As bloggers, we often find guilt of not creating content daily. Or when we have an off day, it shows through the blog. Tone can often be misjudged through text and sometimes posts don’t come out as anticipated.
For running blogs like myself, my blog is a chronicle of my own running, training, and personal life. It’s filled with the highs of PRs and the lows of bad races or injuries.
But it’s not a full picture of my life. A blog is not the complete picture of anyone’s life, and it shouldn’t be.
This past month I’ve been in a funk. It’s included a lot of things such as my personal life, running and blogging. Thinking out loud, it started around the time of my hamstring injury and continued into a downward spiral from there.
I found myself asking:
What will I blog about when I’m injured?
What if I skip blogging for weeks?
What if my blog becomes boring and whiny because I’m injured yet again?
Why does it even matter? No one wakes up thinking: “the first thing I want to do is read blogs.” If you do, that’s a whole different topic of unhealthy behavior.
Unlike elite athletes, celebrities or professional bloggers, I’m not making a living from LOLZ blog. My life and means to survive do not come from blogging. Like any blogger I find myself fearing the lack of content, being “too boring” or criticism for how I’ve chosen to live life. Just like the comparison trap, it’s something self-inflicted.
My times aren’t going to win the US anything.
My reviews of shoes or diners won’t make or break a company.
And my blog probably isn’t going to provide you any medical advice.
My blog is just a chronicle of my life, the good, the bad and the ugly (like when I thought bangs were a good idea or dyed my hair blonde).
I chose to put my blog and life online, at the end of the day I’m just an ordinary, average person. Putting anything online opens you up for feedback both positive and negative.
So what’s the point of this post?
It’s a reminder to myself, to anyone that at the end of the day, blogging is blogging. Your life does not revolve around a single hobby, whether it’s blogging, running or something else. It’s important not put all of your eggs in one basket. Comparing yourself to anyone (including yourself) isn’t going to get you anywhere.
Questions for you:
Bloggers: Do you ever feel bloggers guilt?
What is the last thing you felt guilty about?
I can so relate to this and I “only” blog three times a week! I think you always have to do what works for YOU and remember that your readers are here for a variety of reasons but mostly because of Hollie the person – not the runner, racer, dessert reviewer 🙂 – but the woman behind the keyboard. Stop stressing girl and just do what feels right! xo
Thankfully not stressing about it this time around. I think there was a point blogging did stress me out but after taking a step back I realized…at the end of the day…it’s “just” blogging!
totally guilty of all the above. but, like you, i choose for my blog to be a hobby and not my means for a paycheck. I like think of it as a scrapbook 🙂 Also- i know it’s hard to talk about stuff that isn’t fun, like injuries or feeling off, but reading about other blogger’s bad days, injuries or guilt feelings just makes me feel more normal 🙂
This is so true, I think we all get bloggers guilt from time to time. We need to step back and remember why we started in the first place!
I think it’s SO important to remember ALL of this, especially if you;re in it just for fun. Sometimes I go to put up a post that I enjoy, and I worry that my readers won’t be into it, blah blah blah and then I realize – why do I care?! It’s not their blog, it’s mine.
This is true Morgan, and I think each post resonates for someone and doesn’t for someone else.
This is so spot on to how I feel!!! SPOT ON!!
This has been me the past month. The time away helped me consider why I blog and the purpose of the writing for me. Great reminders 🙂
This is a fitting post for me. I haven’t blogged in like 2 weeks and I just don’t have any desire to right now. I’m honestly debating if I should take it down or not. Like you said, it’s just for fun. So if it’s not fun anymore, why keep doing it? BUT I love reading about your races and how honest you are about what’s going on in your life, so I hope you can stop stressing and realize how awesome your blog is 🙂
YES, I am right there with you Hollie, and I’m so glad that you’re sharing this. I was totally feeling this last night, but I thought, ‘I really need to go to sleep.’ I’m thankful that God gave me peace about not writing a post, sleeping instead, and waking up really refreshed.
I really love this, Hollie! I’ve been feeling at a standstill with my blog, and guilt for not posting as regularly as I would like to. I’m learning quality over quantity and hopefully it will be beneficial to everyone (readers and me).
I’m glad Emily and I hope you find what you are looking for 🙂
Preach it! It’s actually the kind of post I was -this- close to writing today but I happily just nod my head to yours. After a few weeks/months of consistent posts I’ve – also due to work life changes – hit a road block blogging-wise. I do have ideas but the words aren’t flowing. So like you I have to remind myself that this isn’t my source of income and keeping the blog up also shouldn’t come at the expense of missing time with family or friends or getting enough sleep.
