Video conference or virtual meeting is a technology that has been around for more than two decades. Until the outbreak of covid-19, however, many, if not all, persons who needed to attend a meeting remotely would call from a genuine conference room with their coworkers.
We now hold 100 percent virtual videoconferences on a regular basis. This creates an issue that technology cannot solve.
The problem is that humans haven't evolved socially or even psychologically to the point where we can tolerate prolonged isolation. Because so much of our well-being, and thus what makes us productive, is dependent on physical proximity, removing that contact for any length of time might be disastrous especially for remote teams.
COVID-19 and PTSD:
PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder) is a mental health condition that develops after a traumatic experience. There may be an actual or perceived risk of injury or death during that event.
Pandemics have killed an estimated 300 million to 500 million people over the course of human history, with the Ebola virus destroying an estimated 60 percent of Europe's population during the Middle Ages. Despite current medical advances, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has claimed the lives of almost 1 million people in less than two years. Aside from the mortality toll, the pandemic has caused severe emotional, physical, and economic consequences worldwide. Nations have the opportunity to exchange and learn from each other's experiences even in the midst of this catastrophe.
A number of studies examine the impacts of numerous traumatic stressors linked to COVID-19, as well as the impacts of less severe stress exposures. COVID-19 has already been linked to a variety of mental health issues, including anxiety, depression, PTSD, and other trauma- and stress-related diseases.
As a result of the pandemic, certain populations have satisfied the Diagnostic qualifying criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD): those who have experienced serious COVID-19 illness and death; those who have witnessed others' suffering and death as family members or health care workers; those who have faced the death of a family member or friend due to the virus; and those who have experienced extreme exposure to upsetting details such as health workers, journalists, etc.
Laughter Therapy for Remote Teams:
Our brain releases dopamine, a chemical that induces joy when we laugh or giggle. Dopamine has the ability to improve understanding, motivation, and attention. Enhanced immunological functioning, stress alleviation, increased pain tolerance, enhanced cardiovascular health, lower anxiety, a sense of safety, and improved mood are just a few of the overall health advantages of laughter and the neuro chemicals involved. Laughter has also been linked to increased workplace enthusiasm and productivity. This brings us full round to Covid-19.
So, as a team leader, what can you do to limit these effects?
You may not have anticipated that it would be your responsibility to impact your subordinates' body and brain chemistry when you started the job. But, in today's virtual team-building, virtual team world, that's precisely what you should be doing: you need to urge your team members to laugh more and stress less in order for them to stay healthy and productive.
Book your Laughter Therapy Session now with https://www.laughtermovement.com/book-online