Twitter exit, mental health
I had a mostly read-only twitter account for over a decade, and openly speaking it was a mistake to use it as a tool to keep up with current events.
I like to be informed, and it’s reassuring to be aware even if that mostly relates to problems. However, being aware should not mean deluged by issues that I can’t change or affect in any way - this was my mistake. Twitter is mostly the latter.
Twitter exit, mental health
It’s been one crisis after the other since 2015: Brexit, the rise of american fascism, climate change doomerism, covid, ukraine.
Pretty much the only time Twitter was useful was with covid, where actionable information was hard to come by from anywhere else, but apart from this it’s been looking at various disasters from a distance. Who needs to hear even more about guns or abortion in the US? I get it, you’re struggling with a fascist takeover in your country.
Twitter exit, mental health
I’m exiting twitter, at least for this summer but probably long-term.
I’m in no danger of lack of awareness of issues in the world right now, and I prefer to focus on things I can affect, here in Austria.
I just wanted to share this as a cautionary tale: it’s ok to let go sources of anxiety - it doesn’t mean you don’t care: it means you do what you can in your locality without stressing yourself over things you can’t change.