Back From A Blogging Break!
Happy 2021 everybody! Yes, this is the first time I’ve done any blogging this year. I’d say I had writer’s block but I don’t think I really did. In all honesty, I was just sick of blogging and everything that goes along with it.
Sounds dramatic, I know.
There is so much more to blogging than just writing though. It’s life consuming and with the way life has been over the last year I just didn’t have the energy to put into it. What I’ve realised though is, I do miss it.
I have had so much going on during Covid. I’m actually quite proud of what I’ve achieved! Three different courses have been passed and I’m now doing a fourth! So, I’m actually a certified Life Coach and NLP Practitioner as well as a Mental Health First Aider. In a few months I should have a photography qualification too.
I became a proper plant mum! There’s now over 30 green babies around my house and I’ve only killed a handful in this time. (If anyone ever tells you succulents are easy…. They lie!)
I’ve had some bad times too though. Unfortunately my Grandma passed away in October. The morning of her 90th birthday to be exact. It was sad having a funeral with only a handful of people and no wake. She would have wanted a huge party but we couldn’t even do that for her. I wrote about the last time I managed to go out with her here.
Things have been pretty crappy for me health wise too. One chronic condition seems to have now turned into two and I’ve been struggling a lot with that. I’m still dealing with the after effects from Cervical Cancer too. But I’ll be going into more detail about all of that another time.
I think this last lock down (I’m writing this in March 2021 and praying this is the last one!) has been particularly hard for everyone. People I know who have never suffered with ill mental health have suffered. I am usually such a positive person but I have suffered too. There have been days where I’ve just cried. Even in a house full of people, it’s felt lonely. And that’s why I want to get back into writing. Writing is my outlet. I can pour out my heart into a blog post. Even if it doesn’t go live, it’s healing and I always feel better for writing it out.
“I just want to be me again!”
I didn’t just lose the passion for writing though. As I said above, I lost love with everything. Blogging is a lot of socialising online and it takes a lot of time and effort. Social Media can be a really draining place at times. My Instagram account has started losing more followers than it gains and Twitter just became vile. There was just nothing good about it and I needed to come away. I even deactivated my Twitter! It didn’t last but I feel better for signing off for a while. I’ve come to accept that my Instagram won’t grow like it used to. I can’t control it’s algorithm unfortunately and I don’t just post food anymore. This means I am going to be unfollowed by certain communities. The follow/unfollow game is also still going strong! (When will people learn?)
So yes, I have a few ideas about what I want to do with my blog. I now just want to write for me again. I won’t be taking on any #ADs for a while. Mainly because, I don’t want the pressure. I got to a point where doing that kind of post was causing anxiety. Checking my emails would cause palpitations even though I’ve never missed a deadline. It’s strange, I just never felt like my sponsored posts were good enough.
Back to being me and writing because I want to, not because I have to.
It feels good to be back and I’ve already got ideas for content coming up. Thank you to everyone who reads this, it’s appreciated that you’ve stuck around.
Love to you all.
15 Comments
Stefan (BerkeleySqB)
Great post, Carly. Enjoyed reading this. You had me at “I’m now a (plant) mom and I only killed a handful of them” hahahahahaha…. Congrats on your achievements, sound really fabulous. I wish I would’ve done more, but I think the only formal qualification I got was a Level II Certificate in Food Hygiene… Looking forward to the next posts.
I’ll be honest, NLP always seemed a bit strange to me, even after Ellie & I did a weekend course (two full days), but I’m now kinda starting to think that as a tool kit rather than a life philosophy it might have some very useful stuff for me. Would you recommend any particular book for making bad memories go away (not PNG haha… and also nothing else that’s too serious, just annoying stuff I want to get rid of)?
Carly Bloggs
Ah sorry, this comment only just popped up! Thank you so much though.
With anything NLP it all depends on the situation that the memory was made really. There’s a few techniques that could be tried though. I’d find a practitioner who can perform them rather than trying them yourself though. They’ll get to the root cause then use the technique best suited. My personal favourite is the Fast Phobia Cure and I’ve had it done to me. I was someone who would want to burn the house down if a spider came too close but now I can manage to pick most up in my hands.
Sumedha
Welcome back! I totally understand needing to step away from blogging, especially as it is life consuming like you said. It’s a good thing that you took a break from multiple places and have come back with a different mindset—one where you just want to enjoy. I hope your health, physical and mental, becomes better soon 💜
Carly Bloggs
Thank you so much. It definitely done me some good ❤️
Fiona
It’s nice to see you back Carly but I’m sorry to hear that you have had health issues as well as the sad loss of your grandma. Blogging and maintaining followers is really hard work but if you write for you it’s therapeutic and those that matter will like to read what you have written. Congratulations on all the courses you have done xx
Carly Bloggs
Thank you Fiona. It’s been a tough couple of years but you have to keep plodding along. Writing is definitely therapeutic, it’ll be nice to just write what I want to again.
Maria
Great blog Carly, it’s certainly been tough and I’m glad you’re using this blog as an outlet and expression with no other external pressures.
Can’t wait to read the next one.
Carly Bloggs
Thanks so much Maria! It’ll definitely be nicer just writing for me again.
Leah
Carly, it’s good to see you’re back. First of all I’m so sorry for your loss, it must of been hard not able to celebrate your Grandma’s life the way you wanted.
And I’m sorry that you’re struggling with your health; I really do hope things improve or at the very least become manageable. Congratulations on your courses and becoming a plant mum. I completely relate to how you feeling about the pressure of blogging and social media but you’ve inspired me to bite the bullet and just write for me because it’s what I love. Looking forward to reading more from you!
Carly Bloggs
Aw thanks Leah! It’s been good to be back so far and I hope it stays that way for years to come again. I’m glad I could inspire such a fantastic writer like yourself! I think it’s important to do this for us and not just to do it because we have signed an agreement. The money is nice but not the reason I started lol.
Lauren
Welcome back to the blogging community. I get what you mean about how much energy it takes for you to run a blog. It really is a lot. I took a break in February for a while and I really needed it as well.
Lauren bournemouthgirl.com
Carly Bloggs
Thank you Lauren! It really can be exhausting at times but then there’s the lovely side of it and making friends in this community. I’m glad a break done you some good, sometimes it’s needed!
Kelly
Welcome back. Completely understand what you mean by all of the other stuff that comes with blogging. I too, in 2021, am trying to get back more into writing posts just because I love writing, rather than for a monetary purpose. Good luck, I hope you carry on enjoying your writing.
Carly Bloggs
Thank you! I hope you can manage to write more for the love of it too!
Lynn Mejia
Aw, I’m sorry that you’ve had such a tough time 🙁 A big welcome back and I hope you feel much better throughout this year and all aspects of life. I’ve never come across your blog before so it’s great to e-meet you, Carly! xx
http://www.lynnmumbingmejia.com