TL;DR:
- To make the most out of social media, take care of your time, pause for play, be picky, enjoy the appreciation, and ask for help.
- Life isn’t picture perfect. Use these strategies to stay positive on social media.
In my last post, I dove into the impact social media can have on mental health. In this blog, I am going to go over some ways that we can be active with social media while keeping those things in mind.
Picture Perfect: Take Care of Your Time
You want to have meaningful time with your family, friends, spouse, and your children. Make sure the people around you are getting a good helping of your time. If you know there are things you don’t want to miss out on (like MasteryChat or a Live with the Team), set an alarm on your phone. This might take away some of the mindless scrolling and keep the energy you are putting in intentional.
If you're feeling down, overwhelmed, or shaken by social media, teaching, or life in general, reach out to someone you love and ask for help. Click To TweetPicture Perfect: Pause for Play
We don’t want to miss out on sharing exciting moments with others on social media; however, present moments in play are important and don’t always need to be captured with your phone. If you can, at the beginning of an event, take a few pictures (if that’s important to you) and then put your phone away to make active connections with others.
Throwing a ball in the yard is way easier without a phone in your hand. If you want to preserve memories, you can use an app like Shutterfly and send a printed photo in the mail to grandparents!
Picture Perfect: Be Picky
You can unfollow someone without unfriending them on social media. Unfriending someone is okay. Make choices about what you’re allowing to consume your time while online. You also do not have to announce that you are making cuts to your friend list, that is your business.
Be mindful that you aren’t just unfollowing everyone who doesn’t think like you. Keeping conversations going with those who disagree with you keeps you growing. If you find yourself comparing and feeling bad, step away and remember your why.
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Picture Perfect: Enjoy the Appreciation
We just celebrated Teacher Appreciation Week! I don’t know about you, but it is so exciting in the United States to have a full week of nothing but positives about teachers! I just learned that different places in the world aren’t celebrating a whole week, so reach out to a few friends and celebrate them with me. Social media can be great to connect with others and can see our impact!
Picture Perfect: Ask for Help
If you’re feeling down, overwhelmed, or shaken by social media, teaching, or life in general, reach out to someone you love and ask for help. We need to normalize mental health discussions with and for educators. Swap strategies about how to deal with negative feedback on the internet or how to share what you love. We are here for you as a Teach Better Family.
About BreAnn Fennell
Mrs. BreAnn Fennell is a first-grade and second-grade looping teacher in Ashland, Ohio. She has worked in both public and private settings and is passionate about providing exciting learning environments for students. Mrs. Fennell is a published author of children’s books including Play? Yay! and Choose Your Cheer. She is a mom to two energetic boys and a defender of play! 