For reasons I don't quite understand, I've mentioned the existence of my blog to my sister and parents a couple of times in the last few months. And while it would be super easy for them to find my blog with a simple search, I don't think any of them have done so. But my sister recently asked if she could see it.
And I'm not sure how to respond. This blog is a weird mix of deeply personal, fairly embarrassing, and things I already tell them or that they already know. I think I'm just as afraid of them finding it boring and stupid as I am embarrassment about my OCD. And I suppose there's the reminder that while I've made progress, I haven't made THAT much progress and I've been writing this blog since 2009!
Have you shared your blog with your family? Does it change what you write? Are you glad you did? Do you ever regret it?
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You are stronger than you think!
1 year ago
Ann, I have shared links to some of my blog posts on FB, where members of my extended family (aunts, cousins) can see it. One of my aunts has commented to me that she reads it and likes it. I am OK with that--I knew all my FB "friends" could see the links. It makes me a little self-conscious, but I don't regret it.
ReplyDeleteWhen I went ahead and included my full name on my blog, I knew anyone could find it. I'm OK with that. Do I sometimes feel embarrassed? Yes. But I am trying to get over my own stigma about mental illness as well as help fight the overall stigma about it, and so I figure the embarrassment is natural and will fade.
I've shared my blog with one of my sisters. She's incredibly supportive anyway, and her insights often help me out. :) I've tried to get my mother to read mine, but she's so absorbed in her own world that she hasn't even looked at it. As for friends and other close associates, I often tell those I interact with now - because the me I am now is well versed in OCD - and I want people to see me as I am. I haven't yet found the guts to go public with it in places like facebook, however, because there are some people in my past that I don't want to view me through the lenst of OCD. I guess I still have a little vanity. ;) If your family is supportive, by all means, share your blog. If not, then keep it to yourself. Just a little corner of the world where it's only you and the rest of us. lol
ReplyDeleteShana - I don't think it's vain to not share it with FB. I don't share with FB either - mainly because it's a different kind of forum - and many people I'm FB friends with are only very minor acquaintances or people from my past. I'd rather share in a different forum where I could provide more explanation and context. Although I do link through Google+, but that is different because there are just so many fewer people on that.
DeleteI had mine linked from my Facebook account, but I think I've taken that off. It sometimes is awkward if I'm writing about an interpersonal difficulty when I wonder if the people I'm talking about just might possibly read it. But that can even be from commenting on someone's blog. My photo is on mine, so if somebody who knew me looked, they could tell it was me.
ReplyDeleteFor family? One sister stopped reading my blog because she found it too depressing. I don't really know what my parents and other sisters do. I've given out my blog address, but who knows. I typically share it with a warning that it is about my life with depression and OCD, so they might not be interested in reading that. It did mean a lot, though, when one of my friends actually did look it up and comment on it... actually, I'm not SURE it is her, since she didn't have her picture on her account, just her first name...
So mostly, I just figure they don't read unless for some reason they think it is worth it to them to read. I have my dead, non-mental health blog linked to my Facebook, so if they looked that up and then looked at my profile, they could find my OCD blog. That's hard enough that I figure they really want to read it if they do.
I appreciate the thoughts, everyone. Interesting to me that a lot of people don't read even when invited. I guess I can see that, too. It's not like my OCD travails are that fascinating. :)
ReplyDeleteHey Ann. Good question. Yes, I've shared my blog with most of my family and friends. And it IS embarrassing at times, for sure. But I'm far enough along in my recovery and at this point in my life, I'd rather share my issues with people to help educate and reduce stigma. But there are some things too embarrassing to write about anymore - like my issues with Compulsive Skin PIcking. That is horrifyingly embarrassing. I definitely feel like a freak, so I just don't write about it anymore unless it's necessary. So yes, there are some things I don't write about anymore, but not enough to make me regret sharing my blog with my family and friends.
ReplyDeleteI think you've made more progress than you think you have. Don't downplay all your hard work and progress!!!