Dear College of Education Community,
It is so important for us to find ways to cope with the negative side effects of social isolation and worry right now, sometimes referred to as Pandemic Fatigue. What Is Pandemic Fatigue? An article from UCLA Health defines it as “wrestling with intense emotions day after day which drains our energy” and can impact us physically and emotionally. The experts at UCLA Health compassionately offer 7 healthy ways that we can cope with our physical and emotional needs during this pandemic. Please see the link below to find out more:
https://www.uclahealth.org/news/7-steps-to-reduce-pandemic-fatigue
Another type of fatigue that we may all be experiencing is Digital Fatigue, which refers specifically to the toll that hours of using technology takes on us. A wonderful resource to address Digital Fatigue can be found through the Digital Wellness Collective website. https://digitalwellnesscollective.com/ What is Digital Wellness? According to this website, it is “the optimum state of health and well-being that each individual using technology is capable of achieving. It’s a way of life, while using technology, that promotes optimal health and well-being in which body, mind, and spirit are integrated by the individual to live more fully within the human, natural, and digital communities.” Even better, we can move toward Digital Flourishing, which refers to “a mindful approach to digital technology usage that supports our thriving in different areas of life. This approach empowers us to take advantage of the benefits of technology while avoiding associated harms. In order to digitally flourish we can enhance our skills in at least six areas that our digital behaviors relate to, including mental health, physical health, relationships, productivity, well-being and responsible digital citizenship.” There are a number of free resources on this website that are very helpful. You can take a free Digital Flourishing survey at http://sgiz.mobi/s3/digitalflourishing to get a digital wellness score and get access to a free chapter about ways to enhance your Digital Flourishing in each category of your digital life.
Please continue to look at our self-care website for additional resources at
https://www.csun.edu/eisner-education/self-care/articles-information-self-care
May each of you find your own way to overcome pandemic and digital fatigue as this challenging time in our lives.
Warmly,
Shari and Josh