With this digital age, messaging apps have become the norm when it comes to communication. When you want to reach several people at the same time and start a conversation with them, group chats are the way to go. These can be quite effective for most cases. However, group chats can also turn toxic at times.

If every notification just gives you a sense of dread or annoyance, then you probably should just exclude yourself from the narrative. Unfortunately, it’s not that easy in reality.

Most people are hesitant about leaving a group chat because they feel like they’re rejecting other people’s efforts of communicating or they’re afraid that they might hurt the feelings of those included. People who leave group chats may risk coming off as rude or difficult. But for the sake of your emotional well-being, you might as well take the risk.

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Leaving a group chat may be hard for most; especially if it’s with people you respect.

Signs that You Should Leave a Group Chat

You’ll know if it’s time to get out of the conversation when every new message they send just gives you frustration and anxiety. Ask yourself if these messages give value to your life. However, what may start as something good may spiral down to something that could be annoying.

A chat may be created so the group could discuss how to solve a problem, but it may turn into a constant source of random pieces of information, which are not remotely related to what the chat was intended for.

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What started as an informational group chat may turn sour.

Mute With Caution

It is possible to control your app’s privacy and notification settings. That way, you won’t be bombarded with pop-ups and sounds for unimportant messages you’re not interested in. However, people may notice your absence and instead find ways to check in on you.

Some people just need to understand that not everyone wants to be in a 24-hour chat with the group. They may just like to drop in and out of the conversation depending on when they are available.

Be Honest

If you are starting to read off-topic messages that you don’t agree on or may be offensive, then you should speak up and take a stand to refocus the group. Unfortunately, only a few people could do this. Some people tend to message one or a couple of people within the same group chat to air out their sentiments and negative reactions.

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Tweak your privacy settings so you can mute notifications.

Ways to Leave

There’s no easy way to leave a group chat, but you can try two ways. First is just to ghost the conversation and hope that it will just die down with the lack of activity. It’s not the most proactive way, but it can be a good option if you’re really worried about offending someone by actually clicking that “leave” button.

If you’re brave enough, you can just rip off the bandage and remove yourself from the conversation. However, be courteous enough to inform the group ahead. At the end of the day, you can’t please everyone. You also have to take care of yourself and your emotional wellness.