Social Media: A conscience step to the left
One requirement for this blog in 3520 is the integration of social media. At the risk of loosing all my rubric marks in this section, I say nay. Here's why.
Care giver burnout, originally coined for the nursing field is a concern in many therapy fields where we work with patients, especially people who may be in vulnerable places and need compassionate care. When we are at work, we need to be 100% there with these people. We cannot attend nor focus on a sore back or emotional problem that we may have. It demands a great deal of self care on our own time, and that includes down time.
The invasion of social media does 3 things to degrade this.
1. it occupies time
2. it builds unhealthy habits (for many) in a perpetual adrenaline and instant gratification style of interaction
3. it can bring work home and home to work, reducing the privacy in a therapists life, inviting patients into a friend relationship status, which is not encouraged by the governing body
Life moves fast. Each year, the speed seems to increase. This of course, means we need to find more time to take down time. Oh the irony!
In time management models, like the Time Management Matrix below, social media falls into box 3 and 4, non important and non urgent, (though that survey or discount might demand you act now!) and do not further your life goals, improve your feelings of self worth, nor assist your immune system.
I live in a career of that down time. Where taking that "me" time is encouraged and celebrated. As such I revolt against the concept of keeping this rapid pace, much less in a public forum.
On our clinic website, we include:
All treatments are by appointment only
We try and minimize electromagnetic smog in our facility. We use recycled PAPER for appointment logs and will respond to inquiries within 48 hours on week days. Appointments are booking 3+ weeks ahead. We offer preventative wellness, maintenance and injury recovery. If you have an emergency, please seek appropriate medical care. We are consciously choosing to live life at an organically healthy pace and not allow technology to direct our adrenal glands.
We have our ringer turned off, and check messages around our class and treatment schedule. If you need last minute treatment, we are not your health care team. If you live in a place of drama and demands, you'll need to look elsewhere. Are we booked? Absolutely.
While marketing is necessary for business, it should not come at the expense of a life outside of the business. Any entrepreneur has that challenge already. Social media can increase the creep form work to home even further.
When done badly, a social media post may portray something the individual will regret. On the internet, it can always be found down the road.
When this individual is a care giver, the amount of personal information that SHOULD NOT be accessible to the passes dramatically increases. Many governing bodies offer advise on how to keep social media appropriate. One such example is here from the College of Massage Therapists of Ontario.
Can social media be used; carefully, it can.
Does that make it healthy? I'm skeptical. I guess the longer term studies will tell.
For now, I conscientiously choose a hard step to the left. I'll pass thanks.
