How do you recover from Zoom fatigue?

As some of us adjust to the #NewNormal to work and learn from home, we are constantly caught up with our electronic devices and digital meetings.

While the blue light from new technologies can enable us, they can also drain our energy.

What are some possible ways to recover from #Zoom fatigue? Some suggestions include:-

1. Alternate video calls with physical movement. Walk around the room, do sit-ups, or stretch. Physically move every hour and use this opportunity to stay hydrated.
2. Buffer time between calls that you can use for your recovery rituals. Short and simple activities such as breathing exercises and neck stretches to release the muscles, or a slice of fresh fruit to energise your brain.
3. Periodically look away from the screen and at something far away like the sky, birds, etc. This will relax your eyes and de-stress you.
4. Use lower-tech interfaces whenever possible (like phones or emails) to get work done. Reach out for the calculator, pen and paper to take notes and move different muscles.
5. Try to demarcate a space at home where you will work. And leave the other spaces free for other things. Ideally, do not use your electronic devices in your bed.
6. Build some rituals around work hours. Have a start and end work time so you can stay in control of your time. It will retain some structure which will also be useful once lockdown lifts and work goes back to a New Normal.
7. Start online meetings with a check-in and ask people how they are rather than directly jumping into the task at hand. Review some guidelines for how you are going to work together if that is helpful. Similarly, ask and check with the group as it closes the conversation —was the call useful, how do they feel, etc.
8. Try to sleep and wake at the same time every day, and take regular breaks that mark the passing of the day. A regular rhythm to your day enables your body and mind relax and deal with external stressors much better.
9. Find one thing to do every day that affirms your identity. Bake, cycle, run, or sing to your heart's content. Daily / weekly Journaling also offers an opportunity to reflect on your thoughts, feelings and activities.
10. Start a new project that is not work-related that gives you space to express yourself and will be relevant even post-lockdown.

Pause. Allow yourself to recover from #Zoom fatigue

Cheers, Louise

~ #SelfCare inspired by Myrita