how do you study full-time online without going crazy?

Hello World, I am planning to resume a degree in Physics through Open University this fall in their "integrated masters" track. I've gotta whole lot of questions but I'll start with this one: how do you study full-time online without going crazy?

Currently, I am taking a couple of distance learning courses through Sweden's University system as well as self-teaching in areas beyond the scope of my formal coursework, and I've got to say, I feel like I am losing my mind sometimes.

I get that "distance learning isn't for everyone" but I don't really have any other options right now. If I want to resume my studies (which I do) I am going to have to do it through Open University. I consider myself exceptionally lucky to even have this option in the first place but there are aspects of remote education (or really, remote anything) that seem a bit precarious, for me at least.

Right now, for example, I wake up, take care of my cats, I make coffee and go straight to the table where I study. I quite like this routine in some ways and I look forward to studying every morning because even throughout the frustrations and confusions, I love what I am studying. The issue here is, I don't ever leave the house. There is no strong impetus to leave the house that a fixed obligation in a brick and mortar institution would provide. When I went to brick and mortar uni, no matter how I felt, I had to get dressed, go outside, walk to the bus stop and go to class. And even on my worst days, paradoxically, being forced out of the door and into the world outside usually made me feel a little better. These days, I don't have that same impetus and I find myself staying inside, alone, all day. I talk to my cats like Chuck Noland talks to Wilson the volleyball in Castaway. In the instances where I have to go out to the supermarket or something I find myself putting it off because I am SCARED. Why am I scared, you ask? I don't know, but my best guess is that I am a lunatic. Another good guess is that being inside so much and not having to face those little discomforts that get me out into the world allows my little bubble to get smaller and smaller without consequence and they all of a sudden things like going to the supermarket seem daunting.

Okay, I am rambling, I digress. For those of you who study full-time remotely (or study part time remotely while working remotely as well), how do you keep yourself sane and well? Do you have any habits, rituals, routines, hobbies, support structures that help you keep your mental health fine tuned throughout your studies?

One thing I think I should add is that I am 24 years old and I recently moved to a "foreign" nation (I put foreign in quotes because I am technically a citizen but only on a technicality). My good friends are all an ocean and a few time zones away and I speak the language but it's far from my mother tongue. I think this further exacerbates the isolation and my tendency to turn inward... Okay I think I am starting to stray from the topic at hand so I will end things here.

In conclusion, I thought I would send this out into the ether and see if it reaches anyone who might be able to offer some tips or share what they find/have found helpful throughout their distance learning studies.

Thanks and a salutation.

Reply 1

Siobhan79

Hi there,

I have studied online but it was part time whilst I was working. I know what you mean about feeling like you have pretty much chained yourself to your desk and it kind of sounds a little like you have a mild case of agoraphobia setting in, but hopefully you’ll be able to get yourself out of it.

Firstly, try spending just 5 minutes walking around your house / flat so you can keep close to home. After then, just try extending that walk around the neighbourhood. I work from home twice a week and in the morning I go for a walk an hour before I start work. At lunchtime I have lunch at the desk and I go out for half an hour. At the end of my working day, I switch everything off and repeat the walk I did in the morning. I’m not saying you should try to do this, but it could be a pattern you could gently introduce yourself to, just a little at a time. Maybe you’ll find there’s a park or somewhere nearby that you quite like. Even if you walk there and sit down for a few minutes and walk back home, it’s better than nothing.

I’m not sure what else to suggest, but I hope that you manage to find your way outside, even if it is for a few minutes a day ☺️

Siobhan

Open University

Milton Keynes

Reply 2

Anonymous #1

I am in a similar situation, studying with the OU. Me and my mum both study at home and only go to the shops and my aunties house. I am 18

Reply 3

Veet Voojagig

It definitely helps to be an introvert. I am the opposite of you and I did not like the hussle and bussle of university life. It was exhausting and I simply treated it as an endurance exercise to get through it. I much prefer studying alone.

That said, getting out for a walk and a bit of sunshine does wonders for your mood. If you are going a bit crazy whilst chained to your desk all day, then make time in your schedule to leave the house and get some exercise. If you need some social contact, join a gym and go regularly.

Also, depending on your course of study, the OU forums can be a good place to connect and meet like-minded people. You may just surprise yourself in the end when you discover how many new friends you've made by the end of your course.

Oh, and talking to the cat is perfectly normal, or at least that is what I tell myself. Mine even answers back (he's a meezer). :biggrin: