I’ve had a lot of conversations with my students recently about the stress they’re feeling about learning online, how they’re getting headaches, they feel like they’re stuck in front of the screen all the time, about how they’re feeling overwhelmed, and about how they’re struggling with this new format of learning they’re all doing.
I completely understand. Digital learning is not what the majority of students (or educators) would like to be doing, but it’s a necessary part of the learning experience right now, and something we are all having to adapt to.
Your educators (tutors, teachers and lecturers) all went through this at the start of lockdown when we moved learning the educational experience rapidly, we’ve basically been starting at computer screens since March – it’s an intense, and unusual, experience that takes some getting used to.
Learning online can be an all-encompassing experience, and the phrase ‘living at work’ is one I’ve heard more than a few time this past year. There is a lot of material provided for you, lots of things we suggest you read, watching videos of us talking through concepts and theories, and completing all the tasks we set out for you. Online learning is different from offline learning, we’ve taken all the reading and directed study you’re supposed to do by yourselves and set it all out for you, which both makes it easier for you and can make you feel like you’re suddenly drowning in work. It’s a big change and will take everyone some time to adapt to.
Allow yourself some time to adapt, it’s completely ok to not get the hang of it all right away. That’s normal, and the anxiety surrounding all this is normal too. Just don’t let it stop you getting to grips with our new normal.
With the new digital environment that we’re all spending so much time in, we need to re-organise how we work to ensure we don’t burn out and end up with preventable physical ill effects such as eye strain and the impact of sustained sedentary behaviours.
The good news is that you can get use to this new situation, many of us have and it’s very possible to integrated it into your life in a healthy manner. But you’re going to probably need to change how you’re doing a few things.
What I’m not going to do here is cover the mental health aspects, that’s not within the remit of this blog, and it’s a separate topic anyway. I’ll add a post later on if that’s something which gets requested, but for now this post is specifically about dealing with all this extra screen time you’re facing this year.
Dealing with an increase in screen time.
There is no getting around the fact that we’re all staring at a computer screen more often than we ever have before, this is unavoidable, and for most of us, this comes complete with headaches, sore eyes, eye strain, and discomfort from sitting too long.
Yes, there is a lot to do, yes you have a lot to learn. We’re giving you plenty to do, however, we are NOT expecting you to work 8 solid hours a day without a break. Where learning is asynchronous (so you can do it in your own time) you need to take advantage of that and break up your schedule so it suits you and so you can get some time off. Yes, a 9-5 ‘work-style’ schedule can be useful, particularly if you have children, but when it comes to screen time that’s just not healthy.
Take breaks
You need to take breaks from the screen, from your studies, from your reading, from your thinking. Concentrating over sustained periods of time isn’t good for you, and actually leads to a dropping off of attention, concentration and any actual learning. The ’20 minutes’ of concentration is a myth, but you do need to change the things you do to keep your brain engaged. We actually thrive on differences and change, so factor that into your learning schedule. If you feel like you’re not concentrating on something anymore, change what you’re reading, pick another subject.
Or take a break. Factor in the fact you need breaks as well. You can’t work all the time, so take 5 minutes to make a cup of tea, don’t forget lunch, don’t forget to step away from the screen. Make sure you get some fresh air, be that a walk or sitting in the garden for a while, and most definitely don’t stay up working late into the night – don’t forget to sleep!
Don’t look at the screen all the time, rest your eyes
Your eyes have muscles in them, called the ciliary muscles, it’s how they move the lens, which focuses on the details in your environment onto your retina so your brain can process the things you’re seeing. When you look at close up information on a screen, your ciliary muscles contract so that the lens can focus on the nearby information, focusing it onto your retina so you can read the information. Constant contract of the ciliary muscles can lead to eye strain and this can lead to headaches.
In addition, when you stare at a screen, you actually blink less, which I still find quite strange. This is weird but true (Patel et al, 1991). But you need to blink so your eyes stay moist and hydrated, allowing your eye to function properly. This means your eyes are also getting too dry if you spend all day looking at a screen, again giving you eye strain and headaches.
