Why do you feel anxious when texting and how to feel calmer

Text messages are a great tool for building mutual understanding with new people. But for many of us, getting a number or making friends on social media becomes an unsettling experience. It’s quite normal to feel agitated when starting a new correspondence, but if it develops into persistent anxiety, then it’s time to learn how to deal with it. The first thing to do is to understand the reasons for its appearance.

6 reason you feel anxious when texting

1. Social anxiety and fear of judgment

Concerns about how your interlocutors will perceive your messages may reflect social anxiety and fear of judgment. People prone to these conditions overanalyze every written word, carefully select phrases and emoticons, and hesitate to respond for a long time when expressing a personal opinion. They worry that the other person might judge them, find them strange, or even refuse to communicate at all.

2. The need to be constantly available and responsive

It’s impossible always to have your phone in your hands. Occasionally, we all put it away to do more important things. But still, it happens that the pen pals expect an immediate response from us. Some of them even ask “verification questions” like “Are you here?” or “Where have you disappeared to?” The need to be constantly available can lead to much stress and increased feelings of anxiety. No one likes to feel pressure in communication, even if it takes place remotely.

3. Lack of non-verbal signals and misunderstanding

When we communicate in person, we send each other a lot of non-verbal signals through facial expressions, gestures, and intonation of voice. Texting is devoid of such useful and pleasant bonuses. Sometimes it is impossible to accurately convey your emotions and thoughts through words, and this leads to concern that the person you are communicating with will not understand you.

But sometimes it’s not that we don’t explain well, sometimes people misinterpret and perceive the most harmless messages. Visit. A F R I N I K . C O M . For the full article. Surely you’ve heard at least once that some people consider the absence of emoticons or a period at the end of a monosyllabic answer to a question to be a sign of resentment or the seriousness of a conversation. Each person has their own approach to correspondence, and the “lapping up” that occurs in the first few days of online communication can be quite disturbing.

4. Previous negative experience

Negative experiences from past text interactions can lead to anxiety from online communication. People who have experienced bullying by correspondence or who have received other emotional wounds related to it will always be very careful what they write, because every message causes them anxiety. And the thing is that they are simply afraid of repeating a traumatic experience, which is due to the protective mechanisms of the psyche.

5. The duty to maintain a certain personality or image

An involuntary desire to appear better than you are is present in many people. This is very easy to do when communicating with a person by correspondence. Unfortunately, it’s impossible to constantly pretend to be someone else and feel comfortable. One way or another, this leads to stress and anxiety. You may worry that meeting someone in person will make you seem completely different from who you pretended to be, and the obligation to maintain a certain image is burdensome.

6. The fatigue of texting

Constant correspondence can lead to fatigue. If you actively participate in various chat rooms, communicate with friends, sit on forums and rarely take a break from your smartphone, you become close to mental and emotional exhaustion. And the need to stay in touch all the time can be burdensome. Over time, it can lead to a decrease in enthusiasm when it comes to online communication, and overwork.

How to overcome texting anxiety

1. Limit your time spent communicating

In order not to become a victim of digital fatigue and not to suffer from anxiety, limit the time of online conversations. You can set aside an hour in the morning and evening to chat, or warn your friends that you can’t be online twenty-four hours a day. It is also necessary to stop texting at times when you feel stressed or tired. Turn off social media in your work browser, and limit Internet communication when you try to relax during a break or after work.

2. Communicate consciously

Most texting conversations are unconscious conversations, but superficial ones. That’s what makes you tired — you seem to be chatting with others, but at the same time you don’t get anything useful from this experience. Start communicating consciously to reduce the anxiety of texting. Prioritize conversations, be attentive to your answers, and avoid overthinking each text. Strive for clarity and sincerity, as well as conversations where you have something to talk about. By limiting “idle chatter,” you’ll feel less tired and stressed.

3. Ask for clarification when necessary

If you’re nervous about a text message or worried that another person might misunderstand you, ask for clarification. This shows the other person that you strive for openness in the dialogue and make sure that your communication is pleasant and productive. This tactic will help to avoid unnecessary arguments and stress.

4. Avoid verbosity

Many people, when they experience anxiety, turn into writers and send messages that look more like a story or a short story. This can overwhelm the recipient and increase the stress of waiting for a response. To worry less, avoid layering. Work on making a couple thoughtful suggestions and waiting for a response. This approach is more respectful of the other person’s time and helps maintain a more balanced communication dynamic.

5. Stop thinking that you have to answer immediately

Stop convincing yourself that you have to respond to messages immediately in order to reduce the level of internal pressure and feel calmer. Allow yourself to spend time thinking about the answer, and also to deal with important things first and only then with messages. This practice helps maintain personal boundaries, reduce stress, and communicate more thoughtfully.