I agree that you should never miss moments with your friends and family “to blog”.
Its so crazy how we can start something simply for ourselves, and before we know it, we are bombarded with worries about others’ thoughts or judgements and bound to expectations of ourselves. I have to continually remind myself that my blog is MY blog. I love the community and friends I have gained, but at the end of the day, I have to remember that if someone doesn’t “like” what I’ve written, or how much I’ve written, then thats okay. If I do anything that doesn’t feel authentic then none of it will feel good.
I think seeing someone just being “real,” and invited us into their lives is brave and beautiful and there needs to be no extra sparkles added. Just do you 🙂
Oh my, you’ve hit it on the head completely. I usually blog 3 days per week and I’m likely not going to do even that this week and I’m feeling totally guilty about it. I don’t have any reason to feel guilty (and the rational part of me knows this). I’m still struggling with some hip issues. They don’t prevent me from running, but when your hip tightens up during a run or at the very least after a run, it gets so frustrating. I just want to run and not feel any of that! But like you, I don’t necessarily want to share all of that and feel like a whiner.
I hope your hip pain gets better soon Sarah. I know what a pain that is and I definitely don’t wish that on anyone.
I definitely can relate! I have tried to be more consistent with blogging lately and find myself pretty stressed out when I “miss” a post or just don’t have the time or ideas to write one. I’ve been blogging for 4.5 years at this point (that’s crazy to think about!) and I realize that there are highs and lows to it. Like you, it’s not my job and doesn’t sustain me, but it is something I take a great deal of pride in, and I want to do my best.
I used to worry about making sure I got a post up every day of the week. Now, I just blog when I have time or have something to say. I think once I really let it sink in that I do this for fun and it’s not something I make money off of nor do I really have a desire to go in that direction, I stopped caring about getting content on my blog. As soon as it starts feeling like a chore, that’s when it’s no longer fun, and I need a break.
I agree, as soon as it becomes a chore I don’t enjoy it and it comes to the point that it’s time to stop.
I can get posts out pretty quickly so I can post, but I feel badly when I don’t always have time to read and comment. I like to make sure I can really read everyone’s posts!!!
I look back to when I first started blogging and I seriously have no idea how I managed to post every day. And the guilt was seriously real! I remember being afraid that I’d lose readers if I wasn’t constantly pumping out some kind of content, and the whole thing was seriously stressful. I’ve found a good place right now with 4 a week — that break in between is super nice 🙂
And for what it’s worth, I’ve always enjoyed your blog and seriously never would have known that you were in a funk.
I dont feel guilty for missing a post but i do worry about the tone and content. your so right i dont want to come off winy or complaining all the time i want to be positive and upbeat even if thats not whats going on in my head. thanks for sharing great post!
I can definitely relate. I think it’s important to keep your purpose for blogging in mind. I blog to connect with others and share information, but ultimately, it is because I enjoy it.
I think the realness is why we like blogs; we can relate. It’s nice keeping the blog focused on running, but I like reading about the blogger too.
I agree with you Emma. When blogs become “less real”, they lose their appeal to me as well.
Yes! My post today was hard to press publish on, because it will probably offend some people. & then I think, really? Like what do I care if I offend random people on the Internet that I’ve never met & probably never will. So, I hit publish. & there are probably some people who will really love what I posted & that’s pretty neat.
I can so relate to this right now! When I decided to not run my marathon, I was worried if people would get mad on my blog, or if it would make me less of a runner or if it meant something worse. Then I realized that no one would CARE (and if they did, so what..I make nothing off the blog anyway!) and it’s not like I was going to win the race so what did it matter if I just didn’t run? The world kept revolving and all is right haha! I know you’ll get through this too!
I love this and have felt inklings of a lot of these things before even in the 6-7ish months I’ve started blogging. I know how important consistency is but lately I’ve been writing when I have something to say, which may only be twice a week. Who cares! Haha. I don’t want to “force” a post just to have something to post. I also don’t want to ever make blogging feel like a chore.
I’ve definitely experienced blogging guilt. I’ve only managed one post this week, and miiiiiight get one up for tomorrow. Work has been busy AND I’ve been busy after work. It happens.
I try to remind myself that I don’t think anyone wakes up in the morning going “I wonder what Ange blogged about today” because I just don’t think anyone cares about my blog that much. Which is okay! It’s not earth shattering, it’s just fun.
