These Are Things You Should Definitely Keep Private

We live in a highly public world. Every day, we digitally invite millions of people into our lives and are only too happy to share our daily lives with them. Inhibitions are gradually sinking in the process. Since it has become hip and trendy with the Internet to share every intimate detail of one's life, the concept of privacy has unfortunately become obsolete.

We now take it for granted to open up and make no secret of what goes on in our microcosm. Hardly any topic is taboo anymore. The more scandalous and exciting, the higher the media clicks and ratings. We are baring our souls and don't even realize it. If you still want to draw a line, today we will highlight 7 aspects of your life that should definitely remain private despite such bad media hype.

1. Relationship issues

Even if the vast number of talk shows and reality formats would like to tell us otherwise, private and intimate details have no place on television or the World Wide Web. Not even neighbors or close friends, work colleagues and acquaintances should have the dubious pleasure of being informed about your marriage and couple problems. You are not only giving your environment too much information.

In a way, you are also deceiving and betraying your partner. No one deserves to be the subject of public dirty laundry campaigns, least of all our loved ones. If things aren't going well in your partnership, there's one person you should ask to talk to: Your better half. As soon as your relationship becomes public domain, even if it's only with your best friend, you're allowing a line to be crossed.

2. Details on your health

You could almost think that illnesses and aches and pains are the number 1 topic of conversation when 2 or more people get together. Each and every one of us has at least one health problem in stock that we want to discuss as comprehensively and in detail as possible. But there are good reasons why generations before us have invariably responded to the question "How are you?" with "Fine, thank you".

Health is not a topic for small talk or a coffee date. If you need to talk, talk to your doctor about it. You are not doing yourself any good by constantly dwelling on the negative aspects of your body. At best, you will only intensify the symptoms. Other people don't deserve to shoulder your burdens and feel bad about you. Discussing illnesses only brings disadvantages for everyone. 

3. Your plans

What should be your next step on the career ladder? Have you sent out applications or recently registered on a dating platform? Are you planning a trip around the world or an exciting charity project? Do you want to lose 20 kilos or have your nose reduced? Whatever it is that's at the top of your agenda, keep it to yourself until it's a tangible reality and a beautiful reality.

Why? First of all, not all people like to see you grow. To them, you are much more useful if you remain overweight, unsuccessful and trapped in your tiny sphere of action. After all, they automatically feel better next to you even then. Secondly, some of our fellow human beings may even feel threatened when others want to move forward. In particular, our partners unfortunately often have a tendency not to support us, but even sabotage our plans. And thirdly, it is less shameful or embarrassing if the big plan fails.

If no one knows that not even one rejection has fluttered through the door in response to what feels like 100 applications, you can calmly just get on with it without any gloating comments that would only rob you of your motivation. 

4. Your love life

This is the same as with partnership problems in general. Leave the erotic or salacious details in the bedroom or at least within your own 4 walls. Otherwise, you are definitely giving your environment too much information, which they do not want to know. And your partner will certainly not appreciate it if their performance in passionate close combat is discussed publicly. Intimacy must remain one thing in any case: Intimate. 

5. Your finances

You don't talk about money. You may remember this sentence from your childhood and youth. Our parents and grandparents were ironclad about this unwritten law. Money is a sensitive subject. Pretty much no one believes they earn enough or have enough. It's not about making ends meet at all, it's just about how others see us when we disclose our net worth.

No one thinks with conviction that his or her work is sufficiently appreciated and generously rewarded; when we talk about money, we either lie for all we're worth or we tend to understate the case and are secretly ashamed of it. 

6. Things told to you in confidence

What someone has confided to you under the seal of secrecy must remain confidential. Don't stoop to the level of gossips and detractors who want a good story at any cost just to score points with other gossips. There are good reasons why certain information is entrusted only to you. These can be of a professional nature, as in the case of doctors, tax consultants or therapists.

But it can also just be the request of a person not to carry their story further. This person has trusted you. You should not underestimate that. It sometimes takes a long time to build up trust. It can be destroyed in a fraction of a second. Face up to this responsibility and remain discreet. 

7. Mental stress and therapies

This point follows on seamlessly from the one about health. However, in the case of mental illness, it is a little more complicated to keep the ball rolling and at the same time help to finally eliminate a few taboos and misunderstandings. For decades, someone who voluntarily sought therapy was simply considered batty, hysterical or just plain bored.

Hardly anyone in the general public was aware of what depression or a mental breakdown really meant. Today, thank goodness, we address these things in a much more adult and transparent way. But be careful: that doesn't mean you should also tell medical stories or do a soap opera. Neither your mental condition nor that of other people may be discussed without consent.

Otherwise, there will be a violation of personal rights and a clear encroachment on what are probably the most private of all problems, which, moreover, can hardly be understood by outsiders. 

Today's Conclusion: Sharpen your social intelligence

You know the casual definition of social intelligence? It's "knowing when to shut up." In general, there's still nothing wrong with the good old truism "Speech is silver, silence is golden"  We save ourselves and those around us many embarrassing moments if we don't blurt out everything that's on our minds.

Besides, there are of course very good reasons why there are unwritten rules when it comes to small talk. If the weather and pets were really the only things left to talk about, at least no one would get upset. Respect everyone's personal boundaries and privacy. Most of all, keep an eye on your own. Not all people you invite in through that door come in peace.That's it for today. Thanks very much and see you soon.