Are you finding yourself absolutely drained after a day of Zoom meetings, even though you’ve barely left your desk chair? Yep, you can blame that on Zoom fatigue, and you’re far from the only one experiencing it.
This phenomenon is widespread as so many of us are continuing to work remotely and have virtual meetings on video conferencing platforms such as Zoom — with the same, if not more, number of meetings. Working from home and having meetings online are both parts of our new normal — but it’s certainly not all smooth sailing. In many cases, it’s far from it!
What is Zoom Fatigue?
“Zoom fatigue has been coined recently to describe the physical, cognitive and emotional drain that we have from video conferencing compared to face-to-face meetings,” says Talkspace therapist Elizabeth Derickson, MSW, LCSW, who specializes in mental health at work. She says symptoms include fatigue, an increase in job stress, feelings ofburnout, sore eyes, and decreased concentration levels.
Looking at the number of people who are using video meetings these days, it’s no surprise that “Zoom fatigue” has become a part of our vocabulary. According to Derickson, about 300 million people attended a video conferencing meeting in the month of April 2020, when remote work became a full-fledged phenomenon, compared to 10 million at the end of 2019, pre-COVID.
So, how are we supposed to cope with Zoom fatigue and everything that comes along with it? Here are seven tips.
How to Cure Zoom Fatigue
1. Schedule in breaks
The same way that you schedule your meetings, you can schedule in your breaks. You can even mark your calendar as busy during these times to make sure nobody tries to schedule a meeting with you during this time. Can you have 8 back-to-back meetings? Sure. Should you? Probably not. Dr. Rachel O’Neill reminds us that we need time to eat, breathe, move, and attend to basic biological needs. If there is a risk of Zoom overload, she suggests trying to intentionally schedule a lunch break and a few 15-20 minute breaks throughout the day. Taking breaks can help boost your productivity, and when constant Zoom calls are the norm, it’s even more important to take breaks so you have some peaceful time to yourself to regroup. Derickson recommends standing up or going for a walk on your breaks to switch things up.
2. Limit the number of zoom calls
Are there some meetings on your calendar that you justknowcould be an email? Maybe some of your meeting topics will suffice over the phone instead of a video. Or, maybe a Slack group chat would do the trick. Luckily, there are multiple ways to communicate with coworkers, and video doesn’t have to be the only way you get things done. Even just knocking one Zoom call off your schedule and switching to one of these methods can help you feel a little less exhausted throughout the day.
3. Make your video calls shorter and smaller
According to Derickson, scheduling meetings that are shorter and have fewer people can decrease video conferencing fatigue. If you’re the organizer of a meeting, schedule only a short period of time for it so that the meeting will be succinct and won’t drag on. You can even send over an agenda and key points beforehand to save some time, too. Additionally, limiting the number of people on the call can make it less stressful, and not to mention, keep the technical difficulties, lags, and people talking over each other to a minimum. Only invite those who truly need to attend the meeting.
4. Avoid multitasking
Derickson says you should avoid multitasking while you’re in a Zoom meeting. “While we are able to have different levels of attention in a wider environment, that skill doesn’t translate to attending to multiple tasks in a smaller sensory environment,” she says.
Multitasking during a video call can make you feel even more tired, and while you might think you’re being an all-star employee and getting more done, you might be burning yourself out and further contributing to your Zoom fatigue.
5. Try out different views
6. Make time for screen-free hobbies
Outside of work, spend plenty of time without your screens. Spending more time on your phone and computer, even if not for work — catching up on the news or email — can also contribute to screen fatigue. Derickson says you should find activities that help you decompress, and that you should also watch your social media usage and take breaks from platforms if you need to. After 6 hours of zoom meetings, the last thing you should do is turn to your phone to scroll social media for 8 hours. Try to give yourself some structured screen-free time.
O’Neill notes the importance of getting outside, too. She adds: “Whenever you can do so, try to get outside. Even if it is for 5-10 minutes. Fresh air and natural light can help cure some of that zoom fatigue.”
7. Take a mental health day
Really feel like yourmental healthis taking a hit? It might be time to take amental health day, or, a personal day where you take off to focus on your mental health. During this day off, make sure you prioritize self-care, completely unplug from work, and take some time off from your screens.
Our goal at Talkspace is to provide the most up-to-date, valuable, and objective information on mental health-related topics in order to help readers make informed decisions.
Articles contain trusted third-party sources that are either directly linked to in the text or listed at the bottom to take readers directly to the source.
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