Zoom Got You Down?

I felt utterly drained and did not know what had hit me. 

During the first few weeks of the pandemic I crashed hard after full days on the computer, staring at the screen. 

You too? 

I am a ninja at figuring out what is draining people’s energy, especially my own. Why was I so tired?   

Path of Healing

My path of healing from chronic fatigue was long and deep. And now I have listened to so many other people’s stories of suffering from exhaustion. 

I have long said, “People with chronic fatigue can talk about the different kinds of ‘tired’ like wine connoisseurs talk about fine wine.” 

So when I stumbled out of my home office feeling fried after eight hours of patient visits over Zoom, I immediately took an internal inventory: What kind of tired is this? Where is it coming from? Like a computer checking for a virus, I bounced the pieces of data back and forth. 

I was drained. I could not look at another screen. I needed a three-dimensional experience. 

I made pie.

This is me on the day I could no longer speak. I could roll out GF pie dough for my son's long, long overdue birthday pie.

Rolling out the dough, feeling my hands move as they used muscle memory to remember an old skill eased my brain, and I figured it out. 

It was Zoom Zombie 

I realized three things were happening on Zoom that left me a verbal zombie with fuzz for brains. 

1. My poor brain was doing so many new things!
2. I didn’t disconnect.
3. I had visual exhaustion.

Later that week I was backed up by a National Geographic article on this topic,[1] and soon “Zoom fatigue” was a buzzword on the internet. 

Since then, I’ve devised a protocol to combat Zoom fatigue. I have shared it with others and interviewed other practitioners, and each one has found it so helpful. Plus, they’ve added their own suggestions. So I wanted to share our solutions with you. 

Please pass this on. I think more, not less screen time is in our future. We need the tools to take care of ourselves in this new world we share. 

If you are fried after a day in front of the screen, ESPECIALLY If you are working as the professional where you are GIVING or in a supportive role with others, try these tips and let me know if they help. 

1. Transitions/Clearing. We extend and receive A LOT of emotional and psychic energy via the screen. We put out a lot more because we are learning to see how it feels when our energy “lands” across satellites and space. So it’s crucial to do a mental “wash” after each call/meeting/appointment.

    - Imagine water flowing over you.

   - Say “What is yours is yours and what is mine is mine,” and imagine returning the other person’s energy and receiving yours back.

   - Use Wipe the Day Away essential oil blend or tea tree oil on the solar plexus and/or wrists to clear energy.

THIS IS A GAME CHANGER!! 

Wipe the Day Away Blend from Desiree Mandangdog Use a 10 ml roller bottle Marjoram essential oil (EO) 8 drops Tea Tree EO  13 drops Rosemary EO  3 drops Cypress EO 2 drops Black Pepper EO 1 drop Frankincense EO 3 drops   Use CPTG oils and top off with fractionated coconut oil, or any oil of your choice.  Roll on solar plexus and/or wrist creases.    Too complicated for now?    Get some good Tea Tree oil and roll on your upper belly and or wrists before and after calls. Maybe diffuse some wild orange or lavender at the same time. So good.  

2. Hydration. This is always important, but even more so when we need to keep our energy UP. 

3. Breaks. Plan time away from the screen. It is like everything else: you can go longer and farther IF you take care of yourself along the way. 

4. Movement. We are straining at the screen. It is a stress that is HARD on our nervous systems. MOVE IT OUT. Dance, do 10 squats, some jumping jacks, or downward dog every hour. Yup. Set your timer! 

5. Bigger Screen. My dear friend Julie, an amazing therapist, said she felt much better when she used a bigger screen. Her clients were now almost life-size, and her brain could once again pick up the verbal cues she was used to reading during her work.

I would LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU! What has worked for you? How do you keep your energy tank filled up after a day on Zoom?.

In an abundance of great health, 

~ Dr Jenny Tufenkian ND  

[1] Sklar, J. “‘Zoom fatigue’ is taxing the brain. Here’s why that happens,” National Geographic, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2020/04/coronavirus-zoom-fatigue-is-taxing-the-brain-here-is-why-that-happens/#close. 

photo credit: Dr. Jenny Tufenkian