Tumblr is a social media site like no other. For those of you who don't know, tumblr is a site where anyone can make a blog and once you have one you can post anything and follow other blogs that interest you. It's kind of like Facebook, but there's an anonimousity to it because more than likely you don't know any of your followers in real life. Unlike Facebook, on tumblr people follow your blog because they like your content and want to see more of it. So all of the followers you have are based on how well you run your blog and how it appeals to others.
I've been active on the site for about five years now and over the years I've posted a lot about my personal life. My main blog is a mental illness recovery blog where I've written about my struggles over the years. It's pretty much my personal diary open for strangers to read. At first it was just a place where I could let out my inner thoughts and feelings, but after finding similar blogs and people going through the same things as me it became a support system. I met people I could talk to about my struggles and they understood exactly where I was coming from. That sense of community was so helpful when I felt like I was alone in the real world.
It probably sounds weird to non tumblr users that we share very detailed experiences in our lives with complete strangers, but the truth is it's not weird at all. I have friends I've met on tumblr that know more intimate details of my life than my best friends and family in the real world know. It's kind of weird to call these people my friends because we've never met in person and we only talk over text occasionally, but these are the people that know what's really going on with me on the inside. When someone reads your internal thoughts and feelings on the daily they really get to know you. So no, I'll probably never get to meet these people, but having them be there for me in tough times has made all the difference.
Don't be offended if I never show you my tumblr because for me that'd be like showing you my diary. There are things on there I'd never want my loved ones to read, but typing it out and posting it for other bloggers to read makes me feel validated. I know most other bloggers in the recovery community feel the same way as I do about keeping their blog away from people in their real life. I've seen people delete their blogs because someone from their lives found them. Luckily I've never had to do that, but I can see how stressful it'd be for someone to go through.
Just know that tumblr can be a safe haven for many millennials and even younger teens and we should keep it that way. It's incredibly therapeutic to have a place where you can let out all of your feelings without worrying about judgement. So thank you, to my tumblr community for always listening to my complainy posts and for giving me words of encouragement when I need it most!