I’m feeling the blogger guilt this week. I was too tired from a race Sunday to get a post ready for Monday so *GASP* I skipped my Monday post. It sounds silly but it’s totally thrown me off the rest of the week. I have to slow down sometimes and remember blogging is suppose to be a fun, enjoyable, positive hobby.
Sometimes I feel like if I start my mornings off on the wrong foot, everything gets out of synch. I agree that blogging should be fun!
I don’t think bloggers guilt happens when only a few people read your blog, like mine, although I do admit it looks sad if I don’t race for a few weeks as I don’t have much else to write about. I like not having the pressure; I think if I blogged every day I would feel like I *needed* to keep that schedule up.
The last thing I felt guilty about was sleeping in this morning instead of running, as it’s now late in the day and storming, so it may be an unplanned treadmill or rest day (I’m not running in a thunderstorm). Hopefully this clears up soon!
Love this, Hollie! When I took a break last summer, I felt so guilty coming back to blogging because I had stopped for four months. It took me a while to realize… who cares?! Like you said, I don’t make money off of my blog either, it’s just a fun way to document life. When I look at it that way, I feel the pressure release 🙂
I feel the same way Hollie. Sometimes if I get busy and miss a post, for a couple seconds I think I owe someone something. It’s completely ridiculous because no one pays me for my grammatical errors and run-on sentences.
I actually like day in the life posts a lot, so honestly if you did more of those I would certainly read and enjoy them. We do this for fun and to connect with other people. Those people will still be there if I miss a day or 7
I don’t have a ton of followers but when I don’t post for a couple days, I feel like I am disappointing the people who do read my blog. Am I kidding myself?
The last time I felt guilty about my blog – probably when I didn’t post anything running or health and fitness related for a couple weeks. I just wasn’t in that kind of a mood. But at the end of the day, the blog is for me to express my thoughts so I have to stick to that.
Exactly, at the end of the day blogging is just for you. I’m glad you were able to break out of your funk.
You’re so right – so many bloggers lose sight of why they started blogging in the first place and that it can be “just” a hobby – something for fun. Thanks for the reminder. I definitely find myself getting stressed if I don’t get x amount of posts up, thinking I’ll lose followers, etc, but then I have to remind myself that I’m blogging for myself!
I remind myself all the time, hobby not career. It helps that I have a career that I really love. I try to treat myself kindly and not feel guilty about things that I really shouldn’t. Great post!
SO SPOT ON! I have to keep myself in check with this and it’s such a good reminder to be well versed in many hobbies and enjoy life in the moment sometimes – not always worrying if you took a picture to blog about later 🙂
Exactly Kaitlin, life is too short!
I actually pretty much stopped blogging for close to 2 years because it started feeling like a job. Now I don’t blog 5 days a week anymore and do it as I wish or whenever I feel like it. And it’s still okay 😉 Thank you for your honesty!
#FBF: Barcelona, Spain – The City Of Dreams (Part 1): https://candiesandcrunches.com/2016/04/29/fbf-barcelona-spain-the-city-of-dreams-part-1/
I get bloggers guilt a lot because I used to be so into my blog back when I was in high school and had nothing better to do. Now that I’m busy so much it’s taken a back seat.
Totally can relate! The pressure can be so intense, but we need to remember to step back and really think about the purpose we have.
Loved this post. It is so hard to remember sometimes that we are doing this for fun- we shouldn’t stress too much 🙂 Thanks for the insight.
Thank you for stopping by Zena!
Girl I can completely relate to this!!! But like you said – it’s just a blog. That’s what I have to tell myself. And I’d rather be true to myself and post stuff I want to write about rather than just meaningless post just to have it out there. I enjoy your writing style 🙂 So whether it’s about running, races, or diners (I like food too) – I think your readers will always appreciate your posts.
I have 2 blogs. I post at least twice a day on my Return to the ’80s site. I post a Remember That Song segment, which is very popular, and a Quote of the Day. If I miss a day, people get nervous. There are days when I’m so burnt out that I just don’t feel up to posting. I feel guilty for being inconsistent on my Rhode Runner blog. Return to the ’80s is over 6 years old now, and The Rhode Runner is less than a year. I would like to post more on both. But, life gets too busy sometimes, and I don’t want to just post junk.
Agreed,have you ever thought about scheduling posts?
I’ve thought about it. I like to post to the different social media outlets, and personalize each one. I think I’ll be able to schedule my Rhode Runner posts though.