Why I Haven’t Been Updating My Blog

One of my New Year resolutions was to consistently update my blog, to share two or three posts per week. As you know, that’s not exactly what’s been happening…

I recently shared an Instagram post about feeling uninspired and a bit blue. I’m not sure where it’s stemmed from, but I’ve been experiencing high levels of anxiety about my work. I know it’s part of the creative process to doubt and second-guess yourself. This has been true for me for as long as I can remember.

Lately, whenever I sit down to an empty page or screen, I feel anxious and overwhelmed, unable to write truthfully and share valuable content. With a captive audience comes additional responsibility, to be honest and authentic. It’s much easier to share a photo of brunch or a beautiful dress than it is to talk about our shortcomings and issues, but we’ve all got them. For a very long time, I assumed that nobody wanted to hear about the real stuff. I’ve since learnt that we’re not able to truly connect with others unless we’re allowed to be our vulnerable, imperfect selves. We’ve all got hang ups and things we’re ashamed of, but that’s what make us human.

If you’re going through something similar, whether it’s personal or work-related, I’ve jotted down a few things that have helped me deal with my anxiety and decision paralysis:

Talk to someone
Whether it’s your partner or a close friend, it really helps to talk through your negative thoughts.

Be gentle with yourself
I’ve written about this before, but we all need to be kinder to ourselves. If you have a tendency to talk down to yourself, stop and think, is this how I’d treat a child or a friend who’s unwell?

Is it worth it?
Is whatever you’re stressing about actually worth it? I’ve had a panic attack or two whilst on a boat. As much as I love sailing with Nick, I now know that if the waters are choppy, I need to be on shore.

Don’t put on a front to impress others
People often call me adaptable, which I used to think was a good thing. Being too flexible means that I’m constantly moulding myself to fit everyone else’s expectations. Not everyone is going to like you and not everyone is going to see the ways you add value. That’s okay.

You’re not the only one experiencing anxiety
Many people experience anxiety in all its shapes and forms. Reminding ourselves of that makes us feel less alone.

So, how am I going to move forward (with this blog and my life)?
Firstly, thank you for putting up with my inconsistent posting. I understand this is a job and keeping you guys in loop is part of that. I’ve given myself a few weeks of haphazard posting, but enough is enough. I spent most of Friday plotting out content calendars and re-evaluating where I want my content to go. Basically, I want to ensure it’s of value to you guys. So, please comment below and tell me what you want to read about.

I’ll continue sharing the exciting, wonderful parts (because most of us read blogs to get inspired, right?) But, I’m going to start sharing some of the more difficult parts as well.

As always, thanks for reading. x

Photo by Jillian Miller Photography