Zooming should be in the next edition of the dictionary. It is now more a norm of business interaction than in-person communication. And it can be fatiguing! At first, wow, what fun, but after a while, being on video call after video call gets to you. It becomes fatiguing, both physically and emotionally. Sitting all day can get to your back and neck, and not being with others can feel isolating. Being on constant video calls (whether it’s Zoom or another platform) requires more mental processing than face-to-face interactions. Moreover, seeing ourselves gives us the sense that we are always “on” and have to act accordingly.

Now, the veteran zoomers among us tend to multi-task even more than usual. Our poor brains! The brain is not meant to multi-task so we end up using even more energy to do so.

It appears there are efforts moving us back to “normal.” In some geographic areas and in some businesses, in-person meetings and gatherings have begun, while others are being more cautious and sticking with videos, and still, others are trying hybrid meetings which could be the best resolution of all.

“Normal” is coming, and yes, the COVID vaccine is being rolled out, but as a gentle reminder, it is not a cure. It does not prevent you from becoming infected, and it does not stop the possibility of you infecting others. The vaccine, they say, will reduce your symptoms if you become infected. Therefore my friends, until we understand more about COVID and the different strains, as well as knowing more about the different vaccines, please be careful. Think not only about yourself and also about others.

Here are some tips to help Zoom fatigue:

1) Schedule 10-15 minutes between each call so you don’t burn out.

2) Center and ground yourself in between calls and shake off the energy from one call so you go into the next with a fresh, positive, clear-headed mindset.

3) Stand up and walk around between calls, change your posture, step outside, or do some deep breathing.

4) Eat healthy snacks with protein and healthy drinks and avoid excess sugar and caffeine.

5) Do some exercise stretches at your desk, standing or on a mat. For example, try some bicep or tricep curls, lay on your back, pull your knees to your chest and rock back and forth so you are massaging your lower back.

6) Turn off video camera – Just listen without being on screen. You may be able to focus better just using your auditory sense and giving the visual a rest!

7) Use your time productively and shorten the length of your calls. Try 45 minutes instead of an hour, or 30 minutes, or even 15 if you can. In the course of a day it can make a big difference.

8) Schedule a screen-free time, even if it’s on the weekend.

9) Try a meeting-free day. Do some tasks to catch-up and aren’t screen-related.

10) Reduce stress with whatever works for you – music, meditation, sports, taking your dog for a walk, and so on.

On a personal note … Drum roll: Eliminate the word pivot from your vocabulary – that fatigues me!!!

Have you ever been around a moody person? You never know what type of behavior you’re going to get, or what might trigger the person. Several times in the past week I have heard clients say they feel like they are “walking on eggshells” … not a pleasant way to live. Easing some things in your life can reduce stress. The impact moodiness has can cause stress. Setting healthy boundaries and limits can reduce stress.

Recently I was in line at Whole Foods when I saw the cover of Time magazine promoting The Science of Stress:  Manage It, Avoid It. Put it to Use. One of that themed concept was an article that stood out to me called Simple Ways to Manage Your Mood, by Audrey Noble. 

Noble gave statistics about stress. She noted that a Gallup poll found 8 out of 10 Americans are afflicted by stress. She continued that according to the American Psychology Association, the top three stressors were (1) the uncertainty of the nation’s future, (2) money, and (3) work. Workplace stress accounts for nearly $200 billion in health-care costs, according to Forbes.

Noble pointed out that there are healthy ways of dealing with stress in your professional and personal life. Here are a few tips:

Focus on Intention

Direct your emotions about upcoming goals or obligations toward positive feelings instead of focusing on the negative. Practice feeling that emotion so you can carry that mindset whenever stress starts to arise.

Set Realistic Expectations

We are living in a world where bigger and better is pushed in every aspect of our lives. That sets us up for failure. People feel they’ll be less stressed if they get a better ‘this’ or a bigger ‘that’. Set realistic expectations. Focus on finding gratitude for the things we have in our lives that fulfill us.

Find a Confidant

Get an outside, objective perspective from someone with whom you feel that you’re in a ‘safe space’. Being able to confide in someone can reduce stress.

Change Your Mindset

Intentionally activating positive heart emotions such as care, appreciation, compassion and ease decreases stress. The key is learning how to react positively to negative stressors.

Write It Down

Once you’ve identified what triggers you, write them down. Writing things down can be a therapeutic mode of expression. Once they are written down, share them with someone you feel safe with at work or personally.

Seek Peace and Love

Spend five minutes a day to find something that brings you serenity. Listening to music or finding a quiet time can help. Surround yourself with caring friends or family. Do things to elevate your mood.

With a growing number of people complaining about the stress in their lives, how many are actually doing something about it? I say don’t wear stress like a ‘badge of courage.’ Being busy is fine, but if it is too much it can be stress producing, and that is not desirable.

The impact stress has on your immune system over time can negatively affect your health.  Stress can manifest in many ways and sometimes you can feel it in your body. Other times it can shift your personality. Are you abrupt or impatient with people? Do you feel the tension? In what part of your body does stress show up? The good news is you can do something about it. Your family and colleagues will appreciate it and you.

I found the following in the December 2017 issue of Harvard Business Review. The article referenced a 2017 Stress in America survey. It said that the American Psychological Association (APA) found that “constant checkers” – people who check their emails, texts, and social media on a constant basis – experience more stress than those who don’t. More than 42% of respondents attribute their stress to political and cultural discussions on social media, compared with 33% of non-constant checkers. While it may feel impossible to take a cold turkey break from technology, the APA says that periodically unplugging or limiting your digital access can be great for your mental health.

As a coach I hear some common themes from people in the C suite to the head of the household. No one is immune. Stress is a part of our world. How you deal with it and react to it will make the difference in your life. Giving serious thought and focus to how you want to lead and live your life is vital. You need to take a time-out, without technology distractions, where you can think about how you want to live your life.

There’s a reason there is a wellness revolution taking place today. I believe people want to take breaks and don’t believe they can. There’s the feeling that there’s not enough time; that we are on the hamster wheel. But as they are beginning to see, businesses are shifting their perspectives on subjects like getting enough sleep and eating healthy as serious subjects because we are seeing the toll stress is taking on the health of their employees, and therefore, their ROI.  

Not too long ago, I was visiting a friend who works at Bloomberg News in NYC. I noticed the company provided healthy snacks and lounging areas for employees to take a break. We know scientifically that we are more productive and creative when we’ve had enough sleep. I remember an interview with Arianna Huffington after she was diagnosed with exhaustion. She started making changes at the Huffington Post. She created areas where employees could nap. She said that well rested employees were more productive and creative. We all know how much better we feel with a good night’s sleep.

The APA article also said that chronic stress floods our nervous system with cortisol and adrenaline, which short-circuits important cognitive functions. Researchers have studied the negative effects of stress on focus, memory, and other cognitive functions for decades. The findings are consistent – short-term stress raises cortisol levels (the so-called stress hormone) for short periods and can jump-start our adrenalin and motivate us to perform more efficiently in response to impending deadlines. Long-term stress, however, can lead to prolonged increases in cortisol and can be toxic to the brain. We also have lower resilience level and a negative or non-productive self-talk.

Here’s something you can try:

Increase your self-awareness so that you can improve your focus. In other words, pay attention to what might lead to your losing your focus. You then have the ability to dismiss distractions and stick with what you were originally focused on. This is an area where you have the ability to change things.