Page 190 - Resources and Support for the Online Educator

14 PATHWAYS TO WELL-BEING

of media can contribute to a person’s discontent when not viewed with
a critical eye.
Why does this happen? There are exceptions, but most people who
post on social media do not air their dirty laundry so publicly. They
usually focus on the high points in their lives—vacations, weddings,
holiday celebrations, and so on. These upbeat, on-top-of-the-world
messages can give readers the sense that their own lives are not nearly
as positive or rewarding as those of their friends; this can lead to
lower self-esteem and a sense of dissatisfaction (Barr, 2018). Instead of
being grateful for all the good things and people that are already part
of their lives, they develop resentments about what they think they
should have, but do not.

The way to combat the drive to keep up with the virtual Joneses is
to step back and think critically about what’s happening and why.
Here are a few things to try with social media feeds and other online
accounts.
1. Unfollow people who arouse jealousy. You know who they
are. No matter what they write about, you end up feeling inferior
because you believe your life will never measure up to theirs. It
does not matter if others consider these people inspirational—if
you do not, unfollow them. Whether it’s people you know in real
life or online, they’ll never know you are not reading their posts,
and you will feel better.
2. Follow people who inspire you, people whose posts lift you
up or offer content that resonates with you. Perhaps they have
expertise in something you’d like to learn more about, or they
handle life’s ups and downs with humor and grace. Whether they
make you smile or get you thinking, these posts will not invoke
the green-eyed monster.

3. Log out of your social media accounts. Did you know that the
average person spends 116 minutes on social media per day?
That’s nearly two hours! (Asano, 2017) If you’re feeling over-
whelmed or like you can’t keep up with everything you need to
get done, this may be a contributing factor. We’re not suggesting
that you give up social media, only that you make it a little more
cumbersome to check your feeds. When it takes a mere click of
a button to peek at Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or

Pathways to Well-Being: Helping Educators (and Others) Find Balance in a Connected World 190