Online Learning and Mental Health
We have all had to adapt to immense changes in our lives this year with many of us having to quickly learn how to navigate the online world in a very new way. As a student I know how much we have had to adapt to a totally new style of teaching and learning which has come with its challenges. Having just started university this term, I know how much of a struggle it can be to start a new course with students and teachers who you have never met in real life, it can be very easy to begin to feel isolated and overwhelmed.
In addition to having just started my university course, I am also a tutor for children aged 7-16. I started helping with home-schooling via zoom over the course of lockdown, so I have really had an insight into some of the difficulties of this time across a wide age group and the impact of being so detached from the lives which we are used to.
So here are some of my top tips from what I have learnt over the last 6 months:
1. Stay Connected – Technology is great way to keep in touch with your friends outside of schoolwork. Organise some group calls or something fun which you can all do to stay connected during this time.
2. Take breaks – It can be easy to feel overwhelmed with working online so, as with anything, please make sure you take some time out just to take a step back from it all and reset. Schedule in some time for self-care and do what you love!
3. Reach out if you need support – I don’t know about you but navigating new platforms has become very stressful for me at times and it’s important that if we need it we feel able to ask others for help, whether that’s with the technical side of things or just feeling a little overwhelmed by it all, don’t isolated yourself away from others so that you feel like you’re suffering in silence or coping on your own - reach out to someone you trust. It’s also a good idea to stay connected with your teachers if you are struggling with a particular aspect of online teaching because if you let them know they can work on supporting your work.
4. Structure your days – This is one which I think went out of the window for a lot of us at the start of lockdown – give your days some structure! It will make a big difference to your motivation and also help you keep on top of things! Try to make a timetable or schedule in a few things throughout your day to give it a bit more shape!
5. Stay Active and express yourself – As much as you can, try to schedule in time to keep active, go for a walk or join an online yoga class, for example. There are lots of things going on and whilst some might not get you away from your screen, it’s something different to do which will help to boost your mood and, again, help to keep you motivated. It can be easy to get glued to a screen all day and forget to move about but try to commit to a few things a week, at least, so that you’re mixing up your days a little!
It’s also important to continue expressing ourselves in different ways too. Find some new ways of staying creative which allow you to express yourself at home, maybe you love to draw or make music? Use one of these as a self-care tasks when you need to take a step back to reset.
Keep well and stay safe.
Elsa
eNurture Youth Panel member