How to Find Balance During Distance Learning

If you’re preparing for your first — or maybe an unanticipated second — semester of online school, you probably want to know how to make things go smoothly. It takes time to master the medium, so treat yourself gently and take care of your physical and mental health.

What are some of the top remote learning tips for students? How can you find mental health resources for distance learning and find a social circle to help you stay the course? The following eight activities will make the coming semester your most productive yet.

1. Make a Realistic Plan

You know the old cliché about planning to fail. When it comes to tips for distance learning, investing in a planner tops nearly every list for a good reason. It doesn’t matter if you opt for an app or use old-fashioned print. You need a place to keep track of pressing deadlines and chart a course for managing multiple responsibilities.

2. Locate Available Mental Health Resources

If you learn online, you might not have gotten the typical freshman tour that includes the campus mental health center. One of the top mental health tips for distance learning is locating these resources. Many online schools offer campus counseling services virtually, but you may not know these options exist.

What if you’re following a nontraditional path to further your career, such as taking classes on Udemy? If your job and income are on shaky ground, you need all the help you can get to manage the stress. Break adverse mental health habits by turning off the news and avoiding social media. Adding to your tension will only make focusing on your studies more challenging.

3. Get Your Body Moving

Regular exercise benefits your physical and mental health. For some people, going for a run outside boosts their mood as much as antidepressants. Avoid using the excuse, “I’m too busy or tired.” That’s what your planner is for — you can pencil in time to tend to your body’s needs.

If you don’t feel safe heading to a gym and lack the desire to train solo, why not download a fitness app? You can find anything from quick 20-minute HIIT workouts to Zumba parties where you dance the night away.

4. Embrace Healthy Meal Prepping

Let’s face it — when you run from your job to class and then hit the books, you don’t have time to play Martha Stewart at mealtimes. However, some days are busier than others, and one of the best remote learning tips is to learn how to prep healthy freezer meals during your downtime. That way, you always have something to grab-and-go when life gets hectic. It’s far kinder to your waist than hitting the drive-thru.

5. Join Online Clubs

Learning online can be lonely. However, while the traditional extracurricular landscape may have changed at your school, it probably still has virtual clubs like student government and yearbook. Find a way to get involved — it looks good on your resume and helps beat shelter-in-place boredom.

6. Find Safe and Healthy Student Happy Hours

More than half of all Americans still enjoy a Friday afternoon tipple with friends and colleagues. However, if you practice sober living or are a minor, no law says you can’t opt for herbal tea instead of mixing up whatever cocktail others enjoy.

You can also talk to others in recovery groups you attend to coordinate booze-free events — there’s no pressure to share or donate, only enjoy the friendship of others who say no to the sauce. Everyone’s at a different stage, and you can dig on the camaraderie without triggering yourself.

7. Create a Bedtime Ritual

Sleep requirements vary from person to person, but most experts agree you should aim for seven to nine hours per 24-hour period. Create a bedtime ritual to help you destress and get your Zs.

You can download free meditation recordings to listen to as you drift into dreamland. Be sure to keep electronics out of bed because the blue light can interrupt melatonin production. However, the relaxing lull of another human guiding you through deep breathing and relaxation exercises can silence the racing thoughts that make you toss and turn.

8. Gift Yourself Unstructured Time

Would you try to do biceps curls for 24 hours nonstop? Unless you’re trying out for “The Guinness Book of World Records,” probably not, at least if you intended to use your arms to lift so much as a pencil later. Giving yourself downtime is a wise distance learning tip.

Your mind is a muscle, and like any other, it heals and grows stronger during rest. Give yourself the gift of unstructured time when you write your weekly schedule on Sunday evening. When that lovely slot arrives, you can take a bath, lose yourself in a hobby or binge-watch that hit Netflix series everyone raves about.

How to Cope With Distance Learning

It’s challenging to cope and stay mentally healthy while learning online. Embrace these eight distance learning tips to keep your balance this semester.