Can I delete past topics/account?

[Hel]

Hi,

Looking back on my past topics and this account is really triggering for me - the information/problems in them is really stressing me.

I would like to be able to use the message boards but I am really mortified by my past posts.

Can you please delete either all my topics/posts, or this account?

Thank you <3

[Carly]

Hi Hel -- I'm sorry to hear that seeing your older posts is causing some distress. As a general rule, we don't delete posts on our message boards, which is mentioned in the site guidelines. I'm happy to talk it over with our staff, but exceptions are rare. However, I don't want to minimize the anxiety you're feeling - I totally understand the stress that comes from looking back at ourselves when we felt differently or acted in a way that we better understand now. You're welcome to reply to those threads with any updates if that would feel cathartic.

[Hel]

Okay, could you please delete my account then? I don’t anticipate using the message boards/account anymore and having this account is causing me a lot of stress.

I appreciate you making this exception. Thank you.

[Carly]

Hi Hel -- I'm sorry, we typically do not delete accounts either. The exceptions we make are when the user is in physical danger and someone is threating their safety. If looking back is triggering you, consider not reading through them. If you're concerned about identifying information you put up, I suggest changing your username and other details in your profile to become more anonymous.

Like I said before, I absolutely do not want to imply that your emotional distress is not important. When I said I understood how you're feeling, I meant it -- recently, I found an online journal that had a lot in it that stressed me out. The way I understood the situations I was in, the way I talked about people in my life, and the amount of very personal details I gave made me cringe. But the thing that comforted me was thinking about how feeling embarrassed showed me how much I've grown. Can you relate at all? Do you want to talk about what is upsetting you about these threads being up?