Sharing personal experiences publicly can be empowering; it can bring you a lot of joy and confidence, and it can feel like you’re connecting with others in a positive way.
It can also be scary, or bring up old memories, or have an impact on your mental health.
Sometimes you might feel a combination of these feelings.
It’s really important to set your boundaries around what you share, and to check in with yourself regularly both while working on your content, and after publishing it online.
Here are our tips for checking in while sharing your story:
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Be really clear with yourself why you’re sharing
Remember, there’s a difference between sharing to change attitudes, to educate and inform, and sharing as an emotional outlet.
While creating your story, pause and ask:
- Is this part serving a purpose in the story for the reader?
- Am I comfortable with this part of my story being seen in a public place?
There's no shame in sharing the difficult parts of your story – in fact, this can often be the most powerful part for those reading, and can help to break down the stigma around mental health. However, it may also make you feel vulnerable, or leave you open to negative comments too. It's important that you feel safe and able to handle the responses to your story, both positive or negative.
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While creating your story, pause to check in on your emotions
You might find memories pop up – good or bad – and that telling your story really is an experience in itself. It’s easy to get caught up while creating, and potentially find yourself a bit triggered or upset by the experiences you’re revisiting, before you realise you’ve travelled that far emotionally.
You might want to set a timer or reminder on your phone to help you do a ‘check in’ every 10 or 20 minutes.
You can pause, and ask yourself:
- What emotions am I experiencing?
- How am I feeling physically?
It’s a good time to get up to grab a glass of water, have a little stretch, take some deep breaths and ground yourself.
If you’re feeling stressed or anxious, you could decide to take a break and revisit things later, or you could focus on a different topic for now.
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After sharing your story, take extra care of yourself
Sometimes you might feel a big adrenaline rush right after your story is published – it can be an emotional experience!
If you’re prone to anxiety, you might find yourself thinking about your story a lot, or worrying about how people will receive it. You might find peoples’ responses bring up certain emotions, positive or negative, or you might be disappointed if not many people read and respond to your story.
It can be helpful to schedule some specific time to practice self-care after your story is published. Choose an activity that helps you disconnect - you could schedule time in with a friend, plan some exercise, or switch off from the web and watch a movie for a few hours. You might also find it helpful to talk about your storytelling experience with someone, so you’re not carrying those emotions alone.