Zoom Fatigue

We have all had to change our lifestyles during the pandemic, primarily how we conduct business. More and more of us are using “Zoom” to have meetings without colleagues from around the world. With the new technology and new way to conduct meetings, we are starting to suffer from “Zoom Fatigue.” There aren’t just business people who get tired from all the video chats they have to do. It’s now starting to spread to the rest of us.

The Top 5 Reasons Why Video Chats Are More Stressful

1. Too Much Eye Contact – in our ordinary life, we look away, and our eyes tend to dart around more. With video chats, we stare straight at each other non-stop, which can make that eye contact intimidating.
2. Requires More Focus – your brain is forced to work harder to process everything it is being given. Even the tone of the person’s voice has to be taken into account by the brain before you know who they are.
3. Not As Many Verbal Cues In Video Chat – when we have a normal face-to-face chat, we rely on body language to pick up cues. Video chats have little body language, and that puts us on edge.
4. Only One Person Talks At A Time – No cross-talking and having to wait your turn makes people very uncomfortable. On Zoom, interrupting someone creates confusion where people might not be able to hear what was said, which creates anxiety.
5. Appearance – seeing yourself non-stop in the video makes us more self-conscious. It might be better to close the window that shows your video.

A Few Tips to Make Things Better

1. Break The Time Up – schedule Zoom calls so that they are not back-to-back. It gives you and your brain a chance to rest.
2. Use Active Speaker View – you will only see one person instead of the whole group. Talking to one person on Zoom is less intimidating than a large group for many people.
3. Use The Phone – experts suggest picking up the telephone at times for a quick phone call instead of always using Zoom. The phone call will allow you some downtime.