I wrote a narrative writing piece about trauma and now I regret sharing it

This is vulnerable, but I need to know if anyone else has been through this. My narrative writing class had an assignment to write a personal narrative, and I decided to write about something really painful—a family situation I'd never talked about publicly. I thought it would be cathartic, and the professor encouraged us to 'write what matters.' Now it's been workshopped, and I feel exposed. People in my class know things about me I wasn't ready to share.

They made comments about my writing style while discussing my actual life, and it felt awful. I know now that I should have chosen a safer topic, but I can't go back. Has anyone else overshared in a writing class? How do you handle the vulnerability hangover? I'm thinking of talking to my professor about maybe not having my piece read aloud.

I submitted a poem about my eating disorder once and literally skipped class the day it was discussed. What helped me? Remembering that most people are too wrapped up in themselves to dwell on your story—they forget quickly. Also, talking to your professor is a solid move. They can adjust how your piece is handled going forward. You set the boundary. Proud of you for writing it though—that’s healing even if the workshop part stings.