Question 1

How can I combat Zoom fatigue symptoms?

Accepted Answer

Videoconferencing and remote professional services are now a regular practice in many industries. However, these remote calls can lead to feelings of fatigue.

If you find yourself exhausted by all of the video calls in your life, here are a few tips:

Schedule “no meeting” blocks of time. Make sure there are parts of your day when you are away from a screen.
Avoid multitasking. When you are on a call, focus on the business of the call. Avoid pulling up a second window to read emails or conduct other work. Multitasking during calls leads to a loss of productivity and difficulty remembering what occurred in the meeting.
Limit the number of calls. Do what you can to cut down on your overall number of calls. Group calls with separate people or teams together where feasible and appropriate. If a video call is not actually necessary, resolve the issues via phone, email, or a collaborative document. Do not default to a video call for every type of meeting. If you are meeting a stranger for the first time, such as a networking connection, for example, video calls can feel personal and invasive; start with a phone call.
Take breaks. If your call lasts more than an hour, it is important to take breaks. Get up and walk around, use the restroom, get a glass of water. Everyone will have more energy and remain more productive as a result.
Turn off your self-view. Video call programs like Zoom default to displaying your own video as well as others on the call. Staring at your own face can be distracting and increase stress and anxiety. Hide yourself from your own view so you can focus on the other people on the call.
Limit on-screen stimuli. In addition to hiding your face and keeping other windows closed, do what you can to limit what you see on-screen. Encourage people to take calls in front of plain backgrounds instead of a room full of objects. Seeing five different rooms full of furniture can cause disorientation and increase mental fatigue.

Learn more in our complete article, "Videoconferencing Fatigue and What to Do About It."

Question 2

What is Zoom Fatigue, and why does it occur?

Accepted Answer

As the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic continues into its second year, people have become accustomed to handling most or all of their personal and professional interactions remotely. Videoconferencing has become a normal part of daily life. Videoconferencing fatigue, now commonly called “Zoom fatigue” in reference to one of the most popular videoconferencing platforms, refers to the exhaustion caused by constant video calls.

While Zoom fatigue is not yet an official diagnosis, many psychologists state that the condition is both real and prevalent in the new pandemic era.

Constant video calls on any platform, including Google, Skype, Microsoft Teams, FaceTime, and other professional platforms can lead to fatigue. People can start to feel extra irritable, less energized, constantly “on the clock” for work, confused or awkward during meetings, and isolated even while communicating with others.

There are scientific reasons for these feelings. Video calls can make people feel like they are always “on.” People are hyper-aware of their appearance, their mannerisms, the sound of their voice, and they can begin to feel like they are “performing” in a way that is not true of in-person interactions. The silence on the other end of the line when people mute their microphones, delays in response time, as well as the added effort necessary to identify nonverbal cues via video chat, contribute to stress and fatigue as well.

Video calls from home also allow us to become easily distracted. When technology fails us--the WiFi goes out, someone’s camera or microphone fails to work, etc.--we can feel even more overwhelmed.

Learn more in our complete article, "Videoconferencing Fatigue and What to Do About It."

How can I combat Zoom fatigue symptoms?

What is Zoom Fatigue, and why does it occur?

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