Was thinking about this last night. I have friends who I really don’t know anything about on an emotional level because I’ve drilled into my head it’s a conversation meant to be shared in therapy. But there’s also a part of me that sees the value in getting to know people as humans and not just their 9-5 selves. I have fem-presenting friends who seem to be more open to these types of conversations, but I genuinely want to find the line between sharing and over sharing. As a man, It’s pretty depressing to think about tbh, knowing other men for decades but not really knowing anything about them besides their favorite teams or beer.
Is this a thing that’s exclusive to males? Also, if you have any good literature recommendations for this topic please drop below 😅
Trial and error. Do a thing and pay attention to how others respond to it. If positive, its okay to openly share. If negative, that's probably a boundary point that doesn't need to be stepped over very often. If ambivalent, maybe its just not a good time to discuss the thing with that person right now. Situations should dictate which topics and how much you open up about them.
How do you express something personal to others? When I've worked at places, I'm usually more stoic compared to others. So it has been somewhat of a regular occurrence to listen to somebody over share and I wonder to myself, "Are they trying to get a rise out of me or do I just make them feel safe enough to feel okay letting it all out?" Usually its okay, but while I'm not to bad at talking to people who are oversharing at me I'm not great at offering comfort.
Awww man so you’re saying I have to make myself vulnerable
I appreciate the advice, I actually think vulnerability being seen as “weak” trait is part of the problem here
Not totally or completely, but, if there's something small that is bothering you and it seems like it wouldn't be too odd to suddenly start a conversation about it with some other people... yeah, go for it.