Page 191 - Resources and Support for the Online Educator

Gratitude 15

whatever social media platforms you use, it’s all too easy to fall
down the social media rabbit hole whenever you get bored. Sim-
ply spending less time reading posts can lift your spirits.

4. Turn off notifications. If you cannot bring yourself to log out of
your accounts, at least turn off notifications. It’s nearly impossible
to ignore the Facebook Messenger chime or the ding that lets you
know someone has liked or retweeted one of your tweets or sent
you an email.
5. Spend more offline time with people. Social media is not a
replacement for face-to-face relationships. Yes, you still might
make unrealistic comparisons of your life to the lives of those
around you, but real-life encounters include visual and aural cues
that help you maintain a better perspective on interactions.
6. Fight the Fear of Missing Out (FOMO). When a post you see
online makes you feel as though you are missing out because
you do not have (or have not done) something, take a moment to
think about your reaction. Specifically, what are you feeling and
why? If you can name the emotions you are experiencing and
figure out why they bother you, it’s possible to change your focus
from what you do not have to what you might want to do.
Can social media and other technologies be used to enhance your
sense of gratitude? Absolutely! For example, you can:
1. Use digital photos and a collage-maker app to create a virtual
poster of people, places, or things you are grateful for. Use it as
wallpaper for your laptop, smartphone, or tablet.
2. Subscribe to blogs or sites that suggest daily practices for express-
ing gratitude, and implement suggestions that appeal to you.
3. Use email or messaging to reach out and thank someone.
4. Make a video call using FaceTime, Facebook Live, Skype, or
another video-calling app to connect in real time with someone
and share a little gratitude.
5. Make a gratitude video to share with family and friends.
Technology does not replace face-to-face relationships, but it can be
used to enhance them.

Pathways to Well-Being: Helping Educators (and Others) Find Balance in a Connected World 191