How to be Less Self-Conscious on Zoom

Admit it - you watch yourself during Zoom meetings. You wish that you didn’t, but you do. Staring at yourself during video calls is a real problem, spawning personal essays and countless articles in publications like Insider. Nothing draws your eye more than your own shiny face, which can lead to overly dramatic facial expressions that feel fake. It also leads to exhaustion and burnout.

But if you’re on Zoom - there’s a solution! It’s called “hide self view”, and I use it religiously. Everybody else can still see you, but your face is now gone!

To access it, simply click “view” in the top right:

Then click “hide self view”:

Problem solved!! Worried that your camera is still in frame? You can always turn it back on the same way.

Want to take it to the next level? Try hiding EVERYBODY’S face by moving them offscreen. I believe that trying to read facial expressions over Zoom is anxiety inducing and not as useful as you think. Rather, listen intently to what they’re saying, and oscillate your attention between smiling directly at the camera to create “eye contact” or looking out the window to give your eyes a screen break.