Sheltering at home means connecting with others online, but it can also lead to Zoom fatigue. And yes, it’s very real.
As 2020 emerged, the phrase Zoom fatigue wasn’t on anyone’s radar. However, with a global pandemic forcing many people to stay at home, more people than ever have turned to video conferencing to keep in touch. While all this sounds great in theory, there was one thing no one ever expected—the tired feeling that comes with online communications.
Why Are You So Tired?
You wake up in the morning and make the quick commute from your bedroom to your home office. There’s nothing more rewarding than being able to work from home. After all, you have everything you need in one place. And, best of all, you don’t have to worry about rush hour traffic.
Your day consists of answering emails, completing daily tasks, and participating in several video calls. By the end of the day, you feel completely worn out. Even though you’re working the same number of hours as before, you’re more tired than ever before. And you can’t put your finger on why. Scientists call the phenomenon Zoom exhaustion or video chat fatigue.
Zoom is one of the most popular online conferencing apps, along with Skype, FaceTime, and Google Duo. These platforms allow people to connect in real-time, making them a great solution for those on-the-go business meetings.
But even with as much benefit as video chatting provides, it doesn’t register in the brain the same as face-to-face conversations. In a typical office or casual environment, people can easily divert their attention. But when online, remaining hyper-focused seems to prevail. Workers don’t want to turn away from the screen. They stare intently into the pixels until everything goes blurry, and they get a pounding headache.
Sensory overload appears to be the big culprit behind video fatigue. During a Zoom meeting, you can see everything surrounding your coworkers, from the paintings on the wall to the dog darting across the room. If you’re chatting with ten people at once, your brain tries to make sense out of ten different environments. Even sounds become magnified. And yes, this takes more energy to process than a typical boardroom meeting.
Stop Video Fatigue Before It Starts
Sure, video chat has helped countless people keep their sanity. Without it, many businesses wouldn’t have a way to stay in touch with their workers. Families might have to spend birthdays completely alone. Even joking around with a few friends wouldn’t be possible without breaking quarantine.
But that doesn’t mean this futuristic way of communication isn’t without its own set of problems. People don’t want to feel tired after a normal shift. With more companies, including Twitter, announcing plans to continue telecommuting jobs even as the world gets back on track, it’s more critical than ever to stop video chat fatigue before it can even start. Thankfully, there are ways to reduce the symptoms.
Here are a few simple solutions to try before your next video chat:
- Look away: As simple as it sounds, looking away from the screen every few minutes will help calm your brain. And no, your coworkers won’t even notice.
- Don’t watch yourself: Vanity is real. Constantly looking at yourself during a meeting can lead to stress and self-doubt. Try to avoid watching your own reactions during the call.
- Schedule time between meetings: Back-to-back calls seem efficient, but they only work if everyone is alert. Allotting more time between meetings will significantly reduce fatigue.
- Limit the view: You don’t need to make eye contact with every person all at once. Set up the meeting so that anyone who is not speaking stays out of view.
- Go old-fashioned: Not every meeting requires a video call. Consider using the phone or email to communicate instead.
- Unplug: When you don’t need to be online, turn off your devices. Your brain needs the time to reconnect with the outside world.
No one hardwired your brain for online conferencing. But as we coast into a technological era, we must do whatever it takes to help our mind cope. Taking a few minutes to decompress or meditate at the end of the workday may be just what you need. Before you know it, video exhaustion will become a thing of the past.
An Energizing Work from Home Experience
Zoom meetings and Skype calls aren’t going away any time soon, but that doesn’t mean you should feel worn out after every shift. Digital Market Media knows how to make working from home fun, lucrative, and energizing. We are the leading pioneer when it comes to providing rewarding and exciting at-home opportunities.
Our call centers are the perfect choice for those looking to achieve the ideal work-life balance. Connect with us online to apply for one of our open positions, and you’ll never have to worry about Zoom fatigue again.
