socialising

shannon_164

hey:) i don’t even know why i am positing this to be completely honest but here we are lol

when i feel overwhelmed, i tend to ignore the worlds existence. i don’t know why, i just find it easier i guess? and because i also genuinely do not have the energy to reply to messages.

HOWEVER, not replying to messages makes me feel so bad. i don’t mean to be ignoring anyone, but i just genuinely don’t have the energy to reply - i will always reply eventually, but when im feeling so overwhelmed i just can’t seem to:(

i am sat here with a whole list typed up of messages i need to reply to and emails i need to reply to as well and everytime i try to i’m just so unable to? it sounds so silly im sure, and i feel so silly for being this way too.

!!!! also, if you’re reading this, im so proud of you for getting through everything you’re dealing with🩷

AnonymousToe

I get you, I do this too. Honestly thought it was just me lol. Maybe we should create like a template ‘I don’t have the energy to be social’ message to send people when it happens. I dont know. But it’s not silly! 🩷

Lottie5433

@shannon_164 always here for you 🫂

Totally understand that feeling of overwhelm and ignoring the world - sometimes its makes it less exhausting.
No worries for not replying straight away to messages, people understand that it takes time to respond and when we don't feel able to it makes it difficult to say what you want as well - almost like a mental block.

Take each message and email as they come, even if it means drafting them and then sending them out later - sometimes that reduces the overwhelm.

It not silly at all, I'm sure alot of people are like this too 💕

Sian321

Hey @shannon_164 , thank you so much for this message. It can take real courage to share these things, esspecially when there's these social expectations or pressures to get back to messages and we feel 'bad' or 'silly' for not being able to. I just want to send you a hug because it sounds overwhelming

I hope that you can grant yourself some grace here and be kind to yourself, @shannon_164 You're coping with a lot right now, and you deserve to be able to take some space for yourself when you need and to reply to others on your own terms. If it would be helpful to get anything off your chest here / to talk about what's overwhelming you, we're here. But there's truly no pressure.

In all honesty, I relate so much to what you've shared. Oftentimes my WhatsApp account can feel like a second inbox, and even while I care for the people who are messaging me a lot, sometimes I simply get overwhelmed and it's like this wall that comes down in my brain and replying to people feels physically impossible even though I know I technically 'can'. I wonder if you can relate to that?

I don't know if this is helpful, but for me sometimes it helps to send a very short 'holding' message to help communicate what's going on. E.g. I might text my friend and say, "Hey, thank you for this message. It feels lovely to hear from you. In all honesty, I'm a bit overwhelmed right now and I'm finding it really hard to reply to messages. I will get back to you more when I've got a bit more headspace x ".

Remember you are totally within your right to take all the time and space you need, and you don't have to owe people urgent replies.

Sending hugs, Shannon, and take lots of care