Blogging: How To Protect Your Mental Health As A Blogger?

Building a successful blog can be incredibly rewarding, but depending on your niche, it can take a long time to create that successful blog. You also have the issue of navigating the online world, which can also bring challenges to your mental health. Blogging is often a bigger commitment than people realise.

 

 

What Is Blogging?

 

According to Great Content, blogs are created by people (bloggers) who typically post about a topic of interest, which traditionally was written more like an online diary. However, they can also be written like an article in a newspaper, magazine, or journal, which is what I go for. So much so, that it’s also been referred to as a grassroots form of journalism (Nardi, Schiano, Gumbrecht, Swartz, 2004).

 

 

Strategies To Protect Your Mental Wellbeing While Blogging

 

I put together a handy list of things that might help you manage your mental wellbeing while pursuing blogging. If I’ve missed anything that you think might be helpful, please add it to the comments section at the end of the article. The move advice the better.

 

Boundaries and balance

It’s always important to set clear boundaries, and blogging is no different. One of the most important of these boundaries is to set boundaries around blogging time, work time, and personal time. And disconnect regularly to avoid burnout so you can recharge.

 

Defining specific work hours, allocating time for rest, and limiting excessive screen time will help prevent burnout. It’ll also help with reaching a state of flow while working, while not letting that sense of flow get out of hand.

 

By having a realistic article schedule for my blog it allows me to balance my work, blogging, and personal time. When I first started, I took a more personal diary approach to blogging and planned to publish twice a week. However, when I wanted to research my articles more, taking more of a journalistic approach, that twice-a-week deadline became impossible. Thus, I changed my schedule to fit my new blogging reality.

 

Stepping away from the screen can refresh your mind and prevent fatigue. But also consider longer breaks if it’s becoming too much. That way you can give yourself time to figure out if you want to continue blogging while also avoiding burnout making that decision for you.

 

 

Manage time effectively

Organise a schedule that balances blogging activities, content creation, engagement, promoting content, and self-care. Prioritise tasks and avoid over-committing yourself. You’d be surprised how much time engagement and promoting your content can take. I decided to cut back on those two things to maintain a healthy balance.

 

Limit negativity

The outline world is often full of negativity, especially in the comment section of news network articles. Therefore, manage your online environment. Mute or block accounts that drain your energy or evoke negative emotions.

 

This might not be because they’ve acted like trolls, but also because they share content that might bring you down or get you to question your self-image or abilities. Life’s too short for that, and you don’t want that stuff to affect your motivation to keep producing your own blog content.

 

Practice self-care

Prioritise self-care activities such as exercise, meditation, hobbies, or spending time with loved ones to recharge and reduce stress.

 

Notepad

Keep a notepad or a note-taking app handy, because you never know when inspiration might hit you. There’s nothing worse than hoping you’ll remember something when inspiration hits and you don’t have any option to note it down. So having a notepad or a note-taking app on hand can avoid that stress and disappointment.

 

I often get inspiration from the world around me, such as seeing a news article on my phone’s news feed or in free newspapers on public transport. I’ve also been inspired by conversations I’ve had with people or stuff I’ve heard and seen as I engage with the outside world. Having a note-taking app on my phone always allows me to note these down so I don’t forget.

 

 

Prioritise real-life connections

Don’t get me wrong, I love blogging, even though I’ve come close to quitting a few times. I find it a great way to improve my skills and knowledge around therapy and mental health. However, scheduling time for hobbies, loved ones, and activities that nourish your soul outside the digital world will go a long way toward improving your quality of life and levels of happiness.

 

Content choices

There are two main ways to blog; creating content that will allow easier access to working with organisations for paid content or focusing on your passion, your niche. I choose to blog about the content I’m most passionate about, which isn’t a great way to make money if you want to do this as a side hustle or use it as a main source of income.

 

Both ways of blogging are equally valid. But creating content that excites you, not just what you think will perform well, helps fuel creativity and sustains your motivation. At least it does for me. Maybe you’re equally motivated if content performs well and helps you make money. That’s just never been me. I’ve rarely cared about money.

 

Embrace imperfection

I can’t stress this enough. Don’t strive for unrealistic perfection. Celebrate your unique voice and style, and accept that occasional stumbles are part of the process. I’m dyslexic, so expecting my writing to be perfect was never going to happen. Thanks to decent grammar and spelling-checking extensions and plugins, it’s at least pretty good. But still, there will always be mistakes, and to stop getting fixated on this, I only proofread my content once.

 

Set realistic goals

Avoid setting overly ambitious or unrealistic blogging goals that may lead to undue pressure. Focus on achievable milestones and celebrate your accomplishments.

