How to cope with the stress and mental health issues of online learning

Traditional classroom methods have made way for online learning and all students have had to adjust and adapt.

We have transitioned from the campus to our laptops or mobile devices to learn over  the lockdown period.

The universities are prioritising quality online student services to rescue the academic year.

However, being at home means we face new levels of complexities that include not only studies but also family duties and limitations. Some students, for example, do not even have a study table or a quiet environment in which to study.  

Educational researcher and instructor Dr Tracy Orr says this can add up to affect our academic performance.

“When faced with so many challenges, learners frequently become overwhelmed, leading to increased levels of burnout and increased attrition,” Orr says.

Online health services are essential

Mental and emotional health are important factors in our cognitive processes. Health and wellness online services are as essential as our masks or sanitisers are offline.

The South African Depression and Anxiety Group testifies that at least one in five students have suicidal thoughts. What’s more, it says suicide is the second leading cause of death in university students.

We are subjected to strenuous and sometimes simultaneous assessments. Virtual learning has significantly amplified the amount of time we spend on our computers every week.

Poor sleep can affect your health

Besides, as students we often face altered sleeping cycles that interfere with prefrontal cortex function. This can also have an impact on our psychological and mental health.

Both factors have an influence on circadian rhythm the body’s “biological clock”. It regulates our sleep-wake cycle and other physical, mental and behavioural cycles.

Online learning has subjected students to a constant disruption of this cycle. And that, in turn, can lead to long-term difficulties in falling asleep, daytime fatigue, mood disturbances, anxiety and symptoms of depression.

All these can contribute to poor academic performance in the lockdown period.

As students we also may spend hours stacked upon each other in the house, or even just in our rooms.

Lack of human interaction

This is where you see the effect of how online learning affects our physical activity levels. There is no walking to classes, or moving around campus.

Online learning also has deprived us of human interaction between students of different disciplines and the little “giggles” before heading to class and heated group meetings at library logs.

These may have seemed less important some four months ago. However, they add up to form part of the modest human factors which help us not to crack under pressure.

As the tertiary environment evolves over the pandemic, there is a need for online health and wellness systems to be integrated with our studies. Higher institutions may have some mechanisms in place; however, their effectiveness remains unclear.

Tips to stay positive

We can adopt positive personal tool kits that can help us improve at a personal level. For example, it is good for us to stay physically active, and spend some time without our electronic devices.

Furthermore, students should prioritise their health and sleep. We can maximise this through simply switching off all electronics and doing something we revel in or that which relaxes our bodies an hour before bed. This could be reading a book, listening to music or writing something in a diary.

• Some have found it relaxing to get some beads and then make necklaces and bracelets.
• Another avenue to better health is to eat healthy food.
• It’s also an idea to call our classmates on the phone to check up on their wellbeing.

Update policies on student wellness

It is time to update institutional policy on student wellness. Now we are online, it needs to offer mental health education through links and videos and not only in on-campus counselling.

We need crisis services, such depression or suicide hotlines, to be available along with self-help services that provide self-evaluation.

Another important aspect over the pandemic is the need for online gender sensitive-counselling services and feedback channels.   There is a lot that educational institutions can do. It is important not only to provide academic tuition online

Where to get help

Here are some helpful numbers and e-mail contacts to access counselling from South African universities during lockdown.

If you are a student and you think you might need just a little bit more help, have look at our simple guide to mental health support at SA universities to see where you can find some assistance.