Why Zoom fatigue happens:
​
Your environment 
A good portion of the time we Zooming from our home environment.  Which means that you might not be in your ideal ‘work’ environment. Some of you might be lucky to have a great home office set up, but plenty of us are perched at the kitchen table, squashed into a small corner of the bedroom or even out in the garage!  
You are also much more likely to have other distractions from your family, flatmates or kids in the background. 
Not to mention a certain level of anxiety about what’s happening with this global pandemic that got so many of us into this new way of working in the first place.  
Some of these factors can be managed or improved, but it is important to acknowledge these environmental aspects all have an impact on our overall level of comfort, tension and ability to concentrate before we even turn our computer on!

Self-view
Zoom adds an extra layer of weirdness to the online experience because having your video broadcast out there heightens your awareness of being seen and appearing “on”.  This vigilance and self-monitoring can be exhausting.  
With having a video call we assume that everyone is paying attention to every move we make. But of course, this isn’t really true. Everyone else on the call is probably also worried about their own self-view (and wondering is what my neck really looks like?!). 
Of course, you can simply turn your camera off so you can’t see yourself or change the view to speaker view (assuming someone else is doing most of the talking).  This can be quite liberating.  However I also found it a little anxiety inducing. Without being able to see myself, I couldn’t monitor whether my expression still read “interested” or how many times I did things like touch my face without realizing.  I also found I wasn’t as engaged in the meeting and tended to start multi-tasking.  

Staying Still
When we have the camera on we tend to keep our heads in the middle of the screen and sit in one position for a long period of time. This fixed posture and gaze also add more tension and strain to our usual sitting posture. 
When I’m on a Zoom call, I notice that I stay VERY still with a wide fixed stare. Almost like a possum caught in headlights.  It doesn’t help that my laptop is old and the camera blurs with any movement from my end.  This means I also often cross my arms to curb my tendency to wave them around. 
And I’ve observed similar posture and fixed gazes in others on my Zoom calls. 
The good news is that there are some things you can do to avoid Zoom fatigue and improve your posture during Zoom meetings, whether the camera is on or camera off.

Here’s my top 5 solutions for avoiding Zoom Fatigue:​

To say that 2020 has changed the world and brought some challenging times is somewhat of an understatement!
Almost every business owner and employee has had to rapidly adapt to working in different ways and from different places. In fact, Covid19 may have transformed the way businesses work indefinitely, with a massive increase in flexible and remote working opportunities.
While we are all doing our best, change and uncertainty are draining, and it is vital to take steps to manage stress.
Here are three of the best ways for you to do just that....

​1. Reconnect with FUN
When was the last time you did something purely just for fun? And no, zoning out in front of Netflix or mindlessly scrolling social media does not count! 

You are not alone! 
The World Health Organization called job stress a World Wide Epidemic.
Stress in the work place is one of the most common areas of stress in our lives.
Even if we love our jobs, stress is an inevitable part of day-to-day performance and impacts both employers and employees alike. Everyone is susceptible because stress is an individual’s perception of the load they carry, no matter your role in your workplace. Stress is good like that, in that it doesn’t discriminate. 

And the stress isn’t just physiological, it is physical as well.  Hours spent in front of a computer screen starts playing havoc with your posture. Muscles starts to fatigue and causing pain, which is the nervous system reacting to the way you sit. Trigger points (taught band of muscle that can refer pain to various parts of the body) starts to form, headaches become more frequent and intense and pain starts to spread to different areas of the body. 

In New Zealand, OSH (Occupational Health and Safety) defines workplace stress as: The result of the interaction between a person and their work environment. 
According to research, one-third of workers report high levels of stress, and one quarter regards their job as the number one factor of stress in their lives.

Finances is a constant worry, office politics is another as is the actual workload along with constant deadlines.  According to a survey by Bill Wilkerson (CEO of the Global Business and Economics Roundtable on Addiction and Mental Health) the Number One stressor in the workplace is: Lack of Control – having no control over the participation or the outcome of the work. 
​Stress in the workplace is costly as well...

This blog was originally written with​ Mental Health Awareness Week in mind, which I thought was a good time to examine the effects massage can have on your mental health.
However, as our lives have changed drastically this year with a global Pandemic, an Alert Level 4 lock down (in NZ), and basically most the country shutting down apart from essential services, we have seen stress and changes like never before. And we were not quite ready for it.
As our Alert levels drop, people are transitioning back to their workplaces again, which is why I thought this article might be a good thing to bring to light again, about how massage can help with mental health.
​
Did you find a way to cope as your life changed? And what is this 'new normal' people are talking about? 
We are not our of the woods yet. There are still so many things to sort out, to try and re-arrange our pieces back into some sort of normality.

