Are You an Oversharer?
How to deal with the Oversharing Monster in your life
Talking about your problems with friends is some of the oldest advice given to people in distress. Women are often credited with being better at this than men, to the point that many bestsellers have been written about the differences between male and female communication styles. (Remember Men are From Mars, Women Are From Venus?) Talk therapy has been around a long time. At some point though, the Oversharing Monster may arrive.
In the digital age, “oversharing” and “TMI” have become shorthand for anyone divulging too much personal information, especially over social media. However, this is a new name for an old problem that recently resurfaced in my life.
Back in junior high, I had a few close friends with whom I shared some of the details of my dysfunctional home life. I even visited the school nurse on several occasions, looking for some kind of assistance. One day, as I approached one of those friends, she held up her hand and said, “I don’t want to hear any more stories about your family.” I then noticed a certain amount of eye-rolling and dismissiveness on the part of the school nurse, who, I realized, just wanted me out of her office. It was my first encounter with the Oversharing Monster.
