What is Zoom Fatigue? What are some useful steps to combat it?

Video calls and video conferencing has become the new normal since the time COVID-19 has made a place for itself in the lives of the human race. People are using various apps in order to do their meetings and conferences and the Zoom app is leading this race. These video calls can prove to be exhausting and tiring, and many have revealed that they can get increasingly uncomfortable. This phenomenon has been named Zoom Fatigue.

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What is Zoom Fatigue?

Behaviour analyst Laura Dudley from Northeastern University has shed some light on this phenomenon. She talked about how she has also experienced it herself, as per an article on the official site of the university. Laura shared how, in order to have eye contact, our eyes shift from the webcam to the person, which can be tiresome. While people are together in person, there are some signs that show that they are about to speak. This is amiss from online video calls as a dozen faces are staring at one another at the same time. The physical separation also seems to create an uncomfortable vibe.

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Zoom Fatigue is real

Calls in which one can also see their face can be draining, says Dudley, as one keeps worrying about the way they are sitting, behaving and expressing. The switch of dynamics has also brought in this fatigue. While at first, the gadgets helped us take a break from human connection, now we take breaks from gadgets to look for live connections. Thus, Zoom Fatigue is taxing the brain and can prove to be stressful as well.

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How to combat zoom fatigue?

The University of Maryland has brought forward some useful tips in order to combat Zoom Fatigue in a paper published on their Centre for Leadership and Organizational Change's website. They have given certain steps to follow so that one can feel refreshed and prepared for their day after a video call. Here are some pointers:

• If there is an option to hide self-view, take it up. This will reduce one thing for your brain to process.
• Take 15 minutes breaks between meetings so that you can breathe and relax. Do not use any gadgets and also get up and take a walk during those 15 minutes.
• If there is an alternative to a call which will solve your purpose, take it up. Avoid the call.
• Be considerate of others and their situation. Not everyone is comfortable with video calls.
• Stretch your neck in between the call if you feel too focused and stressed. You can also look away from the screen.

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