May Newsletter
Mental Health Awareness
Hi PFP Community,
We hope you had a great month of May, and enjoyed the holiday weekend!
As many of you may know, May is Mental Health Awareness month, and we wanted to take the opportunity to highlight the importance of mental health, and share some resources (below) that we’ve found to be particularly valuable. This past year has been especially difficult for so many, and recent data from Mental Health America paints a concerning picture. The number of adults who took anxiety screens jumped 93% from 2019 to 2020, and In September 2020, the rate of moderate to severe anxiety peaked, with over 8 in 10 people who took an anxiety screen scoring with moderate to severe symptoms. (for more findings, the MHA report can be found here)
Taking care of our mental health is critical, and we believe it is just as important, if not more so, than our physical health
Along with our content around mental health this month, we also have a recap of our May podcasts, suggestions to fight Zoom fatigue, a couple of book recommendations, and a new challenge for you all.
We hope you all are well, and enjoy this edition of the newsletter!
-The PFP Team
Podcast Recap for May
We’ve had some great episodes with fantastic guests published over the past month. We covered Parenting with EQ with Teeve Aguirre, an HR leader’s take on the relationship between the how and what of results with KC Onyekanne, MS, PHR, and on this past week's episode of the People First Podcast, our very own Jon Sousa and Alec Peterson connect for a conversation around career transitions, and specifically, transitioning from one field to another.
Here are some key takeaways from the episode:
When making a career transition, especially from field to field, expect A LOT of no's early on, but that's to be expected.
Networking within a new field is important: coaches and champions are critical to helping you prepare but also influence decisions when sometimes the "fit" is clear on paper.
Alec doesn't suggest going out without a plan or a place to land, and calls out his own emotional decision to do so. One of the most powerful quotes from the episode is "don't run from something, run TO something."
You can find the link to the podcast on various streaming platforms below, and if you are interested in coming on the podcast, please reach out to jon@peoplefirstprofessionals.org for more information!
Anchor: https://anchor.fm/pfppod
Apple: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-people-first-podcast/id1545961974
Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/7KTe5wVUH8ox8LCUkn9k2J
Ughh another zoom meeting
Chris Sam
Let’s face it.
We have seen a lot of faces recently, but mostly through a computer screen. If you're anything like me, you have probably been dreading having to stare at yourself for 8+ hours of the day while simultaneously viewing all your other co-workers, family-members, friends, and teammates.
It's EXHAUSTING and the name of the culprit? Zoom Fatigue.
Zoom fatigue is described as the tiredness, worry, or burnout associated with overusing virtual platforms of communication.1 Like other experiences associated with the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, Zoom fatigue is widely prevalent, intense, and completely new.
Approximately 300 million daily participants of Zoom meetings globally are affected by zoom fatigue.2 New research from Stanford university suggests that there are four main causes for zoom fatigue.3
1. Excessive amounts of close-up eye contact is highly intense.
It has been well documented that the social anxiety of public speaking is one of the biggest phobias that exists in our population; when you are standing up front and everyone is staring at you, that's a stressful experience. Compounding that experience for several hours our brains begin to enter a hyper-aroused state where it's either fight or flight.
2. Seeing yourself during video chats constantly in real-time is fatiguing.
Several studies have documented that when we see a reflection of ourselves we are more critical of ourselves.
Which makes sense.
I do not look in a mirror to NOT critictic either my hair, outfit, or appearance. However that's usually only an occasional glance and not a 8+ hr marathon with my peers and loved ones. It's incredibly taxing and stressful; research shows that there are negative emotional consequences to seeing ourselves in a mirror for prolonged periods of time.
3. Video chats dramatically reduce our usual mobility.
It feels good to move doesn't it?
Dancing around or briskly walking across town makes us feel good.
Studies have shown time and time again that movement is phenomenal for both our physical and cognitive functions. With the advent of “shelter in place” quarantines and video conferencing we are forced to generally stay in the same spot due to most cameras having a limited field of view. This causes us to lose out on all the benefits of movement that our bodies are used to.
4. The cognitive load is much higher in video chats.
In regular face-to-face interaction, nonverbal communication is quite natural, and each of us naturally makes and interprets gestures and nonverbal cues subconsciously. But in video chats, we have to work harder to send and receive signals.
This takes one of the most natural things in the world and transforms it into something that requires a lot more thought to decipher. Gestures could mean wildly different things on video than during an in person chat.
