Why My Location Goes Dark When Iām Mad
Hey guys, itās Tina.
Letās have a little heart-to-heart about digital boundariesāor as I like to call it, the āIf You Canāt Find Me, You Canāt Fight Meā strategy.
I saw a post today that hit a little too close to home. It said: āI turn my location off every time I get mad donāt worry about where tf Iām at šā And honestly? I felt that in my soul.
The Evolution of the āDo Not Disturbā Sign
Remember the good old days? If you were mad, you just didnāt answer your house phone. Youād let it ring and ring while you sat on the couch eating chips, staring at the wall in silent protest. Then came the āRead Receiptsā era, which was its own kind of psychological warfare.
Living with āInvisible Ankle Monitorsā
But now? We live in the age of Find My Friends, Life360, and Snap Maps. Everyone knows where everyone is at all times. Itās like weāre all wearing invisible ankle monitors provided by Apple.
When Iām annoyed, my first instinct isnāt to scream; itās to evaporate. I donāt want to be perceived. I donāt want a āHey, I see youāre at Target, can you pick up milk?ā text when Iām currently in the middle of a mental breakdown in the pajama aisle.
Finding Peace in the āLocation Sharing: Offā Notification
When that āLocation Sharing: Offā notification hits? That is my peace. That is my āDo Not Disturbā sign for the entire planet.
Why Going āOff the Gridā Works
- The Mystery Factor: If you donāt know where I am, you have to sit with your thoughts. Are I at the gym? The spa? Buying a one-way ticket to Fiji? (Iām actually just in the Taco Bell parking lot, but you donāt need to know that).
- The Emotional Reset: Turning off my location is like closing the door to my room. Itās the digital equivalent of saying, āI need five minutes to not be a reachable human being.ā
- The Power Move: Letās be realāthere is a tiny, petty part of me that knows youāre checking. Seeing that āLocation Not Availableā is a clear signal: Tina has left the chat. Tina has left the grid. Tina is currently a ghost.
Reclaiming Time vs. Communication
I know what the therapists say. āCommunication is key.ā āDonāt shut people out.ā And to that I say⦠have you ever tried being completely untraceable for two hours after a dumb argument? Itās better than a deep-tissue massage.
The Liberation of Being Untraceable
Itās not that Iām doing anything scandalous. Iām usually just driving around listening to early 2000s R&B, reclaiming my time. But there is something so liberating about knowing that, for a brief moment, I am the only person in the world who knows exactly where my feet are planted.
Entering the āTina-Verseā
So, to my friends, family, and anyone else wondering why my little blue dot suddenly vanished: Donāt worry about where Iām at. Iām in the āNo-Fly Zone.ā Iām in the āTina-Verse.ā Iāll be back online once Iāve finished my Starbucks and decided Iām ready to be a member of society again.
Until then, stay curious. š
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#DigitalBoundaries #EmotionalHealth #locationSharing #mentalHealth #privacySettings #protectingYourPeace #relationshipAdvice #selfCare #SocialMediaBoundaries #storiesFromTina