I'm sure all of us have had to deal with online school one way or another. Whether we have colleagues, children, siblings, friends, etc. dealing with this new hurdle, I'm sure you've heard one of them complain about it. Many adults have come to the assumption that kids are over-reacting about the whole situation, but what they aren't realizing are the mental health problems and exhaustion that comes along with it under the surface.

The Pandemic

Every single one os us have faced the ongoing pandemic in the past year somehow. Many people have lost loved ones, caught the coronavirus themselves, or stayed in their homes on lockdown. We are now forced to wear masks and our whole world has been turned upside down from the deadly illness. With over 2.5 million deaths worldwide, things have been far from normal. Masks are required everywhere you go, and you can't even have a little cough in the store without everyone looking at you like you have three heads. One of the most "popular" effects of this oandemic has been hurdling the tasks of work and school virtually.

Who's Really Impacted Here?

The people impacted most by these newfound online classes are students and teachers. Teachers have had to develop new lesson plans to adjust to the out-of-the-ordinary circumstances and go to work in masks all day risking their chances of catching covid-19. WHat teachers aren't realizing is the stress children are under in these conditions. Their endless cycle of work and "Due by 11:59 p.m." has been far from helpful to students mental health. It's extremely stressful and without the usual assistance of teachers with in-person contact, it makes it way more difficult to receive help for students struggling with their classes. Many kids have gone from straight A students, to failing all of their classes. Staring at a computer screen for at least seven hours a day along with homework for anlother four or five hours is mentally draining. These times are especially hard for people who have developed mental illnesses from the pandemic itself. It's safe to say that students are getting the worst-end of all of this online nonsense.

What's Being Impacted?

Now we've reached the topic of what;s being impacted. I'm sure many of you can a;ready assume the issues here, but I've done some research, and along with some of my own experiences and answers I've receieved from interviewing people from various levels of education (middle school, highschool, college, med-school, etc.) I've taken the responsibility of making a list of all effects from online school:

1. Depression

Many students have found themselves struggling with depression since the pandemic started and we went into lockdown. Online school has made it worse for people battling with their grades and feeling like a failure. According to a study conducted by the CDC (Center of Disease Control), anxiety and depression symptoms have increased by over 39%. Without the sufficient assistance they need, more and more students are slipping away into this mental illness.

2. Stress/Anxiety

The CDC claims 40.9 respondants to their survey have mental health proved to have developed anxiety over the course of this pandemic with 28% stemming from virtual responsibilites such as school or work. Healthline's artiles titled "People with Covid-19 More Likely to Develop Depression, Anxiety, and Dementia," also claims that 1 in 5 people who developed covid-19 had a two-times greater risk for developing a stress or anxiety disorder. The online classes students are taking are not helping in any way when it comes to relieving this constant pressure to succeed.

3. Mental Exhaustion

Based on some of my own research from the twenty participants I interviewed from various levels of education, nineteen of them have admitted to feeling mentally exhausted after a long day of online work, and 100% of participants have agreed to feeling mentally exhausted after an entire week of online work. Staring at a computer screen is also known to cause restlessness, as proven in a study done by Jane E. Brody of the New York Times titled, "Computer Vidion Syndrome Effects Millions." The effects of staring at a computer screen all day can cause migraines, insomnia, and even worsen eyesight. That's why it's extremely important to monitor your screen time and for schools to make the efforts to reduce their vigorous constraints on its use.

4. Feelings of Isolation or Loneliness

Isolation or loneliness is a very common problem in terms of the pandemic. Lockdowns and people being forced to remain in their homes are bound to have some sort of effects on people, and this just happens to be a very common one. The feelings of isolation are also related to the depression and anxiety people have been developing now throughout online school. Fifteen of my interviewers have also claimed that they have felt lonely or isolated amongst this entire pandemic, and fourteen of them have said that online school has provoked these feelings even more.

5. Substance Use

Substance is one of the final consequences of this pandemic that I feel is necessary to mention. Multiple people, including those I know, have found substances to be their escape from everything going on in reality. The substances range from smoking weed, to snorting lines of cocaine for its high. The CDC's webiste claims 13% of adults have developed substance abuse from the pandemic alone, nevermind all of the teenagers that have turned to it without the maturity or capacity to turn away.

Ways to Help:

Although this pandemic has definitely been stressful on all of us during these hard times virtually, there are multiple ways you could help a loved one in need during this time. Ask them how they're doing, offer your support, reach out to their familes to help them quit substance abuse, or just pop in and say hey every once in a while to let them know you're thinking of them. All of these things can help to make a person feel less alone during these horrific times. I believe the only true way for all of this to end, is if schools find solutions to cut down their workload and screen time. Until then, we're just stuck in this endless cycle of repeating chaos.