Are you wondering why you seem so exhausted after a workday even without leaving your desk?
You’re not alone!
Video conferencing has replaced face-to-face meetings for more than a year. One has to attend even family gatherings sitting in front of computer screens. This excessive exposure to the screen has led to the development of a new set of symptoms called “Zoom Fatigue.”
Let’s read more about Zoom fatigue tips.
What is Zoom Fatigue?
Zoom fatigue is a general feeling of mental fatigue and exhaustion caused by frequent video conferencing. The term “Zoom fatigue” has taken its name from Zoom, but it can occur on any video-conferencing platform.
Causes of Zoom Fatigue include:
- An excessive amount of eye contact on video chats
- Reduced mobility
- An always “on” and alert brain
You may be asking yourself, do you have Zoom Meeting Fatigue?
To answer this question, you need to take a Zoom fatigue test by questioning yourself:
- Do you feel any irritation or burning sensation in your eyes after a video meeting?
- Also, are you facing regular headaches?
- Do you feel the anxiety of having to turn on your camera?
If your answer to any or all of these questions is yes, you need to keep reading this piece to find Zoom fatigue solutions.
The most common physical symptoms of Zoom fatigue include:
1. Headaches, irritation in eyes, and painful sensation.
2. Blurring of vision, double vision, excessive blinking, and excessive tearing.
3. Overeating, feeling sweaty or fidgeting during your calls
How To Get Over Zoom Anxiety? 11 Tips on How to Avoid Zoom Fatigue
If Zoom fatigue sounds familiar to you, check out some exciting Zoom fatigue tips in the order of their effectiveness:
1. Turn off the video, if not necessary.
The best tip to be comfortable at a Zoom meeting is to avoid video sharing. If an audio call can work just as well, try turning off the video.
Turning the video on creates the pressure of appearing a certain way with a proper and tidy background space which is incredibly stressful when having spontaneous meetings.
2. Schedule breaks.
It is only natural that back-to-back Zoom meetings add to fatigue and exhaustion.
Here’s another way to lessen it. Try to leave a 10-15 minutes break between calls which is not just a bathroom break! During this time, you can take a short walk outdoors or even around your home or stand up, stretch your legs and rest your eyes.
Recommended Read: 9 Best Virtual Zoom Lunch Ideas
3. Shorten meetings.
Nobody enjoys extra-long in-person meetings. So, naturally, in the case of virtual meetings, it can be even more tiring and frustrating. To avoid this, make sure your sessions have an end time and stick to it.
Managers can spend time framing an outline and structure before the meetings to determine what topics need discussion and how they will address it so that the sessions can be to the point and more effective.
4. Don’t forget the Twenty-20-Twenty rule!
You just can’t miss this tip! The 20-20-20 rule states that after you look 20 minutes at a screen, take 20 seconds to focus your vision on something 20 feet away.
This practice helps relax our eye muscles while ensuring your vision gets time to recover before focusing back on the screen.
5. Switch off the self-view!
Trust us on this one! You can make Zoom less awkward by choosing “Hide Self View,” which allows you to be seen by others but not by yourself.
Watching yourself talking can increase your awareness of being seen and lead you to assume that everyone is paying close attention to every move you make, which can cause anxiety and make it difficult to focus.
6. Use email or chat messages.
Interestingly, most people would love this idea of cutting down (or shortening) meetings whenever possible and using emails or chat messages to connect. This approach helps reserve your Zoom video calls for meetings that require collaborative work.
7. Avoid multitasking.
This tip may seem next to impossible to avoid multitasking as it can be hard to resist, especially when we have multiple calls or meetings to attend. Still, according to facts, it reduces our performance and affects memory, making simple tasks look difficult.
8. Hold fun Zoom meetings too!
Who doesn’t enjoy having fun?
Something as simple as having a fun Zoom meeting can beat the boredom of regular work meetings. Use the platform to connect with family and friends, learn a new hobby, or watch a movie with your friends. Everyone will get a chance to be a lot less sick of Zoom!
Recommended Read: 10 Virtual Happy Hours Games on Zoom
9. Invite special guests.
Another exciting tip to avoid Zoom exhaustion is inviting guests. It is always fun to see a new face in between your routine meetings. You can request a special guest star like your boss or anyone who wouldn’t usually join your session and catch up with them.
10. Play with your Zoom background.
For a change from boring work meetings, have fun with the green-screen backgrounds feature. For example, you can hold a competition or suggest some funny and cool themes and then judge each other’s Zoom background.
11. Have fun with a dress code.
Try this tip between a boring work week! Then, your team can plan a fun dress-code theme meeting day where everyone can dress the way they want to and later vote on the best look.
Conclusion
Work from Home and Zoom meetings are not going anywhere anytime soon, and neither is Zoom fatigue. But you can use the tips mentioned above to combat Zoom exhaustion.
Don’t forget to use video conferencing for fun, as well, to reduce the negative emotions associated with it!
