If you’ve been feeling extra tired after a day of zoom meetings, well there’s a reason for that and it’s called “Zoom fatigue”. The meetings that connect us can also tax our brains, as this isn’t how we’re used to interacting. Some of the social cues that our brains do automatically are now limited, or overwhelmed. While in a zoom call it’s difficult to make direct eye contact as we can in person; and additionally we have this constant gaze which we normally don’t have. In a typical conversation you may glance around on occasion and instead here we’re peering directly at another face, usually up close. Add in the little view of yourself, which can be slightly distracting. With a large group of people in the meeting we now have all the different backgrounds. It becomes a lot of information your brain is not used to processing.
While these meetings are wonderful for connecting while apart, and for getting done what we need to, just remember they can also make you a little more exhausted than usual. Be good to yourself and listen to your body.
What are some ways can help to prevent this? One major way is to not overdo it by multi-tasking. While in zoom, stay focused on that session. Give yourself breaks. It’s okay to look away for a moment, let your eyes look about every once in a while. Also, make sure you have a break in-between zoom calls, if at all possible. Try not to schedule back-to-back meetings without a little down time.
Here are a few articles with more info and other solutions: