Thoughts From The Wilderness – Blog Related Stress

Blog related stress and blogger burnout.

Who would think that doing something that one finds exhilarating, fun or therapeutic could lead to such a situation?

Dr. Tanya(Salted Caramel) has asked that very question in Blogging Insights #9 – Blog Related Stress.

She’s provided us with a bit of background to get the discussion rolling.

Blogger Burnout

You must have come across this term in posts about blogging. Today’s topic is completely opposite of last week’s Blogging Insights when we discussed being grateful for blogging. This goes to show what a diverse field blogging is, its various aspects being limited only by the number of bloggers.

Questions:

1. What, in your opinion, is “Blogger burnout”?
2. Have you ever suffered from blog-related stress?
3. What steps could you suggest to keep blogging from becoming a stressful activity?

One item to start is this. There is a big difference between writer’s block or a dip in creativity and the phrase “blogger burnout.”

Burnout as a concept or reality has a much more negative connotation associated with it, as compared to experiencing a period of writer’s block for example. One definition of burnout is this – “a state of emotional, mental, and often physical exhaustion brought on by prolonged or repeated stress.”

My thoughts on the three questions:

What, in your opinion is “Blogger Burnout?”

Blogger burnout in my eyes is getting to the point where thinking about blogging/your blog; looking at your blog; sitting to write the next post or anything to do with blogging and your blog immediately takes you into someplace that is not healthy.

Like the definition above, you’ve got to a point where your emotional, mental and physical wellness is a stake.

Burnout, when it happens, erodes our energy(exhausted all the time), attitude(becomes rather poopy) and confidence(where did it go) when it comes to the blogging process.

Burnout doesn’t occur overnight. It usually is a slow-cooking process that takes some time to manifest itself. Burnout may start to grow and fester like some infection due to a huge number of factors, like:

• feeling like you have no new ideas to offer up on your blog
• looking at your stats constantly – they’re not going up or getting bigger(yikes)
• blogging life and family life are out of wack
• working on your blog makes you angry and frustrated
• isolation takes place – I’m all alone in this!

These plus countless other factors can over time lead us to the point of “blogger burnout”, especially if your blog and blogging, in general, is your livelihood.

All of these factors relating to burnout are much different than “I’m in a creative slump.”

Have you ever suffered from blog-related stress?

Source: Google Images

Not that I can specifically think of.

Blogging and my own blog is not how I make money, nor is it as some bigger component of our overall livelihood.

For myself and I suspect for others, blogging is a source of release; entertainment; therapy; a way to connect; and so on.

If blogging is starting to stress you out in some way(s), going back to “first principles” or “why did I start blogging” in the first place can be a good start.

For example, if you started to blog as therapy in order to release and deal with issues relating to mental wellness, perhaps at this point you’ve strayed away from that and need to get back to the basics.

For myself, I want blogging and our blog to be fun. It is a creative release specifically for me. When it stops being fun; when it stops being part of my life that I eagerly wake up for and can’t wait to sit down and bang away at the keyboard, then it is time to step back and figure out what the hell is happening.

What steps could you suggest to keep blogging from becoming a stressful activity?

First of all, always remembering why you are blogging in the first place.

Source: Google Images

Be who you are on your blog. So, write in your own style, not someone else’s style. People want to hear or read “you.”

Remember, it is difficult enough just working at being ourselves. Why make it twice as hard, by being something or someone you’re not?

In addition, don’t get highly focused on the stats tab. Constantly worrying about if you have new followers or how many visitors showed up today can quickly drive you away from the process at hand – sitting down and banging away at the keys.

Furthermore, avoid getting your “pantaloons in a twist” if you are having a hard time creating new content or you think you have writer’s block. There are plenty of great suggestions and tips from a wide swathe of bloggers out there that can help you in overcoming a momentary dip in creativity.

Lastly, create a healthy balance between blogging, your work and family life. Family and family life should always come first. Just figure out the balance for the rest that works for you.

Once again a big thanks to Dr. Tanya(Salted Caramel) for her Blogging Insights Series. Each topic provides a wealth of discussion, information and insights from bloggers throughout the thing called the “blogosphere.”

Thanks again!

Remember…

—  get outdoors; find inspiration; discover yourself  —