Are you mostly glued to either your laptop, Ipad or your phone the whole day? Does your work from home include endless meetings on Zoom or any other video conferencing app?
If yes, then you may be experiencing a worn out or exhaustion from it, without even realizing. Video conferencing softwares have become a huge success during the pandemic. Zoom became the most downloaded android app in India, dethroning Whatsapp, TikTok and even instagram!
It has become the primary source of communication for businesses in addition to one’s personal need. However, the downside is that these endless meetings sometimes make you feel tired despite not having moved or physically been exhausted.
A UK psychologist Dr. Linda Kaye says that a large part of this is due to the fact that we see ourselves on the screen and naturally want to present a good image to our friends and colleagues.
In an attempt to enhance our self awareness and appear our best, we may go to greater lengths than usual to look presentable. This is different from the effort we put in on a daily basis for any face-to-face interaction.
Another reason could be overscheduling meetings simply based on the fact that there is more time at hand. Another expert says that we tend to put in extra effort to process non-verbal cues such as body language. He says:
Our minds are together when our bodies feel we’re not. That dissonance, which causes people to have conflicting feelings, is exhausting. You cannot relax into the conversation naturally.
Some ways to work on and reduce this video chat fatigue is to try and build in breaks. Instead of going on video calls back to back, give the body time to transition. Secondly, try to keep the meetings shorter and reduce on-screen stimuli.
This will include hiding yourself from the view that would make you conscious and involuntarily allow you to keep looking at yourself. Try switching to a phone call or connect via email if there is a choice.
These few tips will help in reducing the video call fatigue and will invariably also help in reducing the time spent on electronic devices.
