As of 24th December 2019, I’ve been blogging for 6 months. Now, I know that it isn’t that long in the grand scheme of things, but for me, that’s pretty good going! Generally, when I venture into something new I start off with good intentions but after a short while it will start to fizzle out. So the fact that I have been able to blog (almost) weekly for 6 months is an achievement that I am proud of.
Why I started
I can still remember sitting down to write my first ever post. I’d been following Stacey Solomon on Instagram and some of her posts about post-natal health just struck a chord with me. So I got my iPad (my old laptop was suuuuuuper slow) and I started writing.
I just felt like I needed to get everything out of head, off my chest, out in the open etc. I’d always kept my mental health issues very quiet, only sharing the details with close friends and family. But why? Because I was ashamed? Because I was worried about what people would think about me? Well, fuck it, they’re stupid reasons. And maybe me opening up will help someone else.
Daz came home from work and I remember being so nervous about showing him what I had written. Not because of what I had written but the fact that I had actually written something. I’ve never had much confidence in myself. I’m forever thinking that what I’ve done is crap or not good enough. But Daz was impressed with what I had written and he encouraged me to hit that publish button! I’m so grateful that he did!
I naturally am quite a shy person (unless I have a few wines in me!). So not just opening up about my mental health, but actually sharing my thoughts and writing with everyone is quite a big thing for me.
And the response I got from my first post was overwhelming. I just couldn’t believe it! People were so kind and supportive and it really boosted my confidence.
Not so easy…..
Now I didn’t expect blogging to be easy but I did think that it was a case of sitting down, writing whatever you want and people reading it. Oh, what a delusional fool I was.
I am extremely lucky to have an amazing friend called Lucy who blogs over at Real Parent and Real Wedding (She is amazing, you should definitely follow her!). She has given me such invaluable blogging advice that I don’t know how I’m ever going to thank her and pay her back! Thanks Lucy!!
Generally, I love sitting down each week and writing a new post. When I first started I had so much that I wanted to talk about and it all just flowed. Sometimes though I really struggle. Either I didn’t know what to write about or I just can’t find the right words. But I don’t want to just give up.
Numbers
I’ll admit that I have become a little obsessed with the numbers recently. How many views, visitors, likes, comments have I got? There have been times when my posts haven’t had the views or likes that I wanted and I thought about giving up. I wondered if people were actually reading my posts, are they enjoying them? I became a bit obsessed with how I could grow my blog and the number of followers.
So, I had to take a step back and think. Why did I start blogging in the first place? To help people, yes, but also for me. I needed to get it all out. Since starting this blog, I have been in such a good place with my mental health. And what about all the people that follow me already? The support that I have had from everyone is just incredible.
So, I just want to say thank you so much to everyone for your support and kind words over the last 6 months. I hope that you have enjoyed reading my blog as much as I enjoy writing it!
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