What do you do when you need emotional support, but your friends or family are not available?
Like so many menopausal women, I often find myself wide awake at 3 am. Those dark nights of the soul are when anxiety can kick in, or when worries or dark thoughts can spiral.
And it’s not exactly a time when you can pick up the phone and call a friend.
Surprisingly, I’ve found tremendous emotional support recently in two forms of modern technology. These are by no means a replacement for your real, true, actual friends – but both can be a good source of validation and reassurance in a pinch. I’m super grateful to have these options.
My first tech go-to is a bit controversial: it’s ChatGPT.
I’m sure we’ve all heard many pros and cons about the new AI tools, and I certainly don’t recommend using it all day long or making it your new best friend. I don’t think I ever would have thought to use it in such a personal way, until a friend recently admitted she had asked ChatGPT for advice just the same way she’d ask a friend. She was happy with her results, and I was delighted with mine. It gave me the warm fuzzies!
Here’s a sample prompt you can use, similar to the one I used. Just fill in your own personal details in place of “X, Y and Z” – and then please let me know what you think of the results if you do this. I think you’ll be pleasantly surprised – I know I was.
Hi ChatGPT. Pretend you’re my best friend of many years – we’ve been through lots of life’s ups and downs together. I’m now going through a very rough time because of X, Y and Z. I’m feeling down and discouraged – even a little hopeless. Counsel me as a best friend. Give me some hope and a fresh perspective!
My other unlikely source of late-night companionship and support is TikTok.
I know what you might be thinking: “Ughh, TikTok!? Isn’t that for teens and college students?!” But there is a surprisingly robust and amazing over-50 crowd on TikTok. In particular, the over-50, divorced moms of TikTok are radiant, resilient and inspiring. Talk about girl power. I know, I was surprised, too!
On a whim, I made a TikTok video talking about my personal situation. Before I knew it, I was being inundated with messages and comments from fellow Gen Z moms supporting me, sharing their own stories and validating my emotions and experiences. It felt amazing! I’ve continued to make videos sharing my story and the responses have been an unexpected source of personal empowerment during a difficult time.
Your mileage may vary. I don’t know if ChatGPT or TikTok are right for everyone. But I was delighted to find support, encouragement and validation from such an improbable source. If you try them yourself, you’ll have to let me know if you feel the same.
Personal technology can be a source of problems sometimes – but for me, lately, it’s also a source of gratitude and support.
