The Future of Hybrid Work: Breath Training to Reduce Zoom Fatigue and Improve Focus
Hybrid work, the blend of in-person and remote, offers freedom and, at the same time, a risk of overload. This article presents an integrated approach: it explains the model’s origin and impact, identifies frequent symptoms such as fatigue, isolation, and difficulties concentrating. In that scenario, RESPA emerges as a way to return to center: paying attention to what is most central and natural, the breath.
The Origin of Hybrid Work
Remote work has existed for decades, but its growth was “slow and irreversible” until a global catalyst accelerated it overnight: the pandemic. Digitalization and the intensive use of ICTs were already transforming how work is organized; the SARS-CoV-2 health crisis pushed governments and companies to enable remote work to maintain services and economic activity, and since then hybrid work has become a standard in many sectors. European and Spanish institutions reoriented strategic and regulatory frameworks to anticipate and manage this change, emphasizing physical and psychosocial risks linked to constant connectivity and the flexible, interactive processes enabled by ICTs.
Spain, for example, first approved Royal Decree-Law 28/2020 and later Law 10/2021 on remote work, which defines telework as a subcategory of distance work when it relies on IT and telecommunications, and regulates issues such as regularity, written agreements, risk assessments, the right to disconnect, and the training needed to work remotely with safety and health.
Starting in 2020, three pillars of the workday changed:
Space: The office split between the workplace and homes/on-the-go settings. This “dual ecosystem” requires designing the workstation (furniture, lighting, screen, software) in two scenarios and periodically reviewing conditions to avoid mismatches.
Time: Boundaries blurred. Email and synchronous/asynchronous video calls lengthen the workday and multiply interruptions; hence the importance of planning short, frequent breaks and implementing clear digital-disconnection policies to curb permanent availability.
Relationships: Less casual contact, more screen-mediated communication. Specific psychosocial risks arise: technostress, computer fatigue (video-conferencing fatigue), isolation, multitasking, and information overload.
Consequences for Managing the Day
Since 2020, changes in how work is organized have brought more screen-mediated days, blurred boundaries, and higher cognitive load. A global Microsoft Work Trend Index survey reported that 54% of people felt overworked and 39% outright exhausted, and more than 40% experienced increased musculoskeletal pain. In this context, the following symptoms have been listed as the most frequent stemming from virtual work.
a) Fatigue (of the body, eyes, and mind)
Musculoskeletal: sustained postures, laptops at inadequate heights, and few postural changes. Result: cervical/lumbar discomfort, tight shoulders, heavy hands and wrists.
Visual: prolonged screen time + reduced blinking + glare/contrast → dry eye, blurred vision, and headaches.
Mental (computer fatigue): excess video calls, multitasking, and urgency of response.
b) Isolation
Digital communication has reduced spontaneity, impoverishes feedback, and can erode the sense of belonging; moreover, the lack of instrumental support (solving a doubt “in two steps”) amplifies mental load.
c) Difficulties concentrating
Interruptions, notifications, uncontrolled home environments, and constant “context switching” sabotage focus. Multitasking and information overload raise cognitive demands, promote more reactive decisions, and erode sustained performance.
But fortunately this is not all bad news for the body... while fatigue, isolation, and a diffuse focus show up, an immediate self-regulation capacity is also available: adjusting the breathing rhythm.
Your breath is the remote control of the nervous system. Slow, nasal, and diaphragmatic breathing tends to activate the parasympathetic circuit (calm and recovery); short, high, mouth breathing is associated with a sympathetic state (alert). Regulating it consciously changes autonomic tone, improves heart rate variability, and, with practice, strengthens sustained attention.
In recent years, tools have emerged that allow monitoring and training the breath. Respa’s trajectory began with respiratory detection in clinical and performance contexts and evolved toward wellbeing and mindfulness, with a respiratory-pattern detection device backed by research and patented innovation. Respa brings rigor to the idea of training the breath as a healthy habit linked to concentration and recovery, beyond sports and yoga.
The RESPA Method for Your Hybrid Day: Four Plug-and-Play Practices
These practices are designed to fit exactly into the critical points of a hybrid day: before video calls, during them, between deep-work tasks, and at closing. They can be done without any device; if you use one (like Respa), you’ll have biofeedback to refine technique and adherence.
Practice 1 , RESPA-FOCUS (before an important video call)
Goal: lower activation, clear “noise,” and enter with presence.
Duration: 3–4 minutes.
Sit with lumbar support, feet on the floor, and the screen at eye level (micro-ergonomics already reduce cervical and ocular tension).
Exhale slowly through the nose (4–6 s), gently emptying.
Inhale diaphragmatically through the nose (4–5 s), expanding “to the sides” (rib cage).
Comfortable pause (1–2 s).
Repeat 6–8 cycles. Think “exhale longer than inhale.”
Optional with device: aim for a coherent cadence (4.5–6 breaths/min) until a stable calm settles in.
Why it works: prolonged exhalations increase vagal tone; entering the call with a regulated CNS reduces fatigue and reactivity.
