I frequently take days or even weeks to reply to normal messages and I usually don’t acknowledge the delay or apologize for it. The longer I wait to reply the worse my guilt and dread gets, but having the ball in my court also gives me a sense of peace because the interaction is at a standstill.

I’ve also had multiple coworkers get frustrated with me for not opening the memes and videos they send me. I’m fine with one every once in a while, if it’s actually funny and relevant to something we’ve talked about, but when they start sending several random things every day I just ignore it to dissuade them. I know that people take my silence personally but deep down I just don’t care.