Pretty much ditched Social Media, but still anxious!

I actually think you're doing remarkably well setting boundaries ! Everyone has different ways of handling things .

Boundaries are not just for you - they help others see how much is too much . I have a tendency to offer advice when none is really needed ( notice ? ). It's my problem solver nature . I'm very grateful to my friends who have spoken up and said " Hey , I'm not really looking for advice , I just want to vent a bit , OK ? ."

It didn't make me feel rejected or hurt my feelings but it did open my eyes to the fact that I was spending more time "instructing" my friends than talking with them . I really try to make a conscious effort now to just listen and remind myself that if they want my advice , they are perfectly capable of asking for it .

Feel free to do the same if I get too lecture-y with you , all right ? .

Thanks very much, NSR! Aw, you're not lecturing me - I really appreciate your advice! I often second-guess myself so outside perspective is useful!

I rad somewhere that it's difficult to set a boundary & take care of someone else's feelings at the same time. At times, upsetting people is inevitable but I still find it very uncomfortable!

Well yeah , I'd be kind of concerned if I didn't care about hurting anyone's feelings .
It's a balancing act , for sure . At any rate , I hope you're enjoying your greatly reduced volume of incoming messages !

Yes, indeed. People often say that they "don't care about what others think", but IMHO only an actual psychopath would seriously not give a damn about what anyone else thought (I've met a couple!) Nice people do care - the important thing is not to let the caring consume you!

My WhatsApp pings only rarely now, and that's fine with me lol!

Uh-oh - I think WhatsApp lady may be trying to creep back - for the last 2 days she's WhatsApp'd me "good night" & there's no real need now as I've been around on Twitter & she can say "hello" there. I'm going to have to keep an eye on this!

Lol ... old habits are hard to break , aren't they ?

it would seem so, NSR! I had a good night message from her last night and now I see I've got a good morning one! Help lol!

" Dear WhatsApp Lady ,

My life has become so busy these days ! I'm really trying to cut down on the amount of time I spend on social media so I need to ask you a favor . Can you please not message me every day ? I do like to hear from you and catch up on what we've both been doing but I just don't have time get back to you every day and I don't feel right ignoring your messages . How about we text on ( day of the week / time of day ) ?

I'll set aside the time and we'll both have something to look forward to ! Thanks for your understanding . I hope you're doing well . "

Think that would work ?

Thanks, NSR - that does sound good, although I'm wary of assigning a specific day. It's more or less what I said to her before, but I think she's kind of "forgotten" now lol! I will have to send her something, though - your idea does sound good! Thanks again!

I'm sure you'll come up with something that works for you !

I've had to send out several gentle reminders to people before . They get TWO . After that , I figure they're ignoring me and then I start blocking with no guilt whatsoever .