Students are spending the majority of their days looking at screens, and it is taking a toll on their wellbeing. Accepting the ‘new normal’ does not mean that we have learned how to deal with its consequences on our relationships, behaviors, minds and bodies.

“Zoom fatigue has affected my productivity level a lot,” said Tamoghna Dey, Class of 2022. “I find it very hard to function after sitting on my chair all day.”

Leo Al-ajab, Class of 2022, echoed that screen time comes at a cost: “I don't really have a problem with Zoom essentially, but the screen time has been disastrous.” Eye strain and migraines became a major issue for her. With classes, assignments and readings being online, she has no other choice but to push through the pain if she wants to do well in her classes.

If screen time was only required for academics, it would perhaps not be such a problem. But academics are just one aspect of university life. Calls with friends, Student Interest Group meetings, events at the career center, talks at the NYU Abu Dhabi Institute and even fitness classes all take place on Zoom.

“Our screen time primarily used to be leisure. But now that it's been paired with our classes and work, it has become too much,” Dey added.

Meeting people online does not have the same effects as in person meetings.

“[Zoom life] makes it hard to create relationships with people at school,” explained Addie Mae, Class of 2024, who is studying remotely. In the era of social distancing, being part of the NYUAD community is abstracted from the physical reality, to which one comes back each time a Zoom call ends or a screen fades black.

And it is not just our social lives that are suffering. Our health is too.

Zoom meetings and prolonged screen time foster sedentary behavior, which is linked to type 2 diabetes, some types of cancer, slower metabolism and obesity. In a recent study conducted on office workers who spend on average six hours in a sitting position, more than 70 percent of the office workers felt exhausted during the day and around 50 percent experienced either neck, lower back or shoulder pain.

Extended viewing of digital screens results in a variety of problems commonly referred to as a computer vision syndrome. Neck pain, eye strain and headaches are its most common symptoms. With the advent of smartphones and tablets, the omnipresent screens are becoming a major public health issue. There is no doubt that the pandemic has only made it worse by replacing in-person meetings with more screen interaction.

While there is no one solution that would work universally, awareness is a good place to start. Try paying attention to the ways you are spending time on screens and the effects it has on your feelings and actions. Here are a few suggestions to think about.

Exposure to blue light in the evening is linked to the decrease of melatonin, the hormone that helps us fall asleep. Blue light glasses are another alternative for decreasing the intake of blue light, although its effectiveness is yet to be determined. In either case, a screen brightness that matches your surroundings can alleviate eye strains. Here’s how to turn on the night mode on Windows, Android, Mac and iOS.

Review screen time statistics on your device and consider setting a time limit for some apps. This can be done on both iOS (Settings → Screen Time) and Android (Settings → Digital Wellbeing & Parental Controls).

Let your eyes take a break by looking at distant objects, such as those outside the window. There is a famous 20-20-20 rule recommended by eye doctors as well as institutions: every 20 minutes, look at an object at least 20 feet away (six meters) for at least 20 seconds. Chrome extensions, such as this one, will remind your eyes to take a break, to stand up to stretch your legs and reduce the risk of forming blood clots in veins.

Find small ways to increase physical activity to compensate for the sedentary behavior. Try turning the camera off after a while during a call with a friend or even walk and talk, if possible. Even a small improvement in physical activity has positive effects on mood and reduces academic stress.

Take a break from social media for half a day or a couple of days and see how it makes you feel. After going on a social media detox for three days myself, I felt less overwhelmed but also uneasy, because I didn’t want to make my friends feel ignored. Letting my friends know of this change helped me not feel pressured to reply instantly. I still get to stay in touch, but I am breaking the habit of checking social media compulsively. Many students also use app timers and/or periodically delete the app from their phones.

Although it might seem harmless to quickly respond to a message or an email, studies have shown otherwise. Multitasking makes your brain tired faster because it has to keep switching attention. Multitasking is not only detrimental to studying but it is even harder to resist in online classes, according to a 2019 study.

You won’t have to resist opening that message or email if it never interrupts you in the first place.

Keep your phone in a different room or at least away from your field of vision, maybe under a pillow on your bed, under papers on your desk or on a shelf . This is supported by research stating that the mere presence of a smartphone is enough to decrease cognitive capacity. People once dreamed about Zoom meetings becoming a reality.

“Persons and things will be brought within focus of cameras […] with screens at opposite ends of circuits, thousands of miles at a span,” wrote John Watkins in 1900. More than a century later, virtual meetings have become the new normal. Worn-out from sitting, Zoom-fatigued and with our eyes strained, we learn that it does not feel like a dream at all, and there are ways to make the new normal more comfortable for our bodies and minds.