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Ask HN: Slack red unread chat callouts are anxiety inducing?

4 points by palashkulsh ↗ HN
I personally face the slack red notifications in the chat very anxiety inducing. With no way to make a todo of all the messages which i cant reply right now but will do later. What has been your experience and any tips to relieve the issue?

7 comments

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blinded
I disable all notifications and just look when I have time. Don't let it control you.
navjack27
This is the way. I do this on any app that allows me to. Mainly because notifications cause me to ghost people out of the anxiety. I liked it better when nothing told me about anything and I had to actively look at things and it wasn't assumed I saw a thing because the default is that the program notifies. The implication man.
viraptor
Not by default, but you can add a Slack app which will allow you to run /todo commands. Now you've got a quick Todo list.
codingdave
> With no way to make a todo

The red notifications are the todos to check later. Don't treat them as interruptions, treat them as something to check when you have time. Or simply turn Slack off when you are busy.

It may also be worth noting that if you personally feel anxiety due to this, that is not a universal feeling. It is a legitimate feeling, and does need a resolution, but it is more likely something you'd want to individually work on via various coping skills. If that process is new to you, I recommend at least a short-term therapist to teach you some of the basics for dealing with and adapting to anxiety triggers.

navjack27
Don't backhanded care-shame. The anxiety should be a universal thing! More people should feel that from a big red badge with a number! It's not normal and it's not good. It's gamification! It's assumption! There is built in implication with it being the default.
trilinearnz
Try the "Pause notifications" feature. Users will be informed of this state when DM-ing you, which can serve to reduce the volume of messages.

In the same menu, you could also choose to set yourself as "Away".