issue of academic burnout. The project consists of four murals in Poughkeepsie, Kingston, Brooklyn and Queens, as well as the #wayoutofburnout hashtag, which encourages the public to spread the word and share their experiences on Instagram and TikTok.

New EduBirdie research suggests that ‘adult’ issues, such as stress, burnout and exhaustion, are impacting people at a much younger age. Having surveyed more than 5,200 college students in the US to understand their current mental state, the academic service provider found: 

• 31% felt academic stress had hurt their relationships with friends and family
• 61% had experienced anxiety and sleep problems because of academic stress
• 14% felt “being on edge”
• 9% intentionally injured themselves
• 89% of US students lack quality time for studies and feel overwhelmed
• 48% missed classes or pretended to be sick because of academic stress.

With America’s student population on the brink of a mental health epidemic, EduBirdie’s ‘Way Out of Burnout’ project highlights the importance of mental health support for students in a creative way that is hard to ignore. The powerful murals, which offer a glimpse into the minds of those struggling with the pressures of study, include:

1. ‘Don't drown in the Academic Ocean. Ride your wave,’ on 464 Main Street, Poughkeepsie, NY which compares the academic journey to an ocean – with constant waves and nowhere to turn, one might feel like drowning
2. 'Disconnect to reconnect’ on 688 Broadway, Kingston, NY which encourages students to disconnect from devices and embrace real social connections to prevent academic and digital burnout.
3. 'Ask for help before there is no way out' at 457 Knickerbocker Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11237, which compares the academic journey to a maze, with the burden of grades, and pressure from parents and society leading to wrong turns. 
4. ‘Never too young to experience burnout’, at 22-71 33rd Street, Astoria, NY which draws attention to the catastrophic mental health crisis of Gen Z, many of whom experience daily mental health struggles, such as anxiety and insomnia,  caused by academic pressures.

Avery Morgan, Chief Communications Officer at EduBirdie, commented: “Over three-quarters of college students have experienced struggles in the past years and while alarming, it’s not surprising. Imagine trying to handle that never-ending pile of papers with the stress of a recession and ever-growing student debt hanging over you. Then there’s digital burnout — the mental exhaustion and anxiety that results from being glued to technology 24/7, writing essays, studying for exams and watching others enjoy their lives through social media… We attend college to expand our minds, not to overburden them. Students, such struggle is not normal, but talking to someone is! If your workload is weighing you down, talk to your friends, your parents, your professor, or your counsellor. At EduBirdie, we’ve set ourselves an important assignment: Drawing attention to the issue of academic burnout and encouraging change to ensure every student has time to study, sleep and socialize during