Zoom fatigue - the struggle is real. All of these video calls certainly allow us to connect with others, but they are also sapping our energy, leaving us tired and drained. There have been several articles written on the topic lately and I recommend checking out the BBC article for more information. What can you do about it and how can you make video conferencing more fun?

I don’t know about you, but between learning to work remotely and finding ways to stay in touch with my family and friends, I spend A LOT of time on Zoom these days. In the beginning of “life lived through video conferencing”, I was pretty pumped to still be engaging with people from afar. This is great, I thought. I can teach my students, run online play sessions to support other people, talk to my mom about new recipe ideas, network to build professional relationships with people I’m meeting (in the now online versions of conferences I was planning to attend) and, most importantly, still play Cards Against Humanity with my friends. We have such great tools that make this all possible.

Well, it turns out that all of this time connecting through a computer screen has detrimental impacts on our minds and bodies, requiring us to use more brain power than good old face to face interaction. This left me wondering, if video conferencing fatigue is a real thing, what can we do about it? The basic advice circulating around centers on common sense suggestions like turning off your video when appropriate, scheduling breaks between calls or even using different ways to communicate like phone calls and emails. 

When faced with the reality of relying on video conferencing, what else is there to ease the cognitive load? Here are my top five tips.

Of our five senses, humans rely on eyesight the most. Since visual processing is our primary way to make sense of the world around us, when on Zoom calls we tend to lean into the screen to get a better look. Using a larger monitor or watching people on speaker view (instead of gallery view) are logical ways to lessen the need to lean forward. However, it’s just as important to start becoming aware of how we are sitting, as we so often find ourselves in awkward positions regardless of the cause. Leaning towards the screen causes strain in the shoulders, arms, back and neck, all of which require our muscles to exert extra work keeping our bodies aligned. You can lessen the amount of physical fatigue by paying more attention to your body and how you sit. Lately I’ve been experimenting with standing and walking during Zoom calls, using a large exercise ball instead of a chair, chairs without arms and even an Upright Go. It’s important to keep movement in your body, even just by breathing with intention.

When we talk with people in the same physical space, we naturally spend time looking not only at the speaker, but also at everything in the room. Since video conferencing innately requires that we spend so much time staring intently at an unmoving screen, all of this visual processing in the same depth of field is really hard on our eyes. Eye strain is a major contributing factor to overall fatigue. While on video calls, try purposefully taking a break and periodically looking at other things around you. In order to change your visual perspective, make sure to glance at objects that are both closer to you than the screen and farther away. Glance down a hallway, into another room, out a door and across the street. It’s also important to shift your focus on what you can see in your peripheral vision. For things closer up, try holding up and examining objects near you like a pencil on your desk or your water bottle. Drinking water and taking handwritten notes are an excellent natural way to focus on your physical reality and not just through the screen.

Of course, eyes aren’t our only senses to gather information, just the ones we employ the most. When having a conversation face to face, we also use our other senses to communicate with each other. Unfortunately, Zoom’s over reliance on visuals has a tendency to crowd out our use of smell/taste, touch and sound, especially with background noise. Asking our sight to take on such a higher percentage of the cognitive load is more than it is designed for. We can decrease fatigue by intentionally bringing our other senses back into the mix. Take moments to focus your attention on sounds you hear in the room or even outside an open window. Try lighting a candle or putting out fresh flowers as a reminder to enjoy different fragrances. When you are taking visual or physical breaks, be sure to touch things and pay attention to their colors and textures. You might even want to keep a small snack or treat to nibble on, taking time to savor the flavor and feeling in your mouth. A few times I have even taken my laptop and meetings with me outside.

Bringing smell/taste/touch and sounds back in our experience is an effective way to redistribute our mental load. We can also use powerful mindfulness techniques to shift the perception of our bodies within the room’s physical space. This is an exercise you can do the next time you’re in a video conferencing call, or right now - it works any time. See if you can focus your awareness into the open and empty spaces next to you and behind you, especially into your “back space”.  Angela Halvorsen Bogo, a Transformational Play instructor recommends visualizing a door located on the back of your body and opening it up. What do you notice that is happening in the space behind you? During Zoom calls, you can also shift your awareness between different aspects of the call. Instead of focusing on just the speaker, try finding the connectedness of the collective group as a whole, or on a quieter member. As you shift your perspectives, watch to see how your feeling of connectedness grows and your energy lifts.

I have several meditation and yoga instructor friends and I keep repeatedly hearing that video calls have an unforeseen tendency to raise our core temperature. By turning up the heat, we are now asking our bodies to work overtime to keep us cool and regulated. All of this tends to cause feelings of drowsiness and lethargy, yet another drain on our already depleted energy. The solution is a pretty simple one, drink lots of water. Chugging down water has the added benefit of needing to go to the bathroom alot (thus giving you an excuse to get up and take a quick movement break). I have also found that putting water ON our bodies is both invigorating (thus fatigue busting) and cooling, a win-win. Try splashing cold water on your arms, face, and neck. 

With so many of us learning to transition both work and play online, it is important to put self-care at the forefront. Video conferencing is draining and can’t replace in-person interaction, however with a little awareness and effort we can lessen the load of calls on our well being.