Stress can have a huge impact on both aspects of our wellbeing, and the workplace is, for most people, the most stressful part of our lives (usually). Right now, the anxiety of transitioning back into workplaces are at an all time high as we leave our 'safe' places and change back into a different environment.

The link between physical and mental health is well-known. After all, it is impossible to have one without the other. Finding healthy coping strategies for dealing with stress can help us deal with both physical and mental issues. While most of us know that massage is fantastic for a broad range of physical problems, science also proves that regular massage has impressive effects on our mental health.

Scheduling a regular workplace massage into your workday is one way to help transform your mind and body help increase coping mechanisms. Here’s why...

For many people, massages are all about candle-lit rooms, relaxing, meditative music, and the chance to completely zone out.
While this is certainly the most commonplace kind of massage in many western cultures - and a fantastic way to relax - many other massage forms are available. Each of these approaches has slightly different approaches and benefits.
Chair massage is becoming increasingly popular, particularly for workplaces. There are key differences that make it a convenient, no-fuss therapy that can be done almost anywhere, at any time.
Let’s explore what they are...


​Targets the Back, Arms, Neck and Shoulders
Table massages are ideal for targeting any area of the body, as the therapist has easy access to any muscle group from head to toe.
Chair massages, on the other hand, are focused on releasing tension in the upper body. This is ideal for workplace massage, as these tend to be the most stress-prone areas. Chair massage focuses largely on the back, arms, neck and shoulders.

​When we talk about workplace hazards, most people immediately think about working at heights, using chemicals, heavy machinery, or dangerous tools.
But not all hazards are quite so obvious.
Ergonomic hazards such as bad posture, poorly designed workstations and repetitive movements may not seem as dramatic as a fall from height, but the long-term effects can be just as devastating.
So what are some of these potential hazards?
Read on to identify some of the potential health hazards in your work environment and learn how to avoid injury with some simple changes.

Have you ever found yourself at work reading the same paragraph over and over again but not remembering a single word of it?
Or perhaps you forget simple things, blank out on people's names, or spend an hour on a task that would usually take ten minutes?
Don’t panic, you’re not alone. The dreaded brain fog strikes everyone from time to time.
It can be frustrating and downright stressful trying to battle through mental fuzziness when you need to be productive and efficient.
If you often find your brain lagging behind at work, read on to learn what might be causing it, and what you can do to clear out the cobwebs and get your mojo back.

What Causes Brain Fog?
That mental sluggishness that creeps in and robs you of your focus and efficiency is likely to be a case of good old mental fatigue. Just like the rest of your body, your brain can get overworked and needs time and space to recharge. Here are some of the likely culprits that may be slowing you down:

Because breathing is an unconscious, automatic function, you probably don’t give it much thought.
After all, you are still alive, so you must be breathing correctly, right?
In reality, the way we breath has a significant impact on our general health and wellbeing.
​Nobody teaches us the right way to breathe when we are young, so we often develop bad habits.
However, it is possible to retrain ourselves to breathe better.
Read on to learn why it’s important to breathe correctly, and how something as simple as a chair massage can help you...

Some people find it hard to picture getting a massage at work.
This is often because their idea of the traditional concept of a massage doesn’t match with a
​workplace activity.
If you can’t quite picture the break room or supply closet being transformed into an essential-oil scented haven with meditation music pumping out of the walls, we don’t blame you.
Fortunately, that isn’t what massage at work is all about. While it is still a relaxing, de-stressing experience, it is more about offering targeted therapy for specific workplace issues.
No hot stones, no getting naked under a sheet and no elevator music playing in the background.
So how exactly does it work if you opt to get a massage at work? We will explain it all here, so you know what to expect.
 
Don’t Expect A Spa Experience
Although we are not knocking a relaxing spa-type massage complete with robes, candles, and petal-filled baths, this isn’t quite what a massage at work is all about. The purpose is to relax your muscles, not put you to sleep completely!
Your business will designate a massage area where the therapist/s can set up their massage chair, away from the comings and goings of the work space. You won’t be required to remove any items of clothing. Work massages are over the clothes only, focusing on the neck, shoulders, arms, fingers and back.
Rather than lying down, you will be seated in a specially designed chair, which you will sit in back-to-front. For comfort, you will be leaning forward slightly, and will place your head through a comfortably cushioned hole.

​Often, unless we have a debilitating injury, many of us consider going for a massage a bit of a frivolous luxury. Perhaps it is only reserved only for girls’ nights and special occasions.
​Massage is not always an immediate thought. Especially not massage at work!
However, growing evidence proves that regular massage offers many incredible health benefits. Health benefits that can really help you out at work. They range from reducing stress and depression to boosting the immune system and providing pain relief.
But what about Corporate Massage? How does that work?
Corporate massage isn’t just for those with injuries, aches and pains, or specific job descriptions.
Here’s how any employee (or employer!) can benefit from regular workplace massages.