9 Ways to Look After Your Mental Health as an Online Student

9 Ways to Look After Your Mental Health as an Online Student

Learning online has become a popular choice for many modern degree students. The added
flexibility of online learning, often cheaper costs of being able to learn from home and continue
work that wouldn’t be possible when studying for a traditional degree, plus the wide range of study
options available to today’s online students means that it truly is the future of degree study.
More and more universities are beginning to see the advantage of online learning and are beginning
to offer this option to students alongside traditional degree courses, while some universities operate
completely online.

There are many reasons why opting for an online degree might be the best choice for you. Perhaps
you’ve already been to university so getting the ‘student experience’ isn’t really important to you;
you just want to further your education with as much flexibility as possible. Perhaps your employer
has offered to pay for your degree, but you need an option that allows you to continue working full-
time while you study. Or, maybe you are concerned about the cost of attending university and want
to graduate with as little debt as possible, so have chosen an online degree course as the most cost-
effective choice.

Whatever your reasons, there are many benefits to studying online. The degree that you receive at
the end of your studies is exactly the same as what you would get if you studied on-campus, except
for that you’ve had more control over how you learn throughout the study period. And when it
comes to career prospects, many employers today have a lot of respect for online students, as they
know that it takes a lot of self-motivation and dedication to earn a degree online.
However, earning an online degree can be lonely, and juggling your online learning with other
commitments can be very stressful. Here are some tips to help you look after your mental health as
an online student.

Be Prepared
First of all, you want to minimise as much unnecessary stress as possible. And, a lot of stress can be
caused when you don’t feel prepared for the work that you are about to take on. Before you apply
for an online degree programme, spend some time exploring courses and look into the specifics of
what is going to be expected of you while you study, so that you know what’s coming and feel more
in control.In addition, many universities that offer online courses will give students the option to try it out
before they make a decision. If you can, sign up for a trial course or take the option to look around
the online learning portal and familiarise yourself with it; knowing what to do when it comes to
things like submitting assignments, logging into online classes and getting in touch with your tutor
will make it easier to get started and help you avoid unnecessary stress and anxiety. Many online
universities also provide students with plenty of tips and advice to utilise; click here for more
information.

Get Involved
Just because you’re studying online, doesn’t mean that you have to sit at home by yourself and not
get involved with any of the regular student activities. If you have friends at bricks-and-mortar
universities who are involved with clubs and societies, or you’ve been to university before and really
enjoyed the social aspect of things, studying online can come as a big shock that leaves you feeling
left out and lonely.
But the good news is that there are still many opportunities to get involved with the social side.
Many online universities have societies and clubs that you can join online, a student’s union to get
involved in and local meetups that might come to your area or nearby. Check out student forums
and speak to your tutors to find out what’s available for you outside of academic work, and find
something that you are interested in getting involved in.

Socialise
It’s a common mistake to believe that online students don’t get to socialise. True, you might not be
living in halls with a student bar down the road where you can go for drinks with your classmates,
but there are plenty of other opportunities for you to make like-minded friends. Get started by being
active in student forums and finding people who are taking the same course as you nearby; you
might be surprised at the number of online students there are in the world today, and how many are
close to you! And, since online study tends to attract people from all walks of life, there’s a good
chance that you’ll get to connect with and make friends with people that you might not normally
cross paths with.
Social media is another excellent tool for socialising and making new friends as an online student.
Most online universities have social media groups that you can join, both official and unofficial.
Some students will set up Facebook and WhatsApp groups for the students from their course which
you can join to take part in the conversation and get to know the people who you are studying
alongside. Take advantage of any local meetups; students who live close to each other often arrange
trips to the pub or a local restaurant on a regular basis.

Know What Support is Available
As an online student, there’s no need to struggle in silence. If you’re not having the best time as you
study for your degree, familiarise yourself with the support that is available to you. Many
universities have specialised teams designed to offer support to students who need it, so if
something is happening in your life that’s making it difficult for you to focus, speak to the relevant
people and they will be able to get some support in place for you as soon as possible. For example,
you may be able to apply for an extension to a deadline that you are struggling with, or your
university may be able to offer you a telephone or online session with a counsellor if you are having
trouble with your mental health.
These services tend to be free of charge to students, and they are there for you to use. Remember
that there’s absolutely no shame in asking for support when you need it – after all, we all need
support from time to time.

