Whether you are chatting to your friends or learning online, videochats can be great fun, but they can also be really tiring.

Here’s our top tips for making them work for you.

Shorter Sessions

It’s easy to find you have been chatting for ages and not realised it. If you’ve been having lots of laughs, then time can go by really quickly.

But it’s also going to tire you out more. Why not try to have a few shorter sessions rather than one long one? Agree with your friends to have a break in between, so you can get up and get moving, then videochat them again later.

Get Moving

Staring at one thing all the time isn’t good for you. You don’t blink as often as you should, so your eyes get tired. And even if you really like what you are looking at, it can still get boring.

Are there any ways that you can make your videochats more interactive, so you aren’t doing sitting in one spot all the time?

Hide Yourself

On some videochatting software you can turn off the ‘self view’, which is the little picture of you that appears on your screen.

Why is this important? Imagine what it would be like if someone followed you around with a mirror as you walked around. Looking at ourselves can be exhausting! Turn it off and see if it makes a difference.

Let There Be Light

Thinking about where you do your videochat could help you. You don’t want to have too much light behind you, such as the sun or a light, as it means the person you are chatting to won’t be able to see you properly. And if it’s too dark, they’ll have to squint to find you on-screen.

Ask your friends what works best and change what you need to, and you can do the same for them. Then you won’t have to strain your eyes and can concentrate on having a good chat.

What are your tips for videochatting?