5 Point Plan to Deal with Online Trolls and to Keep Moving Forwards
No, I don't hang outside bathrooms..
Trigger Warning: There are voices in your world whose sole focus is to drag you down and keep you small.
This just happened to me…
Just before I sat down to write this post, I received a message on the Substack app. It was insulting. It was physically demeaning. It was rude. It was HORRIBLE. It wasn’t spam; it was a real person.
Threatened somehow?
This happens pretty much every single day to me. Someone, somewhere online or in real life feels the need to pull me down.
It used to bother me. It used to hurt. Sometimes it would wreck my day.
Now I see it as an “absolute sign” that I am doing right, that I am disrupting the ecosystems in which I live.
These people get an instant block; it’s the only thing I won’t tolerate. Meanness—I am 100% not here on this planet right now for them.
They need to go on some kind of journey to find their manners and discover their own salvation.
There’s absolutely no future in you relating or talking with them. READ that again.
Here’s the thing…
You must protect yourself from such vile discouragement as much as you possibly can.
If you are an entrepreneur OR a human with a big dream, you are the vessel that contains this dream AND you absolutely cannot allow yourself to become contaminated.
We need you feeling great and on your A-GAME as much as possible.
When the world tells you NO… You have to spring forth inside with 100 different forms of YES.
You must push back internally and not externally.
Here’s my 5 Point Plan to Deal with Online Trolls and Keep Moving Towards Your Goals and Dreams:
Read it once and delete it forever.
Block that person and never engage with them again.
Immediately tell a friend and reframe it quickly… The reason I get these kinds of messages is that I am disrupting the world and doing something right.
Play the Opposite Game: Think about 3 people in your life who you genuinely care about and write them a complimentary message about how much you love their work. If possible, do this on exactly the same platform you were trolled on.
The goal of the message was suppression; the goal of your life is to overcome. Take the biggest, boldest, and bravest next step towards your dream that you can. Write a post. Share your dream. Make a dozen offers. Work out harder. Push forward.
You don’t have to do this alone.
Negative voices affect you far less when you are surrounded by people who are positive, brave, and supportive, good humans who believe in your vision.
Become a paid subscriber and join our Sphere community — where we lift each other up, share wins, and fight the good fight together.
Let’s build a circle that protects and empowers you.
Much love
G.x
Omgosh yesssss! I made the mistake & replied to a troll then told friends. I should have just blocked & not engaged. I knew it was a troll. No followers, no name, no photo. But still, my instincts to defend me kicked in.
This is a fantastic plan.
Thanks for this excellent take on dealing with unwell people.
'There’s absolutely no future in you relating or talking with them. READ that again.'
I have to take a bit of exception with this and say 'it depends'. Obviously I can only speak for myself, but I had an interaction with a bully who turned out to be just a very unwell, but open, person. He was really attacking me as viciously as he could, telling me my writing was garbage and I was full of shit and so on. I sorr of just rolled with it and kept responding in a loving way. Not sure why. But anyway at one point he said 'you're just a narcissist! I was raised by one, I know em when I see em!'.
That stuck me, and I responded by saying 'that must have been painful. I can relate.'
I swear you could hear the guy tear up through the text box. He suddenly turned apologetic, and we finished up in pleasant fashion.
All that is to say if someone is being abusive, everyone should make their own calls. But for whatever reason, that day it turned out alright (and he had very well honed troll skills believe me, he was hitting below the belt and I had to do a good bit of mindfulness breathing just to read the next thing..but I was curious, too, because I couldn't quite figure out WHY all that hate was flying and somehow I knew it wasn't about me).