• What is ADHD?
    • Adults with ADHD
    • Children and teens with ADHD
    • ADHD is more common than you think
    • Why it's good to have ADHD
  • Have you got ADHD?
    • Think you're an adult with ADHD?
    • Think your child has ADHD?
    • How to get a diagnosis for ADHD >
      • Getting an assessment and diagnosis for ADHD
      • Self screening assessment tool for adults who suspect that they have ADHD​
    • Co-Morbidities
    • FAQs
  • Succeed with ADHD
    • Access ADHD Healthcare Professionals >
      • The Different Types of Healthcare Professionals
    • Managing ADHD >
      • Families living with ADHD
      • ADHD in schools
    • ADHD Medication >
      • ADHD Stimulant Medication
      • ADHD Non-Stimulant Medication
      • ADHD Anti-Depressant Medication
    • ADHD Support Organisations
    • Become a member of ADHD NZ's community >
      • ADHD Wellington
      • Events and promotions
      • Vlogs, blogs and ADHD news
  • About Us
    • Our People
    • Help Us By Volunteering
    • Contact Us
    • Sponsors
    • ADHD Ambassador
ADHD NEW ZEALAND
  • What is ADHD?
    • Adults with ADHD
    • Children and teens with ADHD
    • ADHD is more common than you think
    • Why it's good to have ADHD
  • Have you got ADHD?
    • Think you're an adult with ADHD?
    • Think your child has ADHD?
    • How to get a diagnosis for ADHD >
      • Getting an assessment and diagnosis for ADHD
      • Self screening assessment tool for adults who suspect that they have ADHD​
    • Co-Morbidities
    • FAQs
  • Succeed with ADHD
    • Access ADHD Healthcare Professionals >
      • The Different Types of Healthcare Professionals
    • Managing ADHD >
      • Families living with ADHD
      • ADHD in schools
    • ADHD Medication >
      • ADHD Stimulant Medication
      • ADHD Non-Stimulant Medication
      • ADHD Anti-Depressant Medication
    • ADHD Support Organisations
    • Become a member of ADHD NZ's community >
      • ADHD Wellington
      • Events and promotions
      • Vlogs, blogs and ADHD news
  • About Us
    • Our People
    • Help Us By Volunteering
    • Contact Us
    • Sponsors
    • ADHD Ambassador

 

Photo by MangoStar Studio

Venting in an online world

Your cat ran over your desk and tipped your coffee over your notes, your neighbour’s started up their lawnmower, another project has just been dumped on you at work and your partner has just called to say they can’t pick up the kids so now you have to drop everything and go. So much for a day where you had planned to focus on tackling those top three things on your “to-do” list. 

You feel like screaming but just venting to someone would help.

Venting is a brief release of emotion and frustration. It’s an expression of how you’re feeling in that moment while keeping in mind what you’re feeling is temporary. Venting is different from oversharing.

Oversharing can be described as revealing an inappropriate amount of details about yourself. It often stems from a need to connect with people and can be exacerbated when online because it’s harder to read what the person at the other end of the line is thinking. 

Some mental health conditions such as Bipolar, Depression, or Anxiety can also cause oversharing. If you aren’t receiving support from those around you about your mental health, you can often turn to the internet to supplement this.

However, when managed, venting does enable you to blow off some steam and allows you to keep going in a relatively normal manner. It may even be healthier for you than bottling it all up. So how can you vent without oversharing and putting your relationships, reputation, or even your job in jeopardy? 

Here are some tips to consider on how to “vent responsibly”.

When do you over-share?

Figuring out the time and place to overshare, and understanding its effects on your mental health can be a useful activity, but the first step is learning when you overshare and how you can reel it in.

The easiest way to stop oversharing is to take a moment to think before you ‘speak’ - imagine the ripple effect of the information you want to share. Would you mind your friends gossiping about this? Would you be okay with your Grandma seeing what you’re about to post? What about if your boss heard about it?

You may also need to stop posting when you’re upset or angry. You may say something you didn’t mean and ruin a friendship or relationship that could be solved with a simple conversation when you’ve cooled down.

Who do you vent to?

Choosing how to vent is one thing, choosing who you should vent to is equally, if not more, important. First and foremost, it’s about who you trust with handling not only your emotions but also the information you’re sharing. 