Practice 2 , RESPA-ANTI-FATIGUE ZOOM (between calls or at the first sign of overload)
Goal: release tension, rehydrate eyes, reset attention.
Duration: 2–3 minutes.
Double nasal sigh: inhale gently through the nose, brief pause, inhale again to “top up” (a small second sip of air), and exhale long through the mouth as if fogging a mirror. Do 6 reps.
Conscious blinking: 10 seconds of soft, continuous blinking to lubricate the cornea (reduces screen-related dry eye).
Distant gaze: look far away (window/corridor) for 30–45 s; alternate twice.
Micromovement: standing, make a gentle spiral with spine and shoulders for 30–45s.
Why it works: the “physiological sigh” adjusts CO₂ and reduces tension; blinking + distant gaze decrease eye fatigue; brief movement counters static load and sedentariness.
Practice 3 , RESPA-DEEP FOCUS (before a 60–90-minute deep-work block)
Goal: enter flow and protect the capacity to sustain attention.
Duration: 5 minutes + environment hygiene.
Notification hygiene (focus mode, phone outside visual field).
Set chair and forearms at 90°, raise the screen; if using a laptop, add external keyboard/mouse (aligned posture saves “micro-energy”).
Coherent breathing 5-5: inhale 5 s, exhale 5 s through the nose, for 5 minutes.
One-line intention: write the “one thing” to complete.
Work 50–75 minutes and take a 5–8-minute active break (walk, stretch, 3 minutes of free breathing).
Why it works: steady cadence synchronizes respiratory mechanics with heart rhythm; paired with short, frequent breaks, it optimizes performance and prevents cognitive overload.
Practice 4 , RESPA-DIGITAL FIREBREAK (close the day and ease disconnection)
Goal: transition from work mode to personal mode to protect sleep and recovery.
Duration: 6–8 minutes.
Closing hygiene: log 3 completed tasks and 1 priority for tomorrow (the brain “releases” pending items).
Adapted 4-7-8 (3–5 cycles): inhale through the nose for 4 s, pause 7 s, exhale through the mouth for 8 s.
Soft nasal breathing for 2 extra minutes at a comfortable cadence.
Keep screens out of the bedroom and use low light (reminder: light and irregular schedules disrupt sleep; digital disconnection is part of psychosocial prevention).
Why it works: prolonging exhalation and adding a gentle pause elevates autonomic inhibition; a good transition reduces rumination and improves sleep quality.
Weekly Program “Hybrid RESPA”: Minimum Effort, Maximum Return
Monday to Friday
Before the first meeting: RESPA-FOCUS (3–4 min).
Between long calls: RESPA-ANTI-FATIGUE ZOOM (2–3 min).
Before the main deep-work block: RESPA-DEEP FOCUS (5 min + 50–75/5–8 block/break).
At day’s end: RESPA-DIGITAL FIREBREAK (6–8 min) + disconnection ritual (turn off work chats, personal phone in airplane mode if appropriate).
Saturday or Sunday (maintenance)
10–15 minutes of coherent breathing + an easy-pace walk to offset weekly sedentariness (remember: more than 7 hours of daily sedentary time is associated with worse health outcomes; alternating sitting/standing every 30 minutes helps).
Using technology: if you have respiratory biofeedback (e.g., Respa Mindfulness), set simple goals (cadence, regularity, longer exhale) and track progress. Respa’s history, from clinical and performance detection to wellbeing, reminds us that what gets measured, improves.
Organization–Person Recommendations
What the company can (and should) do
Clear digital-disconnection policy: windows without email/servers outside working hours, limits on after-hours messaging except for emergencies, and visible example from leadership. This reduces extended workdays and chronic hyper-connectivity.
Work design: size workloads (quantitative and qualitative), batch tasks, plan purpose-driven meetings (with breaks every 50–60 minutes).
Preventive training: basic ergonomics, time management, effective asynchronous communication (clear subjects, response agreements), distance leadership, and psychoeducation on technostress.
Two-way communication: channels to report dysfunctions, periodic surveys, and follow-up on corrective measures.
Hybrid essentials kit: chair with lumbar support, external monitor for laptops, keyboard and mouse, and guidance on lighting and equipment placement (300–500 lux, avoid glare).
What you can do today
60-second ergonomics: support your back, set forearms at 90°, raise the screen, breathe nasally (aligned body, air lower).
50/5 rhythm: work 50–75 minutes and rest 5–8 minutes with breathing or gentle movement.
Digital order: close unused apps, use “focus mode” in blocks, and batch communications to avoid interruptions.
Breathe before deciding: before sending a difficult message, take 3 cycles of long exhalation; clarity goes up, reactivity goes down.
Hybrid work is here to stay; its quality will depend on how the experience is designed each day. Regulations and technical guidelines provide the framework: integrated prevention, ergonomics, breaks, disconnection, risk assessment, and continuous training.
Breath training is the piece that anchors those principles to physiology. It is inexpensive, immediate, and, with tools like Respa, both measurable and trainable: just what’s needed to turn exhausting video calls into more human meetings, scattered work blocks into focus stretches, and jittery end-of-day moments into calm transitions. Breathe better to work better, and to live better.
