If group chats overwhelm you or short responses make you anxious, these expert tips can help
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By Taylor Trudon | Huffpost
Do those little gray typing bubbles (you know the ones) make your heart race? Can a group chat with your friends feel just as overwhelming as a Trader Joe’s line on a Saturday morning? Does the sight of a singular “k” send you immediately into a spiral?
If you’re an anxious person (*clears throat*), texting can feel like a particularly special circle of hell. While it is a convenient method for sending and receiving information, the use of emojis, abbreviations and punctuation (or lack thereof) can leave plenty of room for misinterpretation and subsequent miscommunication.
It also doesn’t help that texting feels more conversational ― unlike email ― therefore a more immediate response usually feels expected. Throw dating someone new into the equation and texting can feel downright excruciating at times.
Of course, texting has been around for decades so this is hardly a new phenomenon. But experts say it’s increasingly becoming a problem for people ― especially as more companies develop apps with DMs, captions, comments and other ways to connect. The more “online” you are, the more potential for anxiety.
“I refer to this as the ‘Instant Gratification Society,’” said Karla Ivankovich, a psychologist based in Chicago. “The immediacy of texting has brought with it so many difficulties that are epidemic, it’s causing a decline in communication from a multigenerational standpoint. I’d love to say this is just a millennial thing, but that is far from the case. I see adults and even senior citizens with their cell phones tethered to their hands with a kung fu grip.”
