Mental health is important for every individual. But it is especially essential for students who are already under the constant pressure of performing well in every aspect of their lives. Mental health should be taken very seriously, but instead, parents and teachers often have a low tolerance for the side effects of mental health issues.
Above all that, the COVID-19 pandemic has made things even worse. To maintain social distancing, the educational system has been entirely shifted to virtual learning. Now students not being able to go outside and interact with their friends and classmates are suffering from panic attacks and severe anxiety. The healthy routine which is necessary for anyone to avoid mental breakdowns has all vanished.
In this post, you will learn how virtual learning has dramatically affected the mental health of students.
Physical weakness means mental weakness.
What happens if you stop all your physical activities to sit in front of a laptop that constantly feeds information to your mind? You will start to become weak physically and mentally. Without any healthy light workout, you can easily fall into the brutal hands of many diseases.
One of which is depression and panic attacks. Walking to your classes on the campus road or playing a little basketball at the gymnasium can add healthy cardio to your routine. Without getting any of these physical activities, you will surely lose your motivation to learn better.
You will also eventually get to a point where you become physically weak and unable to do the simplest tasks. You can also get bone diseases without getting sufficient sunlight on your skin. Weak eyesight by constantly staring at a screen. In a regular classroom, you get to watch your professor explain a lecture on a whiteboard that won’t give you a migraine, unlike your laptop screens.
Isolation is the culprit.
The most disturbing negative effect would be the isolation part of virtual learning. You are all by yourself in a dorm room, just waiting for your classes to be on. There is no human interaction apart from group chats, which genuinely doesn’t serve the purpose.
Isolation is one of the worst results of virtual learning. You have no choice but to deal with everything by yourself. In a traditional classroom, you can share your academic problems with your friends and classmates.
But in virtual learning, you are all by yourself; therefore, social distancing causes you to indulge in negative thoughts. As a result, you start to feel lonely and demotivated, and this results in bad grades.
Lack of support system
Everybody needs somebody. High school and college are some of the most challenging years for students. It has been reported that students feel extreme stress and pressure in their early 20s. The only reason for this is the calibre of academic success expected from them. You need an entire village to complete just a simple assignment. The actual culprit is the pressure exerted by educational institutions.
They want all students to be A-grade students. They expect the unrealistic from their alumni, resulting in students failing miserably. With a sound support system, the students are able to cope with anything that comes their way. For instance, a rejection of their dissertation or a bad grade on their essay. If you have a sound support system provided to you by your classmates, guidance counsellor, supervisors and teachers, then you can succeed in any subject.
But in a virtual learning setup, you are stuck with the most challenging situations to deal with all by yourself. No student deserves that. The lack of a support system can be really difficult for students. They not only have to learn to be self-disciplined but also have to be self-soothing.
Time is a luxury
There is absolutely no time left for any social life. Some schools and colleges believe in the number of classes and hours of each class rather than the quality of learning. As a result, your entire day will be filled with continuous classes. Each of them can exceed to 2 hours at a time. This is torture for students who are already suffering from isolation anxiety.
Social interactions make a person better. Some students are supporting themselves by working part-time and full-time. For them taking online classes for the entire day can be a hassle. Fortunately, some of them can avail themselves of services as Pay To Do My Online Class in their country. But who is to say that the rest of the students have such facilities in their countries.
Human touch is necessary.
Nothing beats the human touch, virtual learning gives way to many advantages, but one disadvantage that stands out above all is the no human physical interactions. This does not mean that students need to hug out every success and failure, but it means that a little high five can also build in the excitement and motivation to keep going.
You do not get to play with your friends at recess time, you don’t receive a pat on your back from your teachers, or you simply do not feel comfortable talking to anyone anymore. A traditional classroom was not invented to have students absorb information but also to implement those learning with practice.
Without students showing kindness and gratitude to one another or their teachers, the students are failing at communication and connection.
In the real world, these are the things that actually matter a lot. More than your educational background, the confidence and skills you carry get you that dream job.
Laughter makes things better.
Students have continuously reported feelings of isolation and loneliness during their virtual learning. The lack of social life takes a significant toll on their mental health. Therefore, experts advise students to take some time out for themselves. Either reschedule your online classes or take services like “Take My Class” to plan a day out for yourself because nothing is more important than mental health.