Dear People Who Feel That I "Overshare": Please Read

Since starting to blog about my anxiety, I've had two people in my life suggest to me that I share too much on Facebook; that the things I write about are too personal. To this, I have two responses:

1. I 100% agree with you. I do overshare... according to you. If you think I get too personal on Facebook, or my blog, or in person, or wherever, you obviously think this way because you would never post something so intimate on Facebook. And if I cross your line with my posts, I won't apologize because (now this is a real hum-dinger, so get prepared) these posts are not yours; they are mine. I would just like to encourage you to continue to do you - stay within your own limits and boundaries; only be open with the feelings, life events, insecurities, etc. that you are comfortable being open with; act and speak in accordance with what makes you most at ease. I will support you in that and not ask you to go beyond the lines within which you feel safe. But I would ask that you allow me to do the same.

If I'm sharing something on my social media, I'm clearly comfortable posting it, otherwise, I wouldn't. So, for you to judge me for "sharing too much" doesn't actually make a lick of sense. Just support people - me, all people - as they do what they need.

2. The second thing I would ask is that you stop reading the posts. Rather than turn your nose up at me for sharing my "problems", and/or turning to your spouse to snort and say, "You'll never believe what Amber posted about this time," just don't read them. If you feel that I cross the line or overshare and if you judge me for that; if you feel uncomfortable with things I post, Facebook does have a way that I can hide just those blog posts from specific people, so I would prefer to add you to that list. That way, we are all comfortable. Because, the truth is, that the only thing that makes me feel uncomfortable about the things I post is the thought that people read them and become themselves uncomfortable.

If you're uncomfortable, than so I am and since this is my social media space to do with what I please, I would ask that you not come in and make me uncomfortable.

I started this blog because I find myself getting trapped in circular thoughts a lot. I have always been this way and getting them "out there" makes me feel better. I do it as something of a mental health exercise. We all do things that we feel help us retain our sanity. My methods are likely just very different than yours, but I can promise not to judge yours and would ask that you don't judge mine.

I've had a number of people reach out to me about my posts. So, while you may find some of the content "too personal" this is not the experience that other people are having. Anxiety can be really lonely and it can make you feel crazy, so "airing my dirty laundry" and realizing how many other people feel that they too are under the suffocating lock and key of anxiety makes me (and them) band together in a way that makes us feel powerful and, best of all, not alone.

My last point, I suppose, more of a request: please have a little bit of empathy. You don't know what I'm going through. You don't know what someone else is going through, so instead of judging in a negative way, maybe try to understand, or, if you just can't understand, be encouraging. See the best in people and appreciate them for the ways in which they aren't you.

And those are my thoughts for the day. I had so many title ideas running around my head for this post, but I'm trying not to be mean or negative or bitchy. And I'll tell you this: I deserve a gold freaking star for the level of self-control I exercised in this post.

In the words of Ellen, "Just be kind to one another."