Due to the pandemic, there has been an increase in the number of students relying on online learning. While online education has many advantages, it isn’t completely perfect. Like most things, online learning comes with its own drawbacks, especially when it comes to mental health. To help shed light on this issue, in this article we’ll be exploring 4 ways in which online learning can affect mental health.
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4 Ways How Online Learning Affects Mental Health
1. Lack of Interest
Humans are creatures that enjoy being engaged and entertained. While online learning can mean you have the opportunity to learn from almost anywhere in the world, it can be difficult to maintain the same zeal as you would get from learning in a class. As you would be learning from the comfort of your home, there’s a good chance you might have a hard time focusing, especially if it’s a class you consider boring. Constant lack of interest can result in apathy. To avoid making this state constant, try to pick classes you find genuinely interesting.
2. Mental Fatigue
With online learning, the mind can easily be overwhelmed with the amount of provided information. Attending multiple zoom classes in a day means your screen time is likely going to increase from normal levels. When presented with too much information, you might not be able to take much of it in.
Humans have traditionally learned by observing tone, body language, and other things, but with online learning, all you hear sometimes is a voice. As this form of learning is still relatively new, the brain might have to work harder in order to process and understand information. This means at the end of class, you’re very likely to feel exhausted and drained.
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3. Stress and Anxiety
The mental fatigue that comes with online learning also has some other negative side effects. When our mind shuts down or wanders, it can be difficult to follow a class properly. With time, you might find out you haven’t actually learned much, but at the same time, you’re still required to do well in your exams and assignments. Unless you’re willing to use the affordable and reliable online essay writing services of LetsGradeIt, you might feel overwhelmed. The stress your brain goes through to try and deliver can lead to the anxiety of failure. While some people might be able to take this and use it as fuel to push further, for many, this can be a very serious problem that hampers performance.
4. Feeling of Isolation
Some of the best parts of the class is being around fellow students, especially your friends. With online learning, you are typically on your own, which can make you feel quite lonely or even depressed. When this is combined with stress and anxiety, it could lead to real problems. It’s often advised that parents and teachers regularly check up on students to make sure they don’t end up feeling alone. Stable mental health is very important when it comes to academic performance, so learn about it, explore yourself, and try to boost mental health as much as you can.
Conclusion
Mental health is something that is very important but is sadly often overlooked. Students are the future, so they need as much help and support as they can get. While online learning can have negative impacts on mental wellbeing, it’s still one of the best ways to learn. It’s the hope of many that perhaps more engaging methods of learning are introduced to the school’s curriculum in the near future. For instance, some schools engage in hybrid learning, so students have the opportunity to interact physically with each other, as opposed to complete isolation.
Andrew Mazur is a writer and an aspiring youth psychologist. He has worked with numerous NGOs, providing support where it is needed most. Andrew especially likes working with students, as they often need the most help and guidance. In his free time, Andrew enjoys hanging out with friends.