However there is hope
It has been said that the solution begins with the problem in mind. Professor Jeremy Bailenson, founding director of the Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab (VHIL), examined the psychological consequences of spending hours per day on these platforms, and came up with the following solutions for combating zoom fatigue:
Excessive amounts of close-up eye contact is highly intense.
Solution: Until the platforms change their interface, Bailenson recommends taking Zoom out of the full-screen option and reducing the size of the Zoom window relative to the monitor to minimize face size, and to use an external keyboard to allow an increase in the personal space bubble between oneself and the grid.
Seeing yourself during video chats constantly in real-time is fatiguing.
Solution: Use the “hide self-view” button, which one can access by right-clicking their own photo, once they see their face is framed properly in the video.
Video chats dramatically reduce our usual mobility.
Solution: Think more about the room they’re videoconferencing in, where the camera is positioned and whether things like an external keyboard can help create distance or flexibility. For example, an external camera farther away from the screen will allow you to pace and doodle in virtual meetings just like we do in real ones. And of course, turning one’s video off periodically during meetings is a good ground rule to set for groups, just to give oneself a brief nonverbal rest.
The cognitive load is much higher in video chats.
Solution: During long stretches of meetings, give yourself an “audio only” break. This is not simply you turning off your camera to take a break from having to be nonverbally active, but also turning your body away from the screen, so that for a few minutes you are not smothered with gestures that are perceptually realistic but socially meaningless.
Zoom fatigue and its effects are real, hopefully utilizing these tools will help you manage your happiness levels and mitigate stress.
Links
1. Wolf CR. Virtual platforms are helpful tools but can add to our stress. Psychology Today. May 14, 2020. Accessed October 19, 2020. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/the-desk-the-mental-health-lawyer/202005/virtual-platforms-are-helpful-tools-can-add-our-stress
2. Patnaik S, Malara N, Mukherjee S. Zoom says it has 300 million daily meeting participants, not users. Reuters. April 30, 2020. Accessed October 19, 2020. https://www.reuters.com/article/us-zoom-video-commn-encryption/zoom-says-it-has-300-million-daily-meeting-participants-not-users-idUSKBN22C1T4
Professor Jeremy Bailenson, founding director of the Stanford Virtual Human Interaction Lab (VHIL) - https://news.stanford.edu/2021/02/23/four-causes-zoom-fatigue-solutions
Book Recommendation
The Go Giver
Bob Burg and John David Mann
The Go Giver challenges us to consider our intentions with how we approach and interact with each other. By changing our focus from getting to giving—putting others’ interests first and continually adding value to their lives—ultimately leads to unexpected returns. It’s not only a fulfilling way to live life and conduct business, but the most profitable way, as well.
The Go Giver has sparked a global movement, and we highly recommend checking it out!
Around the Web
HBR - Building Work Life Balance in the Work From Home Era
HBR - When Your Employee Discloses a Mental Health Condition
Resources from Mental Health America
Monthly Challenge | How Volunteering Impacts Mental Health
Jamelyn Banuelos
There’s an indescribable feeling you get at the end of a hard day’s work. It’s a feeling of accomplishment, peace, and fulfillment. But when that hard work was a volunteering event? Somehow that feeling of goodness gets escalated x1000, because you know that you made an impact on someone else’s life.
Whether you were working a shift at the food pantry, serving meals at the homeless shelter, painting the walls of a new house for a family… it just feels good. People who volunteer actually experience a boost in their mental health, which is welcomed news at a time when more than a third of Americans are experiencing symptoms of anxiety or depression. And at a time when these nonprofits need help the most after a hard year of pandemic life.
One could make the case that people who are generally happier spend more time volunteering, but a current study published this year in the Journal of Happiness Studies, suggests that you don’t need to already feel happy in order to benefit from it. In fact, some research suggests that people who start out with lower levels of well-being may even get a bigger boost from volunteering!
So, in honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, PFP would like to challenge our members to take a moment to boost your mental health, while contributing to your community at the same time!
DALLAS Specific: VOLY.ORG
Voly allows you to search current volunteer opportunities based on your interests and availability.
NATIONAL: VolunteerMatch
21 Virtual Volunteer Opportunities You Can Do From Home
12 Fun & Interesting Virtual Volunteer Opportunities
Volunteer from Anywhere with VolunteerMatch
