Zoom fatigue: an immense strain on the eyes, facial muscles, and the brain that results from endless hours on Zoom.
If you are a college student taking online classes, you are most likely suffering from Zoom fatigue. I, for one, am! As cases remain high across the world, COVID-19 is not going away anytime soon, which means—yup, you guessed it—more Zoom! To help you get through another quarter of Zoom classes and meetings, I have gathered some tips on how to combat Zoom fatigue. I hope they help!
- Take handwritten notes if possible
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I know the years of handwritten notes are long gone, but I strongly encourage you to start hand writing your notes instead of taking electronic ones. I have found that hand writing your notes during class forces you to look away from the screen and give your poor eyes short and frequent breaks from the blue light. Also, when you go back to study for the test or write the paper, you will reduce the amount of time you spend looking at the screen because your notes are now handwritten!
- Reduce the brightness of your screen
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I don’t know if this is scientifically proven, but I do believe in the power of placebos. I have found that reducing the brightness of your screen is less straining on your eyes (or at least I like to think so)!
- Find your off-screen energizer
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I highly recommend finding that go-to off screen activity that you can squeeze in between classes or studying. For me, I would go on a quick walk around the Green or grab a smoothie at Collis. At home, I would have a conversation with my mom. I know it’s tempting to go on your phone and scroll through social media during those 20 minutes between classes, but I strongly encourage you all to try to find an off-screen activity that is entertaining and refreshing for you—it really does work miracles on the eyes!
- Roll your eyes
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Not at people, of course! But in all seriousness, someone once told me that rolling your eyes stretches the muscles attached to them (sorry for my very un-scientific language). Just like how an athlete stretches between events, we should stretch our eyes between Zoom meetings to avoid eye fatigue. And let’s be honest, sometimes Zoom meetings really do feel like running a race !
- Blue light glasses?!
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I am an owner of blue light glasses, as I am sure many of you are, and I am not entirely sure how effective they are, but, again, I am all for the placebo effect! Even though they haven’t yet been proven scientifically to work, they definitely make me feel less tired and Zoomed-out. So, the next time you are scrolling through Amazon, go get yourself a pair of blue light glasses!