Are you overwhelmed with WA groups?

THE ESSENTIALS

Are you getting overwhelmed with Whatsapp groups?

In Issue 1 of our magazines we shared with you a list of 20+ wa and telegram groups you can join if you want to be 'in the know' about what's happening in Bali.

Here are a few tips on how to make the most out of them without compromising your mental and emotional well-being.

• Pick wisely. If you are looking for a community, connection with people, in-person meet ups, go for groups with a smaller number of people (below 100). These tend to be well moderated and nurturing. Unfortunately, very few groups are properly moderated. Most groups say that they are about support and community. However, in reality, the majority end up being a dump for promos and events(which is not necessarily a bad thing if you are into that kind of thing).

• You are in control. You have control that goes beyond choosing to be in or out of the groups. You can regulate how you interact with the groups.

OPTION 1: Put the group on mute.

You don’t get notifications every time someone posts. Good option if you still want to be somewhat aware of the group’s activity, but don’t want the pesky notifications. The group will still appear at the top of your list every time there is a new post.

OPTION 2: Put the group in archive.

If you don’t want the groups to pollute your main feed, you can opt for archiving the group. This is called ‘accessible disappearance’ – meaning that you will still be a member of the group and you can access the group any time, but the thread will not appear in your main feed. To access an archive group, simply click on ‘Archived’ at the top of your feed, and viola –all chats there.

• Work with your anxieties or just exit. Remember that social media is supposed to be a tool, not a burden. If you are noticing that it’s affecting your mood, your ability to concentrate, your spendings, your relationships, self-esteem or any aspects of your life in a negative way – you can choose to work with the trigger or simply exit. If you feel pressured to reply to every notification, if you obsessively check someone’s online status, if you feel jealous after reading posts or insecure about not being included as much as you want –these are all signals to you that you are not on top of your mental and emotional health. Exiting is a legitimate strategy, exiting is good. But remember that sooner or later you may want to address what’s underneath. Psychologists observe that many of us often abuse the option of ‘exit’ and ‘block’ as a way of shifting responsibility for our own impaired boundary-setting, insecurities and poor communication skills.