Stop Telling Everyone Everything
3 Steps to Freedom from the Habit
It is in our power to have no opinion about a thing, and not to be disturbed in our soul, for things themselves have no natural power to form our judgments. — Marcus Aurelius, Meditations
Somewhere, right at this very moment, someone is thinking of what to say in response to a situation fueling their anxiety. This anxious feeling stems from something they said about their life that was met with a very judgmental response. They didn’t like the response. They didn’t want it and they couldn’t control it, but nevertheless, they got it and now they’re trying to alter the perception of the person who dished it — something they also can’t control.
Samantha knows this cycle all-too-well. She’s someone who, unfortunately, feels the need to post every event in her life on Facebook. This time, she’s posted that she broke up with her longtime boyfriend. She makes an announcement so that everyone knows and so it’s not awkward when he comes up in conversation. Besides, she has a lot of friends and they have the right to know…right?
Soon after, she’s bombarded with messages. Some are kind, asking if she’s okay. The others are from people who “don’t mean to pry” but want to know what happened. Then she gets a phone call from her mother asking why she would do that because…
