The Hidden Energy Drain in Your Video Calls

As the holiday season swirls around us with its festive demands and endless to-do lists, we’re all searching for ways to preserve our precious energy. If you are in virtual meetings a lot, I’ve got a simple tool that is pretty painless to implement and backed by TONS of science.​

Every time you join a virtual meeting, you’re likely facing not just your colleagues, but also yourself. That little window showing your own face might seem harmless, but it’s actually creating a subtle but significant energy leak in your daily routine.

Have you ever had an in-person conversation while holding up a mirror to your face? It would feel bizarre and exhausting, yet that’s exactly what we’re doing in virtual meetings. Our brains are constantly processing our own facial expressions, posture, and background, creating an unnecessary layer of self-consciousness and mental fatigue.

A Simple Solution with Surprising Benefits

The good news: Nearly every major video conferencing platform – whether you’re using Zoom, Microsoft Teams, or Google Meet – allows you to turn off self-view while keeping your camera on for others.

Here’s something interesting I’ve discovered since making this change: those little “imperfections” that used to take up mental space – like the glare from my overhead light when I occasionally forget to turn it off – simply stopped mattering. When I’m not constantly monitoring my own image, these minor visual quirks become irrelevant. Yes, the glare is probably still there, but the mental energy I save by not fixating on it is worth far more than having a perfectly lit video presence.

Let’s be honest, many of the “flaws” we unconsciously look for in our video appearances likely go unnoticed by others, yet monitoring them costs us significant mental energy.

Making the Change

Take a moment to familiarize yourself with how to turn off self-view in your preferred video platforms. It’s usually as simple as right-clicking your video window and selecting “hide self-view” or accessing it through your video settings. By hiding your own image, you create a more natural conversation environment, one that more closely mirrors in-person interactions. You’re still fully present for others, but you’re freed from the burden of constant self-observation and self-correction.

Give it a try and let me know how it goes!

Got any other favorite hacks for plugging up energy leaks!? Share them with me! I’d love to hear them!