The pandemic hit us hard, changing our living conditions in the most versatile ways. We were introduced to social distancing, virtual offices and e-learning. It is no longer mandatory for students to attend regular schools or employees to follow the traditional 9-to-5 job schedule. Flexibility is the new trend. Also, students are seen seeking assignment help online to get away with the regular deadlines.
Now, coming back to the topic in concern, the concept of flexibility and online learning schedule have their own set of repercussions on a student’s physical and mental health. And in this write-up, we will get into more specific details about the same.
Physical health problems:
Here is a list of all the physical health-related issues faced by most of the students:
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Altered sleep cycles:
Students nowadays follow a flexible schedule when it comes to attending online classes/e-learning programs; in that scenario, they end up with a jeopardised sleep cycle. The internet has brought everyone close, and students are now getting enrolled on courses from abroad. Though it helps with the amalgamation of different ideas, on the other hand, students do end up overburdening themselves with an international schedule from a different time zone.
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Eyesight problems:
With exposure to long hours of screen time, the human eye is getting affected. Nowadays, doctors are coming across diseases that were not common in students until now. Diseases like cataracts, eye fatigue and lazy eye are quite common among students who are not older than 12. In the process of brightening their intellectual side, these children are trading their eyesight in general.
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Lack of class conduct:
When we are in a social space, living among others with the same intensity and like-minded thoughts, our conduct gets aligned. However, with classes being held virtually, students nowadays are not aware of the correct behaviour type. They end up making the wrong move which hampers their accountability in the long run. The teachers get agitated, or the fellow batch mates find them weird.
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Bad physical ergonomics:
The human posture gets affected by spending so much time sitting in front of the system and staring at the screen. Most learners have been reported to have bad pain in their back or have been dealing with spondylitis. These hassles were not common until now among students of such a young age.
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Deficiency in vitamin D:
The morning sun is always beneficial for human health. However, under flexible schedules, students end up either rising late or spending their mornings locked in a room attending online classes. This leads to the deficiency of Vitamin D in their body and makes them all weak and energy less, unlikely of their age.
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Low calcium count:
Another root cause of rising health problems in modern-day youth. The online schedules and homework dates have affected the calcium count really bad. As a result, most students suffer from bone-related disorders and rely on medicine when they are supposed to be living the best days of their youth.
Mental health problems:
Let’s focus on the various mental health-related problems that a student can have:
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Problem with socialization:
These e-learners attend classes over the web and interact with teachers over chat or virtual phone calls. This way, they are missing out on what it takes to socialise and have a heart-to-heart conversation with teachers and the rest of the students in class. The virtual world has made it easy for students to bail out on social events without proper explanations.
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Lack of emotional bonding:
With prolonged non-exposure to the traditional classroom setup, students are now unknown of the concept of batchmates/classmates, bench partners, backbenchers, front nerds and teachers’ favourites. They are only accustomed to the concept of an instructor offering academic guidance over a computer screen. The emotions naturally nurtured in a traditional classroom setup are missing in this sense.
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Anxiety over deadlines:
The submissions are also online in an e-learning program, and the rubric score is based on the deadlines you attendant the submission. Students are overburdened with too many submissions from different subjects, which causes anxiety and unnecessary stress attacks.
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Zoom fatigue:
Too many classes are getting scheduled over the platform, making students simultaneously pass most of their day. As per psychologists, just like “smell memory”, an individual relates a particular smell to an incident in life. Students are seen relating the platform ‘Zoom’ with their virtual stress. It is hard for them to relate the name with something fun or chilled out other than serious and boring online classes.
How to safeguard the mental and physical health of a student?
Now that we are well accustomed to the rising causes of physical and mental health in a student let’s look into the measures we can take.
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Indulge in brakes at regular intervals:
When attending too many online classes in a day, take some time to rest and stretch your muscles. It will relax your overly tensed shoulders and eyes and give your brain time to think.
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Maintain social connections:
Even if you are dealing with classes online and getting to meet friends virtually. There is no harm in socialising for real. If you are living in the same city or neighbourhood, take some time off and get to know each other in person. Make a group and discuss ideas. It will act as a therapy and help you with solutions to problems other than academic ones.
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Get a routine:
When you are eating on time, sleeping on time and attending online classes. Nothing can go wrong; eventually, you will notice improvements in your physical and mental health. Having a routine lifestyle also assures accountability and discipline.
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Exercise daily:
Exercising on a regular basis will keep your mind sane and your body in shape. You are not expected to indulge in heavy weight lifting or 100 push-ups in a day. Light-free hand movements will do for sure. It will help you elevate your mind off the stress and think clearly.
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Get a good 8 hours of sleep:
Our sleep cycle has much to do with our moods, frustration, and anxiety issues. So when you are not getting a full 8 hours of sleep, things can get out of hand, and your mind can make you do everything in excess of normal. This way, you will also end up overeating, overthinking and over-procrastinating.
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Meditate:
Meditation will help you calm the chaos and bring in the much-needed peace of mind required. When you meditate, you are focusing all of your energy on a fixed spot and clearing your brain off all the unnecessary clutters with time. You can join online sessions and start meditating or watch videos online to learn more.
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Get a hobby:
A hobby can save you from too much stress and social anxiety which comes with online classes and homework deadlines. Instead, find something you are good at and start working on the same. Reading, swimming, dancing, poster collection, anything will do.
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Indulge in some me time and music:
If you are not a person with a hobby, there is nothing to worry about as a little bit of music, a cosy ambience and some dim lights will be perfect for your me time. You can also light a scented candle or get a hot shower just before, adding in the comfort part.
Final Thoughts
Online classes have made education accessible for all, making it an easy task for students to gain knowledge of their choice. We live in a society of free will. However, this new concept of free will and limitless flexibility has caused enough upheaval in student’s life, making them compromise on physical and mental health.
