ZOOM GLOOM

The recent pandemic has transformed everyday lifestyle across the world. It has changed the way we work, shop, socialise, educate our children, and has even given us a new vocabulary or different interpretations of our existing words. We talk about our "new reality". "Lockdown" means something different from what we thought it meant two years ago. Did we know what "co-morbidities" were just a few months ago? Even young children are using the new terminology. One of the newer buzz words is "zoom fatigue".

In spite of a large number of people not being able to be connect with the digital world, we cannot deny the obvious benefits of digital platforms such as Zoom, which allow many people to continue working, children to access educational material, and friends and families to connect face-to-face, while remaining safely at home. However, as with most good things, there is often a price to pay.

Zoom fatigue has been compared to burn-out, with certain psychologists commenting that it actually contributes to the general burn-out which is nothing new and has been around longer than the COVID pandemic. It is characterised by exhaustion, particularly after a long day of virtual meetings, feelings of apathy and lack of motivation, difficulty concentrating, irritability, and physical symptoms like muscle tension and headaches. Our eyes were not designed to stare at screens for prolonged periods of time. Intensive sitting on Zoom meetings in front of a screen can result in pain in the eyes, blurry vision, dry eyes, and other symptoms of eyestrain. Sore eyes and vision problems have already been real issues for people who work on computers all day, and the sudden proliferation of video calls has only helped to exacerbate it. Added to this is the anxiety and fear around becoming ill and the stress of losing loved ones and livelihoods, all of which has an impact on our mental health and psychological well-being.

Research has shown that virtual meetings place increased cognitive demands on us. We are required to communicate in different ways from what we are used to, with prolonged eye contact, seeing a number of faces on the screen rather than addressing and focusing on one person at a time, and seeing ourselves on the screen throughout the meeting, which causes many people to feel self-conscious. It is more difficult to read people's facial expressions, non-verbal cues and body language, and it is often more stressful 'trying to get a word in edgewise', due to the delay in verbal responses and being unable to attract attention in the way one would in a physical meeting. Following conversations with a number of people talking at once is exhausting. Technical problems interfere with continuity, break our concentration and lead to frustration.

While some people have expressed advantages to working at home, such as not having to negotiate traffic, saving travelling costs and enjoying being in a family environment, we need to acknowledge the challenges. Balancing work and family life is difficult under normal circumstances but doing so during a pandemic adds a new dimension. Being physically inactive with little opportunity or motivation to exercise has adverse effects on our overall health and mental well-being. Sleeplessness is one of the common complaints of people involved in prolonged ongoing zoom meetings.

The COVID pandemic is here to stay, at least for some time, and so are zoom activities and the resultant zoom fatigue. It will continue to be important to communicate with our work colleagues and to remain in contact with family and friends digitally. Adapting to our 'new normal' is an ongoing process that requires patience and flexibility, and the knowledge that there are changes that can be made to help alleviate some of the more draining aspects of being on zoom. Planning and scheduling of meetings and having meetings with fewer participants can take off some of the pressure.

From time to time, depending on the circumstances, take screen breaks or turn off the video for a while to give the eyes a rest and reduce the strain of having to concentrate on watching and listening at the same time. Too often working from home implies that you are always 'at work'; wherever possible, create boundaries and stick to them. Exercise, even if it is just standing up and stretching. To remove the negative connotations of zoom, arrange fun activities with others – play music and dance, watch movies, read stories to your grandchildren, do a yoga class. Or, as the TV advert revealed, have a meeting in your pyjamas!!