"Zoom Fatigue" Remedies
Welcome to the buffet of web meetings! Now we can hold our business meetings, conduct interviews, socially connect with friends and family, practice yoga or get your gym workout, see your doctor or therapist and all from our laptops or mobile device. While the convenience of “living and working” from home is certainly appreciated a new modern phenomenon has been born that many of us are becoming all too familiar with…Zoom Fatigue.
What is Zoom Fatigue? Well, that feeling of being drained, mentally exhausted and overstimulated while surprisingly not even breaking a sweat or leaving your desk. You may notice headaches or tension in the eyes, jaw and neck. Some people report milder cases such as a lack of focus or feeling scattered or anxious.
Why do we get Zoom Fatigue? In personal communication we rarely hold eye contact and concentration on a single screen/face for as long as we do in a web based meeting. This causes a lot more strain for the eyes and a greater focus of our awareness. This takes a lot of energy! We also become hyper aware of our appearance which can lead to an excess of self-monitoring and vigilance in what we do and how we appear for long periods time. Exhausting when done over and over again throughout the day or even for one longer session. When we were driving or walking to and from appointments and walking over to a colleagues desk in the “old world” now many people are stuck sitting on their desk in meeting after meeting. This can cause the body to feel sluggish and tired, it can also create more tension in the hips and back due to excessive periods of sitting.
What can we do about Zoom Fatigue? We have no idea when or if web based meetings and gathering will ever go away or be less concentrated so developing some tools to minimize the fatigue let’s us take responsibility for our self-care and wellbeing. Here are some tips:
MOVE your body. Take mini breaks to stand up and stretch. If you have extra time take a walk outside. Try to move a little bit every hour at a minimum. Stretch your chest and neck, roll your shoulders, open the front of your hips and move your spine!
Avoid multi-tasking. Studies show we lose 40% when we multi-task while on a web meeting. Try to avoid checking your phone, answering email, surfing the web and trying to squeeze in tasks other than the “task at hand”. Sharing your attention takes more energy than staying focused and keeping your awareness stable.
Take eye contact breaks. Close your eyes every 10 minutes for a few deep breaths to relax your eyes. Move your eyes away from the screen and look around your room. Take in a larger view.
Turn your video off for part of the meeting. Stay connected and alert but take a video break or use audio only when appropriate. Remember not all meetings need to be in video.
Schedule breaks into your day. When possible schedule meetings to end with 5-10 minutes before the hour so you and your participants can take a time out to stretch, use the restroom and rejuvenate. If you are not in control of your meeting schedule, request time at the end or block your calendar to allow for breaks. Remember we are not machines and we need time to take care of our bodies.
Hide your video from view. To avoid the self- monitoring change the settings on your web meeting to allow your video to be hidden from your view. Trust that you look great and focus on the speaker.
Schedule phone calls and email when appropriate instead of utilizing web meetings. Too much of a good thing…give yourself permission to go old fashioned when appropriate to limit the stress to our nervous system.
Take a moment before your meetings to ground your body and focus your mind. This is a great time to practice some deep breathing, visualize what you want to create in your meeting and set your intention. Check in with your body and ensure that your shoulders are away from your ears, your posture feels good and that you are releasing any tension in your body.
Take notes by hand. When possible get off your devices to reset your mind by letting your brain change gears.
Use aromatherapy to support focus, clarity, and staying alert with a peaceful presence. Aromatherapy is great way to snap your self into your body awareness and the present moment and to create a different state or mood. Choose a scent or blend that appeals to you and keep it close by. You can even create daily rituals to reinforce concentration and to maintain productivity when you get sleepy.