When I stopped writing back in 2021, I think I was somewhere in-between depression and burnt-out. I was six months into a new line of work, writing sleepy bedtime stories, as well as teaching part-time and writing the occasional article. I felt like I was out of creative juices.
It didn’t help, as I mentioned last week, that I’d also added a good dollop of demands and expectations to what started out as a fun, creative hobby. By the time I quit, the blog had become yet another thing to do. It felt like a chore and was anything but fun.
Cut to, this week: I’m six blogs into the new year; six blogs into a changed (or changing) mindset.
And I’ve started to remember things that I’d lost sight of:
- I started blogging because I really enjoy it. Not only do I love writing, but I’ve always been fascinated by human behaviour, stories of personal growth and transformation. This is my jam!
- I’m always reading and learning new things, and when I blog about them here, I’m forced to learn things twice-over. Breaking things down into blog content helps me personally to reach a deeper level of understanding, to consolidate (and hopefully apply) knowledge in my own life.
- Impact is impact – whether you help one person or twenty million. If I can help one person, in the smallest way, that’s still a positive and worthy contribution. It’s still service.
- Writing is my therapy. On the page, I’m able to explore the darkest depths of my mind and to work through thoughts/feelings/problems in a way that I seem unable to do in real-time. In verbal conversation, especially confrontation, I tend to freeze and go blank. I can’t find the words. I struggle to identify what I’m thinking and feeling. Journaling has proven to be a comforting antidote to this problem and a means of accessing my inner-wisdom (something that I didn’t even know that I had!) Going forward, I’m committed to being honest, real and vulnerable in my communications and writing here will allow me to build on that habit.
- I spent so many years feeling lost as a teacher. No matter how good I had it, how seemingly ‘successful’ I appeared, I just always knew it wasn’t for me. Writing feels like the opposite of this. When I show up and write, with any kind of consistency, I feel like the best and most authentic version of me. It’s good for the soul, not to mention the identity.
So there you have it: I like blogging again! For now, anyway. Who knows what next week holds…
When I stopped writing, I was ready for a break. It is what it is. I couldn’t and wouldn’t change it.
But with hindsight, I can see that I’d lost sight of what mattered. I’d added so many self-imposed and unnecessary rules that it felt like work, rather than a hobby. I let negative thoughts cloud my judgement.
Maybe there’s something like that in your life; something that used to be fun, but isn’t anymore. Whether you’ve already quit, or you’re thinking about quitting, my advice is to consider the reasons you started… It might be that you’re ready for a break. But it could also be that you need a new approach. Sometimes, it’s as simple as setting a new intention – to show up and have fun, instead of getting it done.
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