The day starts as usual. You get out of bed, switch on your laptop, and before you’ve had breakfast, you are already in a class. You spend your day in a blur of tabs, typing in chat boxes, and missing out on a seemingly endless pile of assignments. Now there are no hallways, no lunch with friends, and no bells to signal the end of the day. More recordings, more notifications, and more fatigue. By the time the semester begins to wind down, the burnt-out students are more than just tired. But why, when we are learning from our homes, does school feel so exhausting?
One aspect of the problem is the imbalance within the environment. When school and home exist in the same space, it becomes hard to make the mental shift between work and rest. A recent study from university students studying digital burnout found that poor psychological health is strongly correlated with digital burnout, especially for students taking on multiple subjects. Students feel like they are ‘always in school’ with no physical transitions like moving from class to class or leaving the building. Psychologists have always pointed out that lack of clearly defined limits will lead to higher stress, lower motivation, and ultimately burnout. Many students at GWUOHS can relate to this.
“It often feels like I can’t study anymore; it becomes difficult to understand text, and there is an inexplicable urge to do something other than schoolwork. This often leaves me tired, drained, and unmotivated to study,” senior Reem A. said.
Like most, she found it valuable to do something creative, like painting or drawing, to come down from school.
Blended school requires unremitting screen time, which has its own complications. One study that explores time spent on screens and academic performance found that children spending more than average time online reported more anxiety and lower grades. This was further supported by a survey of university students in Thailand, which found poor sleep and lower academic performance correlated with heightened screens and digital exposure. Hours of concentration on a screen are exhausting to the brain and the eyes.
“I have felt a little burned out from digital school before, and I think it’s just because we do get quite a bit of work. It makes me feel exhausted and I have a lack of motivation, but I usually just take a break and realize that one overdue assignment isn’t the end of the world,” freshman Samantha M. said.
Like Reem, Samantha. has also figured out that making a schedule, as well as separating school from the relaxation areas, helps eliminate the stress.
Of course, we also miss the social factor. Breakout rooms and the discussion boards make an effort to mimic classroom discussions, but they do not replace the real-life conversations. In Poland, during the COVID-19 pandemic, students engaged in e-learning and their studies showed an increase in levels of stress and depressive symptoms. In-person classes add the factor of small talk, group dynamics, and shared experiences, which help learning and also lighten the feel of the day.
While these aspects aren’t as present in an online environment, students still find their own ways to connect whether through brief small talk in classes, shared virtual events, or group chats that build on that sense of community.
Nevertheless, there are GWUOHS students that are different when it comes to online learning.
For Shivani P., it is about being on the computer for long hours.
“It’s not a full burnout for me. It just feels like my focus slows down, and I need a break. The good thing about GWUOHS is that the school encourages balance and independence, so I’ve been able to recognize those moments early and reset. I do not see it as a negative but as a positive thing, to be a reminder to recharge and come back with more energy,” Shivani said.
This goes to show how some challenges that come with digital learning can be turned into more positive, constructive experiences.
Even though the digital tools are straightforward, they can sometimes make school feel repetitive and draining. Constant online communication, notifications, and digital assignments can still feel overwhelming at times. Researchers describe this feeling as “digital overwhelm,” where managing everything through screens becomes mentally exhausting. In a study conducted on medical students about online learning, it was found that 16% of students met the parameters for academic burnout; a lot more stated that they were emotionally burned out and exhausted because of the incessant demands of online learning.
At GWUOHS, students are learning to navigate these pressures in different ways, whether by finding different hobbies, sticking to a schedule, or setting up boundaries between “school space” and “personal space.” What is clear from their voices is that burnout in online school isn’t just about too much work; it is about how the whole digital setup squeezes school and life into one space. Blurred boundaries, endless screen time, missing social energy, and nonstop notifications all pile up into exhaustion. The digital classroom was designed to make learning easier, but unless we learn to set boundaries, it risks turning education into pure fatigue. Screens fuel our learning, but they should not extinguish our drive.
