Working in Hong Kong, social media is truly a blessing because it lets me stay close to my family back home. I can check on my children, hear about their day, and feel like I’m still part of their lives. But honestly, it also brings some stress. Without seeing facial expressions or hearing their real voice, a simple text can easily be misunderstood as cold or angry. And whenever I see that my message was read but no one replies right away, my heart starts racing. I instantly worry that they are upset with me.
To make things better, we have started doing video calls when possible so we can see each other’s smiles and avoid misunderstandings. We also tell each other our daily schedules so I won’t panic if they take time to answer. Most importantly, I try to remind myself to trust them and stay calm instead of always thinking the worst.
Gloria Ruiz
