Breathing Techniques for Battling Online Fatigue


The Centre for Foundation Studies, Kampar Campus, ran an online workshop titled “Breathing Techniques for Battling Online Fatigue” on 31 March 2021 via Microsoft Teams. Organised by the Centre’s Knowledge Sharing and Communication Committee, the workshop was presented by guest speaker Dr Sofiah Kadar Khan, Associate Professor with the School of Business and Management, Quest International University Perak. The workshop was moderated by Lionel Keith Vytialingam, Lecturer with the Department of Arts and Social Science, Centre for Foundation Studies, Kampar Campus.

 Dr Sofiah demonstrating breathing techniques to participants

Aimed at introducing participants to the concept of online fatigue and informing them on the risks associated with it if left unchecked, the workshop sought also to introduce breathing techniques that could be incorporated into daily routine to mitigate stress from online fatigue.   

Drawing from personal and professional experience with organisational wellness, Dr Sofiah who holds a professional certification with the American Council on Exercise, highlighted the necessity for awareness on online fatigue. Dr Sofiah said this was crucial specifically amidst the movement control restrictions due to the Covid-19 pandemic, which had made it a necessity for many members of the community to work from home, which in turn required them to spend extended durations completing work tasks mostly online using their devices.

Dr Sofiah outlined the risks of job burnout, emotional distress and generalised anxiety among others that could result from online fatigue not being properly mitigated. As such, specific breathing techniques were demonstrated, which required participants to periodically set aside a few minutes away from their devices to address their physiological and psychological need for stress mitigation and relaxation. Dr Sofiah ran a demonstration of these techniques, encouraging the participants to follow suit with their web-cameras switched on so as to allow for their technique to be guided and corrected where necessary.

 

Dr Sofiah guiding participants on attaining the correct technique

The workshop ended with a Q&A session, in which participants sought further demonstration of correct of technique pertaining to breathing exercises.