Why I Even Bothered
Honestly? Kept feeling blah after pouring my guts out online. Felt exposed and icky, like forgetting your pants at the grocery store. Decided I needed rules, man. Just basic stuff so I don’t regret stuff later.
The Stupid Thing I Did First
Jumped straight in like an idiot. Posted this massive, messy rant about family drama on my public feed. Like, full names, dates, the whole sob story. Next morning? Yeah. Cringed so hard. My aunt called mom, mom cried, cousins sent weird texts. Total mess. Felt like an open wound with salt poured on it.
Actually Trying to Be Smart About It
Okay, screw that. Went back to the drawing board. Dug around, found some beginner tips. Figured I’d test them myself, step by step. Here’s the crap I actually did:
- Tip 1: Pick Your Spot: Went hunting for smaller groups first. Found this tiny forum about gardening (weird, I know). Shared just one small thing about killing my cactus. Just that. Didn’t flood them with my life story.
- Tip 2: Ditch the Names: Next try? Told a work story. Changed the dude’s name to “Bob” and the company to “Noodle Inc.” Felt way less like someone might sue me.
- Tip 3: Check That Box! Shared a kinda personal photo on another app. Triple-checked the audience settings. Made dang sure it was only “Close Friends.” Took like 5 minutes, but worth it.
- Tip 4: Baby Steps, Seriously: On my blog… shared just one slightly awkward childhood memory. Not the super tragic one. Just the time I tried to cut my own hair. Kept it short and kinda funny. Just dipped a toe in.
- Tip 5: Listen to Your Gut (& Delete Stuff): Wrote this long, whiny post late one night. Felt good to type it out. Saved it as a draft. Next morning? Read it and went “Nahhh.” Smashed that delete button. Felt powerful.
Where I’m At Now
Not gonna lie, it still feels kinda weird sometimes. But it’s way, way better. No more family firestorms! I still share stuff, but smaller chunks. Changed names like it’s my job. Always tap those audience settings like my life depends on it. Started trusting my “ugh, maybe not” feeling more. Deleted three posts this month alone. It’s not about hiding, man. It’s about not feeling like crap after I hit ‘post’. Feels less like throwing myself off a cliff, more like dipping my feet in the pool. Still figuring it out, but definitely not making the same stupid mess.
