Universities offer virtual courses because they have more flexibility and independence than on-campus classes — especially during a pandemic. You can listen to lectures and complete assignments on your own schedule, but sometimes that leads to student burnout. Once you experience burnout symptoms, it’s even more challenging to find the motivation to get great scores on your exams.
This is how to beat online class burnout when you’re feeling overwhelmed with your courses. Anyone can use these tips to lower their stress levels and finish the semester with complete confidence.
Visualise Your Goals
Walking across campus creates a focused mindset. Every step leads you past academic buildings filled with other motivated people. It’s impossible to forget why you’re there and trying so hard to do well. Sitting at a desk in your home doesn’t invoke the same inspiration.
Burnout can begin when you don’t know what you’re working towards. Think about why you’re attending university and what your classes will do for your future. After you have those goals in mind, create a vision board and hang it wherever you do schoolwork. When you start to feel discouraged or tired, glance at your dreams and remember why you signed up for those courses in the first place.
Schedule Your Day
In-person classes give you an hour or two to focus on one subject at a time. Afterwards, you get a break to walk to your next class, grab food or head back to your hall. When you work at home, it’s easy to throw yourself into your work and spend hours staring at a screen or book.
You can beat online school burnout if you schedule your day. Divide your coursework into blocks of time with breaks in between. Give yourself a lunch period, too. If your mind has a chance to recharge, you’ll improve your daily productivity and retain the focus you need to learn.
Use a Virtual Whiteboard
Zoom has become a critical tool for virtual classes. Even though it sounds easy to watch lectures and comment on discussion boards, Zoom fatigue is a real struggle for students with online courses.
You can combat and prevent this burnout by approaching Zoom calls differently. Participate a bit more so you don’t have to stare at a screen for an hour or more. You might share and annotate notes on a whiteboard during a class or study session. Turn on your mic so you can join in with questions.
These efforts will engage your mind and make classes more fun, reducing your overall stress.
Tackle Your Procrastination
Some people thrive when they attend virtual classes. Others find themselves overwhelmed with procrastination. It’s much harder to fight the urge to avoid work when no professor is standing in front of you. There’s nothing wrong with having to adjust to this struggle, especially when you can use scientifically proven tips and tricks to get back to work.
You could tackle your most challenging assignment first so the rest doesn’t seem so bad. Maybe you need to forgive yourself for missing past projects to build your confidence. Try a few tips to discover what works for you.
Reward Your Hard Work
Don’t forget to reward your hard work after it pays off! A relaxing bath or a new video game reaffirms that your dedication is worth your time. It’s also a way to tackle the stress that leads to online school burnout. Even taking a walk around your neighbourhood gives you time to enjoy something before starting classes all over again tomorrow.
Journal Your Experience
Online university burnout can lead to many different symptoms. You could experience anything from stress headaches to extreme fatigue. You’ll know how to deal with academic burnout if you understand how your burnout manifests itself.
So consider journaling about your daily experiences. At the end of each week, reflect on your entries. You’ll spot connections and repetitive symptoms more clearly than when they’re happening in-the-moment. From there, you can tailor your stress relief efforts to your needs.
Listen to Your Body
Now that you’ve learned how to beat online class and online university burnout, it’s time to listen to your body. Use these tips to learn how it responds to stress and what you can do to beat it. With a little time and practice, getting high grades in virtual classes will come naturally to you.
