I’ve been a writer since I was in high school. I began writing for The Flint Journal when I was in 10th Grade for a newspaper they had called WORD UP. I’ve always liked to write and I have always interacted with people one way or another after writing an article. I was also the Editor in Chief of a newspaper for teenagers in the early 2000’s.
I have been a talk show host
discussing an array of topics from military life to everyday life since 2006.
I’ve met many amazing people over the years thanks to blogging and podcasting.
Many write in to give their opinions and feedback, either online or back in the
day, via snail mail to The Flint Journal.
I’ve learned that some people
think they are a close friend on social media because they like or share your
post once in a while… but fact is, (let’s be real here) you can’t become
close friends with someone by only interacting with their posts or listening to
their podcast.
I had someone get upset before
because I would not share family photos publicly. I’ve also had people take
part of what I’ve said in an article or blog post and make up their own story
as the ending (most on social media have had this happen).
What about the person who
blurts out they are your BFF or gives your name as a reference and you really
don’t know them very well.
What’s the biggest thing I’ve
learned about boundaries by being on Social Media?
**Don’t expect others to hold
your boundaries for you. It’s no one else’s job but yours!**
**Be clear about your
boundaries.** It’s perfectly OK to decide
what you will and will not discuss publicly. I am not going to discuss my
family publicly unless it’s a post here and there about my journey as a
military veteran caregiver or some of Ken’s experiences IF I decide it is
something I want to share. If I do decide it’s something I want to share, it’s
because I believe it will help others. I don’t have to explain why I will or
will not write about certain topics.
**You don’t have to entertain everyone’s
response to what you say or write!** That is extremely time consuming and takes away from your
productivity time.
**Don’t let others dictate
how/when/why/where you should spend your time!** You have a life of your own and you need to make sure you
are always taking care of your personal life first.
**Don’t let others bring you
down!** Don’t let bullies (yes there
are adult bullies) on social media ruin your day. You don’t have to let them
inside of your head or your heart.
Boundaries are good and they
are important to keep you healthy. If you don’t keep a healthy set of
boundaries, you’re going to have people suck your energy right out of you.
Someone may get angry because you don’t call them back right away, or you don’t
email them fast enough. Maybe you don’t respond to their DM as fast as they
want you to… but you know what? It’s your time and that is nonrefundable.
