How to Overcome “zoom Fatigue”
During the pandemic, many former office workers were bound to their computer monitors. As work has spread online, video tools like Zoom and Google Hangouts have become rare for regular meetings with colleagues. But if there was no alternative to seeing your colleagues without a screen, all these video conferencing led to an epidemic of “zoom fatigue.”
According to a new study by Stanford researchers, published in the journal Technology, yet Mind and the Behavior , fatigue from Zoom – this is, basically, is what it looks like – increased load results in contact to maintain a distance through video chat – and this leads to burnout, stress and t. D. and monotony at work. But there are ways to reduce the impact of video conferencing on your mood.
What is Zoom Fatigue?
This is not specific to Zoom, and company executives are likely to argue that the term is doing their marketing efforts a disservice. According to Jeremy Bailenson, founding director of the Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab, the problem affects all video conferencing services. Generally speaking, he describes the fatigue caused by the need to constantly feel included when you switch between browser windows for various online meetings. It also makes sense given that research has shown that increasing your screen time, especially when combined with a sedentary lifestyle, increases your chances of developing moderate to severe depression.
If you suffer from this, you probably usually drown in a busy schedule of virtual meetings and feel like you can barely keep your head above water.
What is causing this
Bailenson’s research points to four reasons why video conferencing can be so tedious:
- Intense eye contact is exhausting. Looking into the eyes of your coworkers to show that you are considerate can seem demanding. Doing this several times a day can put pressure on you. If you don’t look you in the eye for most of the meeting, your coworkers may think your attention is slipping away.
- Watching yourself while video chatting is exhausting. Observing yourself in a meeting only adds to your anxiety about performing. The psychological costs of living during a pandemic are onerous enough – why exacerbate this by worrying about how you look at your colleagues?
- Video chats mean we move less. If you are constantly chained to a table, you do not move as often as your body needs. At least in a traditional office environment, you might have to go to a conference room on a different floor. Switching between different hangouts means we sit more and move less at the expense of our mental well-being.
- Non-verbal cues are more difficult to interpret. The problem of decoding non-verbal signals only exacerbates the stress caused by video chats. This can lead to what Bailenson calls “cognitive overload,” where your head can float in the intended subtext of a conversation.
Ways to Deal with Zoom Fatigue
Fortunately, Beilenson did not find the problem without offering solutions.
- Eye Contact: Researcher recommends not using full screen mode. That way, your coworkers will at least look a little smaller, and you won’t feel as much pressure when you gaze into their eyes.
- For self-awareness : There is really no need to keep the camera on at every meeting. If you have no idea, what’s the point of filming yourself? If you need to leave the camera on, Bailenson recommends changing the settings so that you only see the person you are chatting with, rather than making both videos available to both parties. Until then, don’t be afraid to turn off your camera.
- For mobility: Beilenson recommends getting another camera that you can strap to your strap so you can still move around, and possibly be present from a standing position if you so desire. Another way out is to turn off the camera again and put on bluetooth headphones so that you can walk around the house or apartment.
- From worrying about non-verbal cues: Turning off the camera also works fine, but to further amplify it, the researcher recommends listening to the meeting while away from the computer. This way, if you only use sound and feel comfortable attending a meeting, such as cleaning up the dishes, you won’t have to worry about over-analyzing all the micro-signals that usually appear.