Hello everyone and welcome back to my blog – I hope you’re having a good week!
Okay so I told you at the beginning of the year that I was back after a few months off from blogging and I did say I would write a post about why I took a break and how it’s benefited me.
I don’t know if any other bloggers have ever felt this way, but when you’re blogging, trying to balance work life AND have a social life (before covid), it can be so overwhelming and you literally burn out. Blogging genuinely takes a tonne of your time and effort and I actually put something on my Instagram story the other day because I don’t think people realise how much time it takes. I’ve blogged for a long time now so eventually, I was going to need a break.
When I wrote my first blog post after having time off from it all, I had a few messages from people asking me why I took time off and why I hadn’t blogged for a while. I don’t mind getting these kind of messages, but I also feel like people need to understand that we do also have a life to live as well and if you feel like you’re drained, taking a break is okay. Anyway, there are several reasons why I took time off, such as being busy at work, lockdown stresses, emotions etc – sometimes it’s good for our health to remove something that is adding unnecessary stress.
After having time off, I have realised there are several benefits and I genuinely am so happy I stepped back, gathered my thoughts, explored other ideas and took time away. I feel so much more positive and motivated now and I think I’ve definitely found my niche. I’ll explain in more detail what benefits I have found since I stopped blogging for a few months and also explain how it helped!
- I had chance to miss it – this sounds so so stupid because you’re probably thinking, why would you put yourself through missing something you enjoy? But I got to the point where I was stuck in a rut, I couldn’t think of what to write about and I wasn’t enjoying it anymore. So, when I stepped back, I realised that I did miss it and that’s when I realised, blogging is 100% for me and it’s something I want to pursue. It isn’t easy and it is hardwork but seeing all of your lovely comments & messages, makes it all worth it, for sure.
- I went back to the drawing board – every creator, at some point, will have to go back to the drawing board and rethink their strategy. It’s inevitable. I was blogging about so many topics (quite random topics) that never really linked together. During lockdown, I found new passions and interests which has ultimately led to different topics being covered on my blog. When I reviewed my strategy/topics, it gave me chance to find what I really was passionate about and I basically started fresh with a new look, new name and new topics!
- It gave me breathing room – so this is quite similar to the point above, but by taking a step back, I almost feel like it gave me chance to breathe again and relax, without feeling guilty. So having a break was beneficial because it allowed me to explore new content ideas, buy courses so I could develop my understanding in certain topics and basically come back stronger than I was before.
Anyway, that’s my 3 main reasons why I took a break and why I’m grateful for taking that break but I could quite literally talk about this for hours because it’s so important to take a step back sometimes. I don’t just mean this for blogging, I mean in general life, take a step back, take time away and remember why you fell in love with it in the first place. I think that’s what I was struggling with, the fact I was putting pressure on myself to stick to a plan, post on certain days, write on this day, create the images another day etc, reply to comments, think of new content ideas, there’s just so much to do – I forgot WHY I started blogging.
But, looking on the brightside, I really do feel much better for my break – I’m 4 months in now and I have stuck to my plans and I’ve gained so many more followers now I have my set niche. It really is amazing and I’m so so grateful for the support from you all!
If you feel drained or like you’re falling out love with a hobby, take a break – it’s okay! You’ve got to do what’s right for you.
Thanks for reading this post guys, have a good rest of the week! New blog post coming at the weekend, of course!!
Grace x
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