“ To dare is to lose one’s footing momentarily. To not dare is to lose oneself. ” Soren Kierkegaard
I’ve done it … What a relief! It took me ages, but I finally left a WhatsApp group …
How come it has been such a dauting thing to do?
Here is a glimpse of the copious amount of internal chatter that preceded the final decision!
I don’t know technically ‘how to’ leave a group in WhatsApp … This was a good excuse for a little while, but search engines are clever. In the end I just keyed in “How to leave a group in WhatsApp?” and within seconds I found the answer to that question.
What are the other group members going to think when they see the notification “Mathilde has left the group chat”?
Will they take offense? It is a bit like leaving a party without saying goodbye and an announcement is made once you walk out of the door!
You wouldn’t believe the number of strategies that went through my mind to do this as discreetly as possible …
When would be the best time to leave? Daytime? Evening? Perhaps in the middle of a back-and-forth conversation with different participants so that the “notification” of my exit will be missed in the middle of all the other messages?
Should I ask an ‘ally’ (another member of that group that I know personally), to time their next communications straight after I have taken the dreaded step? They could send a string of photos to distract the group, so my l ‘exit’ might go unnoticed?
Perhaps I should write a message to the group letting them know I am going to leave?
Maybe I should just stay put …
Oh my my my … all those questions! So much energy spent, so many emotional ups and downs preceded the final act of hitting that fateful button ‘leave the group’.
It sounds crazy, but does it sound familiar to you?
The process of leaving an online group (whatsapp, facebook, telegram etc…) can lead us to question why we joined in the first place:
Was I added to a group by someone else with good intentions and didn’t dare to decline?
Have I joined willingly as it felt right at the time, but the conversations might not be relevant or resonating anymore?
It might be time to prioritize what we want to still be part of and consciously choose which social or professional interactions we want to cultivate.
It is ok to say “no thank you” or to step away if we feel that some communication channels are time consuming, side tracking or cause us unnecessary anxiety or stress. Self-care is not selfish!
*** My dare to you this weekend / month ***
Dare to leave
I invite you to take a simple action that can provide you with a sense of control and leave some ‘groups' that do not serve you any longer. Be gentle on yourself and attentive to your needs.
Image credit: Photo by JACQUELINE BRANDWAYN on Unsplash
April is Stress Awareness Month in the UK [1] so let’s embrace our sovereignty and ACT:
Action Changes Things
Remember that you have the power to determine the quality and content of your digital interactions and dare to be the change you want to see in your family, community and life!
✳️ PS: As I finished writing this dare, I discovered that you can now leave a WhatsApp group without anyone knowing (except for the admin) [2]. This is possible in the latest version of the app which of course I haven’t got because I am a dinosaur.
Let me know how you got on with this #dare, do share your experience in the comment section.
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References: [1] National stress awareness month - Stress management society [2] How to leave a WhatsApp group chat without anyone knowing - Business Insider
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