Stay in Contact with Friends
The last thing that you want is to completely lose yourself in your online degree and end up drifting
away from your friends. Studying for an online degree is no easy task, especially if you are juggling it
with other big commitments like a full-time job or raising a family, so you’re going to need your
social circle now more than ever. And what are friends for, if they can’t offer you emotional or
practical support when you need it?
Making the effort to keep in touch with your friends as you study will help you keep some sense of
normality in your life and ensure that you have a support network available to you when you need it.
Any good friend will understand why you may not be able to spend as much time as normal with
them if you’re taking on an online degree on top of everything else, but take some time to stay in
touch via phone calls, texting and social media. Simply having a friend who you can vent to after a
hard day can make all the difference to how you feel.

Be Honest About Your Feelings
As humans, we have a wide range of both positive and negative emotions and it’s okay to feel them
all. Toxic positivity is no help to anybody, so if you’re not feeling good about something, allow
yourself to acknowledge that feeling and spend some time figuring out why you feel that way
instead of beating yourself up for not feeling positive or grateful. Once you’ve figured out why you
feel something negative like sadness, stress or anger, it’s easier to deal with the root cause for real,
rather than hiding it with a smile which is only going to mask it for a while until you can’t take it any
longer.
Be honest about your feelings and figure out what works for you. If you’re having negative feelings
about something, determine what helps you really feel better. Maybe spending some time with your
family is what works, or talking it through with a friend. Perhaps you find that a therapy session goes
a long way, or working it out in the gym helps you put things into perspective. The truth is that
getting an online degree can be stressful, so allow yourself to feel those negative feelings and figure
out what you need to do to turn them around.

Talk About It
Don’t be afraid to ask for professional help if you need it. Studying for an online degree can cause a
lot of anxiety about your workload, finances, and the future. It can bring up old feelings of anxiety
and stress. In addition, if you’ve not done as well as you hoped with a certain assignment, it can
unearth feelings of poor self-esteem and low confidence which can leave you feeling depressed and
hopeless. There’s nothing wrong with reaching out and asking a professional to help you through
these feelings and figure out healthier coping mechanisms that work well for you.
Cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) can be an especially useful tool if you want to work through
poor coping mechanisms and feelings that are hindering your success. With the help of a trained
therapist, you can get to the root cause of any issues that you are having while studying online and
figure out how to tackle them in a safe and caring space.

Get Enough Sleep and Exercise
Your physical and mental health are intricately linked to one another, so it’s important to make sure
that you are taking care of yourself physically when studying for your online degree. Sleep is
especially important; if you’re not getting enough of it, you are going to end up feeling worn out,
struggle to focus and it could end up having a knock-on effect and cause other negative feelings
towards yourself, which will affect your ability and your grades even further. The last thing that you
want is to get caught in a downward spiral, so make sure that you are getting enough sleep. Avoid
the temptation to stay up late into the night cramming by making sure that you give yourself plenty
of time to get everything done and favour waking up early to get things done instead.
Exercise is also another important factor for both physical and mental health. Along with keeping
you in shape, getting physically active releases ‘feel-good’ endorphins that will help you see things
from a different perspective. If you’re struggling with a lot of work and struggling to focus, going for
a short brisk walk could be all you need to come back and see things with a clearer mind. Making the
time to exercise regularly will not only keep your physical health in top shape but make sure that
your brain is working at the top of its game too.

Take Regular Breaks
Cramming all the time and never giving yourself time off from studying can be tempting when you
have looming deadlines to worry about, but the truth is that it can do more harm than good and lead
to burnout that affects your ability to study well. Taking regular breaks and allowing yourself to have
some me-time is important for your mental health and ability to work effectively.
Schedule in short, 5-10-minute breaks for every hour or so of study time to get up, stretch your legs
and get something to eat and drink. And when putting together your weekly study schedule, try to
take at least one day where you can spend time relaxing and socialising before returning to study
the next day.

Studying for an online degree can be a lot of work that can impact your mental health and wellbeing.
Keep these tips in mind to stay mentally strong and healthy as an online student.