The need to stay healthy both physically and mentally is taught since elementary school. However, it is during this time of isolation that it becomes most useful. The transition from physical classrooms to online learning has never been easy for anyone. Therefore, staying healthy during this time is necessary to keep yourself on track. Self-care helps you become a better individual with a good attitude. It helps in keeping yourself organized and balancing your studies with your daily routine. Let’s identify some important practices to secure your health during online learning sessions.
Drink More Water
Drinking a lot of water is the best practice to improve anyone’s health. The habit of drinking adequate water has many advantages ranging from clearing the skin to reducing stomach problems. Staying hydrated helps the brain performance and you will naturally be good at being active throughout the lessons. Since you are learning online from home, there is no restriction to drinking water as you can even use the bathroom freely. The standard recommendation is to drink 4 to 6 glasses of water per day. However, this may differ depending on various conditions such as medication and exercise regimen.
Avoid Processed Food
Processed food often contains a considerate amount of preservatives, food coloring, and similar unhealthy components. So, always make sure to check the ingredients of your snacks and avoid food items that are not suitable for your health. Avoid processed food as much as possible. Try to prepare healthy meals that are nutritious to help increase immunity. It will prevent you from getting sick often and even speed up your recovery. You can make easy snacks such as fruits, cheese, and crackers before an online learning session. It helps to keep yourself energetic and focused when studying.
Create a Comfortable Study Space
If you are uncomfortable within the study room, it will affect your health immensely in the long run. This includes proper seating arrangement, adequate lighting, and keeping the learning space neat and organized. Have everything at your arm’s length so that you can reach everything easily. Here’s how to arrange your study space for online learning at home.
Fix your Posture
Having physical discomforts in the middle of an online session would keep you from paying attention to the lessons. Leaning forward or backward excessively for a long time would cause ailments in the spinal cord. It would even cause various disorders in the neck and shoulders. Therefore, make sure to follow a correct posture attentively at all times. Keep the screen, table, and chair at appropriate heights to avoid discomfort. You can find more on this by learning about ergonomics for online learning.
Take a Break
Taking regular breaks from the computer screens and working tables is a must. Spending long hours looking at screens causes strain in the eyes. This is because when eyes are preoccupied with it, the eyes don’t blink often as required, which is 15 to 20 times per minute. Follow the 20-20-20 rule when using the computer for learning online. This is to take a break every 20 minutes to look at something 20 feet away for 20 seconds.
Taking breaks is not only for the eyes but for the whole body. Walk around inside your house for a change every time you get a break. Do some stretching to cut off the effects of prolonged sitting. It would even help your body feel more active and eliminate sleepiness.
Sleep Well
Getting a good night’s sleep is vital for everyone, especially children. It has a direct impact on mental health and cognitive abilities. Children up to age 12 should get 9 – 12 hours of sleep while teenagers need sleep for 8 – 10 hours. Do not stay awake at night glued to electronic screens, watching TV shows, or Netflix. Sleep is an essential factor to rest your eyes from working with the screens for most of the daytime.
Go for a Walk
Exercising and working out is essential factor to stay healthy during online learning. But most people find it tiresome and demotivating to pursue intense exercise. Therefore, you can try some other physical activities such as walking which is the simplest method. Start small by short walks in the evening and gradually increase the distance. You wouldn’t be disappointed by this as it increases your metabolism and helps in losing excess weight. Don’t forget to enjoy your free time by listening to your favorite music as you work out.
Meditate
You need to concern about mental health as much as you care about physical well-being. Meditation is a good way to calm your mind and increase concentration in your studies. It is one of the most effective ways of handling stress that often comes with isolation due to staying at home for a long time. Various studies show that meditation when done correctly helps in controlling emotions especially if you are going through some difficult times in life. So make it a habit to practice meditation at least for a few minutes every day.
Socialize
It is not a good idea to stay alone in a period of isolation. Researches by the National Institute on Aging shows that isolation and loneliness have a major impact on depression, cognitive decline, and heart diseases. This shows the importance of associating with peers and engaging in different activities. Although staying at home keeps you away from the friends that you used to see every day, you need to keep in touch with them once in a way. Even if you have a small circle of close friends, contact them frequently. Here’s how to keep up with friends during online education.
Keep Stress Out Of Your Way
It is normal to feel anxious and stressed when engaging in online learning activities full-time at home. Do more fun activities with your family and pets during your free time. Put on your favorite playlist loud while you fold your laundry or clean the room. Don’t hesitate to go to the kitchen and prepare a delicious dish on the weekends. Seize every opportunity to enjoy life even when you are in the middle of a college semester. This will keep your mind light and help you in achieving your full academic potential.