 

As I’ve already said, when I started blogging I wanted to post two posts a week, and when I was taking a more diary-style approach, that was possible. But when I adapted my work to be more like an article, and thus, more journalism-based, that two posts a week became one article a week. I needed time to do my research.

 

It’s also important to note that blogging can take a long time before you gain any real traction, which often sees people quitting before they reach their first year as a blogger.

 

 

Challenge negative self-talk

Be your own cheerleader. Replace self-criticism with positive affirmations and acknowledge your growth and accomplishments. I know my blogging and writing style is a lot better than it was when I started. I’ve also been tempted to quit blogging a few times because of negative self-talk, but I’m glad I didn’t and I stuck to keeping Unwanted Life alive.

 

Manage criticism

Understand that not everyone will agree with or appreciate your content. Develop resilience against criticism and learn to filter constructive feedback from negativity. Also, remember to not let the negative swallow up the positives, as you’ll likely get a lot more positive feedback, but it’s easy for that one negative comment to make it feel like all that positive feedback doesn’t exist. This is also a good time to consider creating an achievements collage of your blogging.

 

Community

Find your tribe by connecting with other bloggers who share your interests or values. Online communities and forums can offer invaluable support and understanding. By engaging with other bloggers or joining communities for support and networking, you’ll be able to share experiences and seek advice from peers that can be beneficial.

 

Sadly, a lot of bloggers I knew from when I started have left, but they all helped me with my blogging journey.

 

 

Unplug regularly

Take intentional breaks from social media and blogging platforms to disconnect and prevent information overload. Social media especially, can be quite draining and lower our moods if we get trapped in a doomscroll.

 

Reflect and adjust

Regularly assess your mental state and blogging practices. Adjust your strategies as needed to maintain a healthy balance between blogging, mental wellbeing, and your life outside of blogging. You may also want to review if you’re still enjoying blogging.

 

Seek professional help

Don’t hesitate to reach out to a therapist or counsellor if you’re struggling with online negativity, stress, or comparisons. So if feelings of stress, anxiety, burnout, or of being overwhelmed persist, consider seeking guidance from a therapist or counsellor.

 

Remember, it’s a journey

Celebrate small wins, create that achievements collage, learn from setbacks, and focus on enjoying the process of creating and sharing your voice. It’s not about the destination, it’s about the journey and what we learn along the way.

 

 

Prioritize sleep and healthy habits

It’s always important to take care of your physical wellbeing, as it directly impacts your mental health. So try to establish and maintain healthy habits, such as good sleep hygiene.

 

Develop coping mechanisms

Practice relaxation techniques like meditation or deep breathing to manage stress and anxiety. There are loads of stuff out there to help you develop your relaxation stockpile. I have an article on 10 breathing exercises which you can find here, for example. You could also create a dopamine menu.

 

Challenge social comparison

It’s really easy to start comparing yourself to other bloggers, which was what almost caused me to quit blogging. This was especially unhelpful when I was doing this with bloggers from unrelated niches, as some niches will always do better than others. Therefore, limit time on platforms that trigger unhealthy comparisons and focus on your own unique path.

 

Embrace humour and silliness

Laughter is a great stress reliever. Don’t be afraid to inject some humour into your content and life. I am a walking Black mess of humour and silliness, especially the silliness. Protecting your mental wellbeing is essential for sustainable success as a blogger.

 

 

Summary

 

Protecting your mental health as a blogger is crucial given the demands of the digital space and potential stressors that come with it. By actively nurturing your wellbeing, you can create a fulfilling and positive blogging experience that enriches both your content and your life. Remember, your wellbeing is always worth prioritising. Take care of yourself and watch your creativity and passion flourish. Also, adjust your strategies as needed to maintain a healthy balance between blogging, mental wellbeing, and your life outside of blogging.

 

Remember, taking care of your mental health is essential for sustainable blogging. Prioritising self-care, setting boundaries, and seeking support when needed can contribute significantly to your overall wellbeing as a blogger. And don’t be afraid to take breaks. I’ve known bloggers to take a few months off from blogging, so no new content being published and no working on their content behind the scenes, just a clean break, before returning. There’s nothing wrong with taking a break.

 

As always, leave your feedback in the comments section below. Also, please share your experiences with blogging in the comments section below as well. Don’t forget, if you want to stay up-to-date with my blog, then sign up for my newsletter below. Alternatively, click the red bell icon in the bottom right corner to get push notifications for new articles.

 

Lastly, if you’d like to support my blog, then there are PayPal and Ko-fi donation payment options below. Until next time, Unwanted Life readers.

References

 

Nardi, B. A., Schiano, D. J., Gumbrecht, M., & Swartz, L. (2004). Why we blog. Communications of the ACM, 47(12), 41-46. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Diane-Schiano-2/publication/220426445_Why_we_Blog/links/0deec534af8f213fac000000/Why-we-Blog.pdf.