There is also the brightness of the screen, too bright and you’re getting too much light into your eyes for sustained periods of time, again leading to your eyes telling you they’ve just about had enough – ergo headaches. Think about how you squint if you look at the sun without sunglasses. This is effectively happening when you look at a really bright screen. Your ciliary muscles are impacted, reducing the size of the lens so less light gets through, but the muscles around your eye lids and in your face are also part of the squinting process. Even if you can’t feel it, you’re squinting if you look at a bright screen. And, if you have migraines on top of this, you’re likely to find the refresh rate of your screen having an impact as well.
Reduce the brightness of your display to a comfortable level, and make sure you step away from the screen regularly to give your eyes a break.
Getting enough sleep
This one is important, and something that might be challenging this year with all the stress and strain we’re under. Plus, if you have children, working at night can often be the only quiet time you get. But sleep is important. Quite apart from ensuring you have energy and can function at a reasonable level, it’s necessary for your learning. If you skip it, everything is going to seem more difficult.
Sustained screen time can really mess with your eyes, and head. Fortunately, there are some quick and easy tricks to help.
TOP TIPS
Try these tricks to help your eyes cope with screen time and reduce the physical symptoms of working in front of a screen all day.
- Allow your eye muscles to relax every 20-30 minutes. This doesn’t mean getting up and having a look around, this can mean staring into the distance, and looking at something far away through the window for a few minutes. Just a few minutes and then back to the screen can make a big difference to the tension in your eyes. This can also help you blink normally and ensure your eyes stay hydrated.
- Drink plenty of water. This helps keep you hydrated, which in itself can make you feel a bit odd and make you prone to headaches.
- Get up and walk around, if you can, get outside and go for a walk at least once a day. Getting fresh air is really important, so if you can’t get outside, open a window. Apart from being beneficial for your physical health, it’s really important to get sustained space from the screen.
- Don’t forget lunch, and eat it away from the computer! Go make a cup of tea and drink it in peace rather than staring at your laptop. You need to get fuel in order to function properly.
- Get enough sleep for you, however much that is.
And yes, I do follow my own advice! Mostly. But I wasn’t earlier in the year, and it had a really big impact on me. When we moved to lockdown, I had multiple migraines a week (I normally get 1 every other month) because there was so much to do moving our courses online, and I had a book contract to fulfil as well, I felt I couldn’t have a break as I wouldn’t get everything done. So, I worked all the time. I worked all day (juggling home schooling my daughter as well), I worked evenings and I worked weekends. And I was ill with it. I was getting a walk each day, mostly, but I wasn’t getting enough screen breaks, and with the stress meaning I was sleeping less, I needed to change things.
Here’s a secret I learned, that I’m going to share now; the work is never done. There is always more you can do, always. You can either keep going, risking burnout, or you can maintain your mental and physical health, but you can’t do both. So, do your best with what you can do in the space and time you have, after that, step away and ensure you get your break and give yourself the space to be well, healthy, and headache free. You’ll end up working far more productively because of that.
Walk to pick the kids up, walk around the block to get a break. Stare out the window at least once every hour, daydream or think about what you’ve been reading. Get up and make another cup of tea – yes, you do have time.
Your activity today is to do one (or all) of the following:
- Dance around the kitchen to your favourite playlist (if you live with other people, get them to join in too), bonus points for digging out the disco dance moves.
- Go for a really long walk to your nearest woods, park or the beach.
- Get a cup of tea and sit watching out the window (at home or at a coffee shop if you’re able to get out), watch the world go by and don’t worry.
Relaxing is just as important as screen time, don’t forget to schedule in time for you too.
References
Patel, S., Henderson, R., Bradley, L., Galloway, B., & Hunter, L. (1991). Effect of visual display unit use on blink rate and tear stability. Optom Vis Sci, 68(11), 888-892.
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