Sometimes venting to a trusted friend or loved one is not an option, or maybe speaking into the void is easier than confronting their real fears with a helping professional. Whatever the reason, many use Tik Tok as the space for emotional release and to gain validation from strangers’ for what they are going through.
It is good to be authentic on social media and sharing our experiences can help someone else going through the same problems to feel less alone. However, some other users who are not ready to handle graphic details of intense emotions can feel that it’s trauma dumping.
If you are experiencing constant replay of unpleasant and negative scenes in your mind due to something you saw, you could be struggling with vicarious trauma. Knowing how much capacity you have to carry an emotional load, either of your friends or people on social media will help to protect yourself from vicarious trauma. How do we decide if these videos help us or drown us will depend on your own self-awareness and the emotional boundaries that you draw. You don’t have to take on all the emotional load if you can’t handle it. This is not being selfish or weak but a part of self-care.
Here’s how you can draw different boundaries to protect yourself physically, emotionally, psychologically and on social media. Click on image to learn more.
