BLOCKED!
get out of here...scram... (or maybe let's work on boundaries)
There is no need to explain, justify, or dramatize it. (even though I may have done this with the nome picture above. tee hee..)
HERE IS YOUR PERMISSION
Sometimes the healthiest thing you can do for your mind, your attention and your mood is to decide that someone does not get a permanent invitation in your digital living room.
Blocking someone feels good. It’s not a dramatic finger-wagging proclamation, but a serene click of removing someone from your energy. Sometimes without them even knowing.
Blocking… for all the baggage that we give it, is not petty or dramatic, but it has now become an essential act of self-preservation in a world that wants our attention more than ever.
Blocking someone on social media, on your phone, or in your inbox has become one of the last remaining forms of boundary-setting that doesn’t require a lengthy explanation or dissertation. It is clean. It is efficient. and frankly?
It. feels. fantastic.
Every notification demands a slice of your attention. When someone is consistently draining your energy, blocking, in my opinion is about reallocating the resources. (i.e., you don’t get my energy).
It is not unkind to protect your attention. It is unkind for you to let someone else have your attention when you need it.
Some people treat “blocking” as synonymous with “cancel” but these are entirely different. Blocking is not about morality. It’s not about revenge. But it’s simply saying,
“My path goes this way. Yours is over there.”
And perhaps the greatest joy of blocking is that you are reminded that your life is yours to cultivate. You are allowed to remove what doesn’t grow you.
When platforms are built to maintain connection ( I feel this regularly on Substack), the assumption can be that more interaction=better. However, blocking is one of the last forms of agency that makes me feel in control.
Blocking is a whisper of rebellion in a world that thrives on noise.
Blocking is not about anger. It is not about victory. It is not about punishment.
It is about peace.
And peace, in these times, is a joy worth clicking for.
“Your life is yours to cultivate. You are allowed to remove what doesn’t grow you” YESS! I love blocking, muting, unfollowing. I used to feel bad about it but if you’re not someone I interact with irl or would enjoy sharing space with why are you on my feed? I think there’s a certain level of obligation to keep people around for various reasons but we have agency to choose otherwise. Thank you for articulating this!