Contacting the person you’re going to vent to

Messaging the wrong person, or worse, pinging a group chat by accident could have implications for your relationships particularly if it’s in a work environment. Just as easily, emailing your latest frustration to a colleague could easily land in the wrong hands. 

Video call a friend or a friendly at work and ask them to chat. By removing the possibility of messaging or talking to the wrong person in a group chat or email, a private video call is a great alternative to let it all out. 

Alternatives to venting out loud

If you can’t think of anyone to contact immediately, then try writing it down. Documenting your feelings is shown to reduce stress and emotional trauma, and even help regulate the feelings you have going on in the moment. Writing down what you’re feeling also helps with that “pent up” feeling. 

Give yourself free rein and no interruptions and begin writing nonstop until you feel some of that tension ease up. By expressing yourself via writing, you may even be able to think more clearly about the issues at large that you’re facing. 

If you have time, take a moment to go for a quick walk. In addition to the health benefits, a quick walk can help distract you, lower your blood pressure and boost your mood from whatever is going on. 

Physically distancing yourself from the place where the frustration occurred can help you to ensure the relationships of those participating in that frustration don’t get compromised.

Let It Out

Venting can be a healthy way of bonding and building your relationships. 

And if it’s used right, oversharing can be a powerful tool to help you open up and connect with like-minded individuals. Announcing to your friends that you’re struggling as a way to explain why you’ve not been replying to their texts can be therapeutic.

It also helps us all feel more connected about being empathetic towards one another. 

ADHD NZ provides several closed Facebook groups for parents and their children, adults who have been diagnosed with or suspect they have ADHD, whanau and friends. Here we invite our community to vent and overshare, in a safe space.

If you haven’t already joined, feel free to sign up and we’ll see you there soon.

ADHD at work - know your employment rights
ADHD at work - know your employment rights
Succeeding with ADHD as an adult
Succeeding with ADHD as an adult
Sign up to get connected and stay in touch
Sign up to get connected and stay in touch
Your use of this website is governed by our Privacy Policy and Disclaimer. The material on this website is provided for educational purposes only. ADHD NZ is not-for-profit organisation who will provide to you on-going support in your ADHD journey. However, we do not provide medical advice, assessment, diagnosis, or treatment.  Your GP can recommend a suitable healthcare professional.

What's ADHD?

Adults with ADHD
​Children and teens with ADHD

​ADHD is more common than you think
Why it's good to have ADHD

Have you got ADHD?

Think you're an adult with ADHD?
Think your child has ADHD?
How to get a diagnosis for ADHD

Getting an assessment and diagnosis of ADHD
Self-screening tool for adults with ADHD
Co-morbidities
​
FAQs

Succeed with ADHD

Find healthcare professionals near you
The different types of healthcare professionals
Managing ADHD
Families living with ADHD
ADHD in schools
​
ADHD medication
ADHD stimulant medication
ADHD non-stimulant medication
ADHD anti-depressant medication

Get support from other organisations
Become a member of ADHD NZ's community
ADHD Wellington
ADHD events and promotions
Vlogs, blogs and ADHD NZ in the media

About Us

Our people
Help us by volunteering
Contact us
Sponsors
​Ambassador

Follow us

Privacy policy

Disclaimer

​© COPYRIGHT 2022. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
  • What is ADHD?
    • Adults with ADHD
    • Children and teens with ADHD
    • ADHD is more common than you think
    • Why it's good to have ADHD
  • Have you got ADHD?
    • Think you're an adult with ADHD?
    • Think your child has ADHD?
    • How to get a diagnosis for ADHD >
      • Getting an assessment and diagnosis for ADHD
      • Self screening assessment tool for adults who suspect that they have ADHD​
    • Co-Morbidities
    • FAQs
  • Succeed with ADHD
    • Access ADHD Healthcare Professionals >
      • The Different Types of Healthcare Professionals
    • Managing ADHD >
      • Families living with ADHD
      • ADHD in schools
    • ADHD Medication >
      • ADHD Stimulant Medication
      • ADHD Non-Stimulant Medication
      • ADHD Anti-Depressant Medication
    • ADHD Support Organisations
    • Become a member of ADHD NZ's community >
      • ADHD Wellington
      • Events and promotions
      • Vlogs, blogs and ADHD news
  • About Us
    • Our People
    • Help Us By Volunteering
    • Contact Us
    • Sponsors
    • ADHD Ambassador