Zoom fatigue? What it is and how to beat it.
COVID, unfortunately, is still a thing. Trying to meet and maintain our social needs while simultaneously following CDC guidance for mitigation can feel like a losing battle. There has been a dramatic rise in the utilization of Zoom, Skype, Google Hangouts, Facetime, or any other social video platform. Unfortunately, for most, the way in which we are forced to socialize feels too much like the way those working, or learning, remotely are doing their job. We, Healthymynds, are not immune to this either as we conduct our sessions remotely through a secure telemedicine platform. The lack of desire or motivation to continue to jump on video calls to socialize has been thrown around as Zoom Fatigue.
In my experience, there seems to be a common theme I see when discussing the lack of motivation for virtual connections. Awareness. Awareness of what each call is for and the value of participation, mentally cataloging the distinction between work and plan. Usually, this extra step is not required during non-pandemic times as we work at work and socialize elsewhere. However, work, home, and socialization are all happening in the same space. This co-mingling of space is a recipe for Zoom fatigue. Now, we need to create variety in how we approach and break up our days and calls. This article provides suggestions on how to spice up socialization in these trying times. They offer tips on how to spice up Zoom calls as well as ways to get out of one’s home while still maintaining physical distance from others. One tip that stands out to me is creating a care package and dropping it off with a friend where both parties make a craft and share pictures and videos of each’s process along the way. I have seen this used with great success by a company to engage a team and maintain the team’s cohesion.
Admittedly, these do not get back to normal nor am I saying that our socialization needs outweigh CDC guidance for mitigation. Rather, hopefully, they provide a way to help reduce the strain of continuing to physically distance from each other. I know we look forward to welcoming clients back into the office once it is safe, until then we continue to try to look out for each other and stay connected the best we can. We continue to work virtually with our clients, if you or someone you care about is exploring the idea of therapy we can be reached here: https://www.healthymynds.com/contact/
