5 Simple Fast Hacks For Video Call Fatigue

You feel like your eyeballs are going to fall out of your skull. You’re on yet another video call with a bunch of your coworkers watching a slide presentation that isn’t in presentation mode thus making you squint even harder to see what the fuck is on the slide.

Then, there’s the constant cross-talk of multiple people trying to talk. One person doesn’t realize that another is chiming in with a third that is trying to break things up. All the while, the meeting host is trying their best to tell everyone to STFU and wait their turn to speak - to no avail because there’s less and less conference call etiquette. The dueling conversations combined with all the cross-chatter just makes you wanna bail from the meeting.

Or alternatively, the odd perfection of multiple people trying to give way to the other resulting in a long dead silence where nobody is saying shit. It’s like, hello? Is anybody home? Is my mic muted?

Also, let’s not forget about all of the fucking technical issues with online meetings that always happens. Bad or no audio. Camera malfunctions. Mind-crushing echo feedback. Sharing the wrong screen. And, just general lack of basic competence. You’d think that this whole video conference thing was sorted out by now but nope.

The end result is that you get exposed to all of this mind-numbing frustrations that make you want to just bang your head against the wall in despair. This is a real stressor that needs to be dealt with.

Ever since the seismic shift to remote work, the use of video calls has become the de facto standard for many meetings, even ones when most people are in the office. It only takes one person working remotely to shift the whole meeting online.

Video conferencing technologies were forced into a huge leap forward due to the pandemic. And as a result, it forced the adoption of video conferencing across all industries. It was and still is a key tool for business and productivity.

And this is where the paradox lies. Because of its utility and effectiveness, it’s now becoming the de facto standard for a lot of meetings. This is great for productivity but a total mental drain when it never lets up.

Staring at your screen, talking to tiny squares, and feeling like you're on the longest conference call of your life - sound familiar?

Welcome to the world of video call fatigue—an increasingly common issue in today's corporate environment. With remote work becoming the new norm, professionals are finding themselves hopping from one virtual meeting to another, often without a chance to catch their breath.

Here are some of the symptoms of video call fatigue. You’ve probably suffered from one or more of these things.

Feeling unusually tired after a day of video calls? You're not alone. The mental effort required to stay engaged and appear attentive during virtual meetings can leave you feeling drained and make you wanna tap out.

If you find yourself squinting at your screen or frequently rubbing your eyes, you might be experiencing digital eye strain. Persistent tension headaches are another common symptom.

Struggling to focus on tasks after a marathon of meetings? Video call fatigue can affect your ability to concentrate, making it harder to stay productive and keep the momentum going.

When you’re sitting all day in the same position, you more susceptible to getting dead butt syndrome or more plainly, a sore ass. There’s also neck and back pain, stiffness, and general discomfort can all be signs that your body is protesting against long hours spent in front of a screen.

There no denying the fact that video conferencing is here to stay - just like how the telephone broke new ground in communications and forever changed the way we do business. The same holds true for video conferencing.

This means that we now have yet another thing that is a major source of mental fatigue in our work lives. It makes managing work stress even harder than it already is. It sucks but the good news is that there are simple ways to deal with it.

Here are five ways to bounce back from video call fatigue.

Humans weren’t meant to stare at a screen for 8 hours straight. You need to give yourself a timeout in between the series of online meetings. And when you do, don’t stay at your desk. Get up and get outside for some fresh air.

If you can go for a walk in nature - just looking at the sky is enough to help you re-energize. It can be around the block if you’re WFH or even just to the parking lot and back if you’re in the office.

When the weather is shitty like when it’s too damn hot-n-humid or bone-chillingly cold or rainy, you won’t be able to get outside. However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t get away from your desk for a few minutes.

Take a few laps around the floor. And if you need to release that fart you’ve been holding in, this is your chance to let loose at the office. If you’re WHF, you can also do some micro-exercises to get off your ass.

Chances are pretty good that you’ve been holding your piss and shit during these stupid meetings. It’s not healthy to hold this in. Your body has been signalling to you that you need to take a bathroom break.

So, set aside some time in between calls to head to the bathroom and relieve yourself. You can and should maximize this bio break by doing a toilet meditation. If you’ve never done this before, you owe it to yourself to give it a try.

One of the huge bennies with working remotely from home is that you can hang out with you furry four-legged friends. It’s been scientifically proven that just spending as little as five minutes with your pet is enough to calm your nerves.

You can do a dog meditation with some belly rubs or a purrfect cat meditation to melt away the stresses from work. Just be aware that while you may be able to put a limit on your petting time, your furry bestie will think otherwise.

A morning coffee meditation isn’t only for the start of your work day. You can do this kind of meditation anytime you have a few spare minutes between meetings and calls. Enjoying your fav cup of joe or tea is a great way to take your mind off the bullshit and reenergize for a bit.

If you want, you can mix it up by trying new kinds of drinks like cofftea or any number of herbal and tea drinks to sip your stress away.

Video call fatigue is a real thing. Millions of people get burned out from staring at the screen and enduring all of the bullshit that comes with online meetings. The good news is that it can be managed with a few simple and fast-acting hacks.

By setting aside some time, as little as five minutes, in between meetings and calls, you can offset the stresses and anxieties of these video calls. The key here is to get away from your desk and mentally checking out for a few minutes and zoning out by doing something else. The company isn’t going to go belly up if you take a mental breather.

Remember, you gotta prioritize self-care - that’s number one. If you’re not on the ball, you risk dropping the ball and fucking up on some minor thing that your asshole boss will get on you for.

So, take breaks to keep video call fatigue at bay and keep your focus and attention levels where they need to be. Small mental breaks will provide big gains in allowing you to get through rough days of back-to-back video meetings.

Feel Better,
[Cubicle|Therapy]