Five blogging pressures to ignore

When I was away on holiday, my brain started spewing out ideas like some sort of machine. Isn’t that always the way – you take a break and then your brain kicks into work mode and comes up with all these creative ideas… typical. So whilst I was laying by the pool I started to note a few of them down. One of which was about blogging pressures and which ones you’re likely better off ignorning. Right now I’ve been having a bit of a crisis of confidence in the blog and what I’m doing with it. So I decided now is the perfect time to remind myself of a few of these points and hopefully will snap me back into my normal feeling happy mode! Also felt it might be appreciated putting this out there, as it’s not necessarily all rainbows and sunshine when your blogging. Everyone has bad days – even when I adore the fact this is my job more than I could ever imagine. I still have doubts and worries – and there are things that can really chip away at your own confidence when you’re a blogger.

1. Comparison is the thief of joy:

Apparently this is a quote from Theodore Roosevelt – and he has a point. I’m all for reading and enjoying other blogs, watching other You Tube videos – they inspire me and I enjoy it. But at a point where I’m just having a ‘not good enough’ moment, I try to avoid them. When you’re not feeling so perky about yourself, it’s hard to look at fellow bloggers with a positive view and I’m a big believer in always trying to look on the bright side and be positive. So when you’re not feeling good for whatever reason – I’d say take a breather from anything that maybe enhances that. I find a good bout of something trashy and indulgent instead is a good alternative – think Sex and the City DVD marathons, re-watching my favourite Gossip Girl episodes… or just reading magazines. My favourites are Allure, Self and Lucky… I love reading US magazines on the iPad as they feel somehow different to UK ones. Plus they’re filled with peoducts i cant getmy hands on so that always excites me and gives me a buzz. But, whatever your thing is, do that – until that special little spark of your very own comes back – it will, promise.

2. Being Perfect:

Over the years blogging has changed so much, when I first started it was so rough around the edges with fairly crappy photos (if any, and I’m speaking for myself here!) and generally a whole lot less ‘polished’ than it is today. But now blogs have evolved into these gorgeously glossy hubs of lifestyle inspiration. Whilst they’re a joy to read, they do seem to miss a bit of the whole ‘real’ life element that perhaps they started with. I consistently fail to be able to eat a burger in a photo-friendly way. Probably 3-5 of my outfits each week are ripped jeans and hoodies… or leggings and a baggy t-shirt. Not that I make a style statement the rest of the time either…There are at least one, possibly two days a week where I go totally without make-up. My life isn’t straight out of a photo shoot – it’s a normal life. I personally think that’s ok – I love it. I live in a lovely little flat, central to one of the greatest cities in the world. I’ve worked hard for many years and now I’m lucky to be doing my dream job – but there are still those moments where you question if its good enough or what it is you’re doing wrong that means it doesn’t look like the glossy lives you read on other blogs, or see on Instagram.

I think everyone has enough pressure on them day to day anyway, without also feeling like they’re somehow falling short if their flat doesn’t look like it could be straight out of an interiors blog (man, I do wish this one was the case…) or their breakfast is just a croissant gobbled down on the bus to work rather than a strategically placed stack of homemade pancakes… or whatever. Sure, lifestyle content will always lean towards the aspirational – but honestly, I love to read the ‘real’ stuff just as much. And every now and then it’s good to remind yourself that lifestyle/glossy blogs usually aren’t all that glossy behind the camera.

3. Having it all:

This can apply to all sorts of things around blogging – from having the latest camera/lens/laptop, to being sent the latest product from a brand, to being invited to the best events. Fact is, the pond is full of us blogging fish and the PR/brands on the outside just have to dip a tiny bit of bait and they have fish who will bite. Of course, there are some fish bigger than others – and sometimes you’re just not the big fish. For whatever reason that is – maybe it’s not even the biggest they’re looking for. But maybe they want the green fish, or the older fish from the pond…. whatever it is and no matter how you can look rationally at it – it can still sting a bit when you’re NFI to something or just not included in someway. I ‘get’ that, I really do – but this is one of the little ‘blogging pressures’ that I actually find easiest to brush off. It’s just a time you need to switch off the green eyed monster and look at things rationally – and be grateful for the things/opportunities you do have and reminding yourself why you started blogging in the first place (clue – if it was for free stuff/events, you probably won’t be able to ignore that green eyed monster).

4. MUST BLOG 24/7:

Ok, so honestly the pressure on this one does change somewhat between blogging for a hobby and blogging for a job. But still – feeling the pressure to blog all the time, day in day out can be draining and takes away from the whole ‘blog as a little peek into someone else’s life’ aspect. If you’re not having a life, then your blog is going to be less fun to read. So if you’re feeling the pressure, or feeling drained – then give yourself that break. If you work full time, and then spend all weekend blogging (been there) then make sure you give yourself a break too – get out and do stuff. No, that doesn’t always just mean go out and do something you can blog about – sometimes taking a proper break from the internet world can be the best thing. But of course getting out there and having experiences you can write about is perfect. Just make sure you don’t let the bubble of blogging swallow you whole. Then come back refreshed with ideas you want to blog about and that don’t feel like a chore or responsibility!

5. (NO) Drama, drama, drama…

There’s always some sort of drama or niggle or gossip going around the blog world. Especially in female heavy blogging circles like beauty and fashion. That’s just a fact – women as individuals are a wonderful thing. But something seems to change with the pack mentality and I think and en-masse, there are times that women can be judgemental, unsupportive of one-another – and sometimes just downright cruel. It’s all too easy to comment and get involved with that sort of talk, but if you’re approaching blogging with a bit of a professional/seriousness (not just if you do it as a job) then it’s best to try and rise above/avoid that side of things.

Sure, you’re human – you will have feelings and are likely a touch nosey and want to know the latest buzz going around. But for your own sanity, and keeping a bit of a nice positive bubble around you – don’t rise to or get involved in the drama. Don’t like how someone else blogs? Don’t read it. Think someone’s tweet was a bit braggy? Maybe just keep that to yourself (you can always mute/unfollow if you start to get properly irked by it…). By all means, have opinions and speak your voice – that’s so important to blogging and opinions and debates are what make things interesting. But trying to keep a line between opinion and gossip – and focus on what you’re doing rather than what others are doing/not doing (see point 1…) – it can help your own peace of mind and happiness in blogging-land.

So there we have it, a little bit of a brain dump about a few pressures of blogging that I have come across over the years that if you pay them attention or wallow in them can be a total downer. So my advice – ignore them, take many of them with a pinch of salt and blog on! My number one piece of advice in blogging – and it’s one I sometimes have to remind myself of from time to time – is just don’t worry about what others are doing, put that energy you could spend doing that into making your little blog world the best you can make it!

Any other pressures of blogging you want to add or that you experience but aren’t on here? Let me know in the comments!

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