What topics are considered oversharing?

What counts as oversharing?

Oversharing is when you say more than is appropriate in a given situation or to a specific person. You can overshare in-person or via email, social media, or text message. Often, what you say becomes oversharing when you don't have a deep enough connection with someone.

How do you know if you're oversharing?

What does oversharing look like?

Oversharing — exclusively talking about personal matters and neglecting to volley the conversation back and forth — with someone you meet for the first time can be awkward and even damaging, said Debra Fine, author of “The Fine Art of Small Talk.” It can also lead to remorse and compounded stress as you stare at the ...

What is avoid oversharing?

Almost everyone has overshared at a point in their lives. But oversharing is more than just being friendly. It is an attempt to reach out to others, looking for a sympathetic ear or words of advice. Rather than making friends, oversharing can negatively affect our reputations and relationships.

Oversharing: Psychology Behind Revealing Personal Details

What are some examples of oversharing?

What is the root cause of oversharing?

Experts say oversharing often happens when we are trying subconsciously to control our own anxiety. This effort is known as "self regulation" and here is how it works: When having a conversation, we can use up a lot of mental energy trying to manage the other person's impression of us.

What's the difference between sharing and oversharing?

If you share your mistakes in an effort to help others learn, you are being authentic. If, however, you share your hardships to gain pity, you're oversharing.

Why is oversharing a red flag?

Why Oversharing is a problem? Oversharing can also make others feel uncomfortable, which may lead them to avoid being around you. Once you say something, you can never take it back. If you overshare via social media, you may damage your reputation and hurt professional opportunities.

Is oversharing a trauma response?

If you live with complex trauma or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), trauma dumping or oversharing could be a natural trauma response and coping mechanism.

What is emotional oversharing?

It means sharing personal or sensitive information, expecting emotional support or intimacy that's incongruous or inappropriate for the context or level of trust in the relationships. The problem with this is it can seem like vulnerability. But it's not vulnerability—it's the opposite.

How do you tell someone to stop oversharing?

What is oversharing when speaking before thinking?

Oversharing is saying something personal or inappropriate in the wrong setting or to the wrong person. It's usually not something people with ADHD do on purpose. Sometimes they may not realize they're giving too much information or saying the wrong thing.

What is the difference between oversharing and being authentic?

Oversharing, she says, is often a misguided attempt to gain sympathy. If you share your mistakes in an effort to help others learn, you are being authentic. If, however, you share your hardships to gain pity, you're oversharing.

Is oversharing a lack of boundaries?

Oversharing is a common struggle among people who lack personal boundaries. It's not a conscious decision, but it often leaves us feeling icky and depleted. Oversharing usually comes from a desire to connect.

Is oversharing a form of manipulation?

For one thing, oversharing can damage relationships. When you overshare, you open up to judgment and criticism from others. You also become vulnerable to manipulation and exploitation. If you share too much with someone, they may start to use your information against you.

Is oversharing a mental illness?

Compulsive vs intentional oversharing

But brushing off 'oversharing syndrome' as simply a form of selfishness is often way off the mark. Oversharing can all too often be a smokescreen for a serious psychological issue, including things like anxiety disorder and borderline personality disorder.

What are the consequences of oversharing?

Being careless with your privacy can open you and your family up to everything, from cyberbullying and theft to extortion and kidnap. Criminals can use social media geo-tagging, landmarks and research into your typical behaviour or schedule.

Is oversharing a symptom of loneliness?

“Your anxiety makes you talk uncontrollably [and] the more you share the more anxious you get but you can't stop,” she says. Lastly, the clinical psychologist says oversharing can also be linked to “a part of you that feels lonely and is looking for connection.”

Is overexplaining yourself a trauma response?

In fact, it's a trauma response known as fawning. At its core, Caroline Fenkel, LCSW, chief clinical officer at Charlie Health, says that fawning (aka over-explaining yourself) is an attempt to avoid conflict.

Why do I share too much information?

Oversharers sometimes just lack personal boundaries. They have no idea that it's not appropriate to tell co-workers about relationship issues or to reveal their financial problems to total strangers. People who lack boundaries sometimes lack close relationships—most likely because they've driven people away.

What is the trauma response for over-explaining?

Over-explaining means describing something to an excessive degree, whereas oversharing is the disclosure of an inappropriate amount of information and detail about your personal life. These fall under the fawn trauma response (see podcast #302 for more information on the different trauma responses).

Why do narcissists overshare?

Why do narcissists overshare? If a person is a narcissist, or they feel inadequate, they often end up sharing everything that comes to mind to make sure they are heard. The insecurity of feeling ignored or too much self-validation overpowers their ability to decide what to share or not.

How do you deal with someone who shares too much information?

Listen, don't ask too many questions, shake your head with sympathy and try saying something brief like, “I'm so sorry you're going through that” or “Oh, wow, that sounds great — let's catch up later,” she suggested.

What is trauma dumping vs venting?

Venting is a healthy way to share negative emotions and reduce stress. But with trauma dumping, you overshare in a way that makes the listener feel overwhelmed or ignored.