1. Regulate your nervous system.
Your adrenaline will spike, so take good care of yourself.
Take a walk, stretch, get a hug, lie on the living room floor until you feel better.
When something like this happens, it activates our fight / flight / freeze / fawn nervous system response. You might want to take down every troll in the comments (fight). You might want to run away from the internet forever (flight). You might crawl into bed and not move for hours (freeze). You might try to pacify everyone who shows up (fawn). You might do all of them in quick succession.
Calming the nervous system is one of the most powerful things we can learn for ourselves - and it’s essential when something you put online goes viral and people start attacking you or having a lot of opinions about you out of the clear blue sky.
Some of my favorite ways to regulate the nervous system are:
Get out in nature
Move your body - take a walk, do some yoga, hit the gym, go for a run, dance like an unhinged muppet to your favorite song
Get into water (shower, bath, pool)
Do somatic or nervous system regulating stretches (google to find some ideas)
Breathe - in for 6, hold, out for 8 (or whatever feels right)
Eat something nourishing
Get a hug
There are also some energetic tips in the video at the bottom of this post.
2. Remember that other people's opinions are about them not you.
Full stop, end of story.
Remember that people are viewing you through their own lens, the way they see and understand the world.
If someone calls you a liar, it’s because they’ve been lied to (or are a liar themselves). If someone denies your experience, it’s because they haven’t experienced it for themselves and don’t have the perspective or empathy needed to put themselves in your shoes. If they say “That never happened!” it’s because their life may be so lacking in interest and magic that they don’t believe it’s possible for anyone else. If they call you names, it’s because they’ve been called names and are lashing out.
For some people, being a troll on the internet is the only outlet they have, for their trauma, their rage, their unhappiness. Not that it makes it okay, but it’s helpful to remember that it’s them, not you.
Happy people don’t troll.
3. Decide how you want to respond.
Decide how you want to respond. You get to respond however feels right to you. You can respond to everyone, you can respond to no one, you can block to your heart's content.
I’ll say it again: Do whatever feels right to you.
If you decide to respond, the more you can respond from a place of regulation (take care of that nervous system!) and a place of compassion and desire to understand, the better things will go.
If you don’t want to do all that emotional labor, you don’t have to respond at all.
Remember that the block button exists and you are allowed to block in whatever manner you please. (I block anyone who is mean or feels off.)
(My personal opinion is that the internet trash fire is a reflection of people's trauma, so when we can approach people with kindness and a desire to see and hear them, things often resolve. Unless they're straight trolls. In which case, hello handy block button!)
4. Remember that you’re worthy.
You’re worthy of being seen, being heard, having an opinion, and taking up space on this planet. You don’t have to earn anyone’s respect.
No matter what gets said on the internet, you’re a good person, a worthy human, and you are loved.
Do whatever you need to do to remember that.
5. Viral posts are a flash in the pan.
It may seem endless in the moment, but it will die down and you can go on about your life.
I hope this has been helpful as you navigate the wilds of the internet’s attention!
Sending you lots of love,
Amber
P.S. Want to read my story about going viral for the first time?
This video includes some energetic ways to help you clear your energy from the massive push that is internet attention, so listen to the end if you'd like those tips.
If you've experienced this and want to share something you've learned, leave a comment for anyone else who happens to find this post!
Feeling overwhelmed? need some emotional and energetic support?
As an intuitive and energy healer (with a bit of experience in the realm of The Internet Has a Lot of Opinions About Me Right Now), I’d love to help you regulate your nervous system, receive whatever messages, guidance or wisdom this experience has for you, and help you move forward in a way that feels really good.
We can turn an influx of internet trolls into spiritual and evolutionary gold, my friends.