Okay so it’s been a hot minute since I’ve been posting regularly or like.. at all to be honest. I initially told myself I needed a week off, but one week turned into two and two weeks turned into almost two months!!
This isn’t the first time I’ve had a blogging break but I’ve felt the worst about this one than I ever have before. I started to feel like I was letting not only myself down, but my readers too. I passed down blogging opportunities because I felt like I just couldn’t commit to someone else’s time frame. The blogger break guilt was really starting to settle in and instead of it motivating me to get writing again, I pushed it even further away than before.
Usually in these style of posts the writer will list a bunch of reasons as to why they had a break but I’m not going to do that. Why? Well, I don’t really have a reason. I wasn’t working extra hours or busy with uni, I just wanted a break. I’ve been posting twice a week every week since January and I fell behind with ideas and pre-written posts and I just needed a minute to catch my breath.
We take holidays from our full time jobs and don’t worry about any emails that come through, why can’t we feel the same about blogging?!
For me, blogging isn’t a full time or part time job – it’s a hobby and a passion. Sometimes it’s easy to lose sight of this and I’m more focused on my blog and writing than I am my actual full time job or just other responsibilities I have in my life. I found myself skipping dinner and chomping on a share size bag of crisps instead while I write ( imo, below average) content and that absolutely has to stop. I want to love writing again and feel inspired and passionate about what I review and give opinions on. I want to start writing about more personal topics, sharing my views on things and potentially have little debates with my readers – just starting conversation and engaging!
Beating the Guilt
Feel the guilt and carry on chilling out!
Beating the guilty feeling hasn’t been easy and it definitely creeps back from time to time but I think I’m finally getting better at not being so hard on myself and remembering that I come first. Stats are great and of course they are going to drop when you aren’t posting but you have to ask yourself “Are views more important than me?” – no matter who you are or what your blog is about, the answer to that is N O ! I don’t think I’ll ever fully stop the guilty feeling when I take blogging breaks but learning that having time off is okay is definitely a big step in the right direction.
This post is a bit of a ramble but I also think it’s not spoken about enough. The amount of bloggers I’ve heard say “I haven’t posted this week, it’s soo bad. I’m such a bad blogger” is mental and we don’t give ourselves enough credit for the hardwork that we do!
Have you felt bloggers guilt? How do you beat it? Let me know in the comments!
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7 Comments
Blogging should be something you do because you enjoy it, and if you need a break then that is absolutely fine! I actually restarted my blog this year because bloggers guilt meant I felt I couldn’t return to my old blog after a lengthy break. It’s so silly to put so much pressure on ourselves over something that we are meant to be doing for fun! I’m glad to see you’re back but don’t feel bad if (and when!) you need to take another break! xxx
You’re absolutely right it is supposed to be enjoyable! I definitely will be more strict with taking breaks from now on xxx
This is a great post that many bloggers can relate too, including myself! We should enjoy blogging because its our hobby and not feel like it consumes our life! If we need a day, a week or even a month off – it’s totally okay!!
Kirsty x | https://kirstyjarvie.com
I couldn’t agree more! xx
I try to remind every blogger of this point when I see them posting their long apology for taking time off – While your blog is your creation, and therefore it’s obviously important, so are YOU. You need to make yourself a priority, no one else can do that for you. Whether someone is taking a break for mental health reasons or simply just getting away to clear their head, it’s important! Never feel sorry for that.
You are so right! We need to stop apologising for taking breaks because it’s simply human nature to need some time out!
Definitely can relate. And then part of me wonders if people even notice when I’m gone and then I spiral into thinking why am I doing this again?! And then I decide to do just one post and then I get excited about it all over again. It’s a whole cycle for me lol.