Fashion and Lifestyle
“From comparing myself to other bloggers, to thinking my photography isn’t a high enough quality or hearing people say negative things about my blog – it can really affect my self confidence.”
I have actually had this blog post part written in my drafts folder for a while now, but I never posted it and now I am mid uni lecture trying to finish it… SO HERE WE GO. There are probably a thousand different mini blog posts that I could write about this because I have dealt with this ever since I created my blog. To say my blog and I have love hate relationship is vvvery much an understatement. I have mentioned it before in some of my other blogs like ‘Why Instagram Pods Were Damaging My Engagement’ and ‘Taking a Breather‘ but I struggle heavily on a daily basis with the way that I think about my blog. It was only last Monday I had a lil’ breakdown about my photos! Haha!
From comparing myself to other bloggers, to thinking my photography isn’t a high enough quality or hearing people say negative things about my blog – it can really affect my self confidence. Every blogger is pressured to produce content that isn’t ‘common’ and to make it unique it because a CHORE. But here are my issues in a lil’ bit more detail but WHY its okay to feel a bit crappy every now and then (yes its a self-help blog too 😉 ) so let me just grab my coffee whilst I type away…
I have my blog, I have a part-time job and I am currently on my first year of a university course… Time is DEFO not on my side. I am finding myself trying to fit in everything like coursework, taking photos and blogging all at once and I feel swamped by the amount I feel like I have to do towards my blog. I will admit, maybe if I stopped watching as much TV (but that is not gonna happen now I’m A Celeb has just started) and took just an hour to do some admin I might not feel as bad, however that’s where I am lazy. LAZYLAZYLAZY.
I know I need to sit down and focus on replying to Instagram, connecting with other bloggers and going through BlogLovin’ to improve my blog and growth but is that going to happen?? NO. But I am starting to understand that if I put too much pressure on myself to fulfil everything I am going to go mentallllll. So its okay not to get everything done. Maybe spending time when I have a chilled day, or when I don’t have loads of work to catch up on!
I have had my fair share of trolling experiences from my blog, nearly every time though I have just LOLLED it off. Why take trolls seriously? I don’t know them! They are hidden by their keyboards and they don’t know me either so their negative opinions are pointless to me. I have literally just seen ignorant comments and showed my friends and we all have a laugh about it.
But when people I know make comments about my blog, it can be a bit more meaningful and they know the effort I put into my blog. I have debated giving up my blog multiple times, and when you put so much time and investment into something you don’t want it to be joked about. However I know I need to learn how to just shrug it off and lighten up a bit, but I think that will come when my confidence about my blog does!
Instagram is a GEM. Like the person who made it = a bloody genius!! But for me… I hate it! I look at influencers who are growing their pages at triple the rate mine is growing and I am just like ‘WHAT AM I DOING WRONG’. My likes might not be plentiful but at the end of the day my mental health is worth more than worrying over a photo! Whenever I speak to people and fellow bloggers they are all so lovely and so complimentary it makes me wonder if they are looking at the same page! There is no point me getting pissed off or worried about social media. I have to do other things in my day which doesn’t allow time for scrolling through endless amounts of feed. I’ll figure it out in my own time and if you are the same then that’s OKAY BABE.
I am very much trying to follow what other people create sometimes but NO THATS NO OKAY. Unique is OKAY! Sometimes I will find a theme I like, or the way I edit my photos but then days later I am like ‘Nah this is not good’. I need to stick to something and realise the way I edit, take my photos or write is okay and I don’t need to rely on what everyone else is doing. Consistency is key and I need to be patient to see the results.
I would love to know what you think about this and whether you have the same thoughts as me about blogging!
You can always have a scroll over on my INSTAGRAM or if you wanna tweet me then find me at @EMILYCBEAUTY!
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Found this post so relatable ! My blog / blog instagram is so basic and I often get down about it but I just don’t feel like I have the time/energy/resources to grow like other big bloggers do which is frustrating! For what it’s worth I think ur blog looks so professional and ur doing really well with it x
Ahhh Alice! See I still panic about my blog!! So much its crazy! I am glad I am not alone though!
Ah the chronic insecurity about blogging – I know it only too well! It’s really hard not to beat yourself up or compare yourself to others. But I think every other blogger I’ve met feels the same way, so I try to remind myself that we’re all in the same boat! It doesn’t always help, but sometimes it helps to quieten the niggling doubts in my brain!
Yes! Everyone is in the same boat and I forget that too!
I actually love the authenticity in this post, and it is definitely relatable. Listen, like you said, your mental health is IMPORTANT so take as much chll days as you want and not overwhelm yourself. You can even consider posting once a week or twice a month just so you have personal time to rejuvenate.
I love your feed & your layout. Continue being you and doing whatever it takes to spark your creativity! Never mind the negativity of others, and dont watch all the Insta feeds from other influencers, their journey is different from yours. Stay encouraged love!
I really agree with you Christy. I used to try and post every other day and the challenge of doing that was insane and it made blogging not enjoyable. Thank you so much for commenting lovely!
I once felt the same way and now I’m to the point where I don’t force my content! Do what makes you happy love!! & no problem!!!
I’ve gone through pretty much everything on this list. It’s tough being broke, short, plus sized, and dare I say it, African American in a world of shiny, happy, (thin) Instagram people. But just like you, I embrace what makes me unique, and I keep it pushing. You’re a good writer, and that’s the hallmark of a blog. Many of the bloggers with perfectly curated Instagram feeds have blogs that are just…fluff. Keep doing what you’re doing!
You are such an inspiration babe! You keep going too!
Really, don’t worry….you have great content, better than a lot of other stuff out there! Just enjoy what you do…cause if you keep trying to appease to everyone out there, you’ll loose your unique identity.
I personally love your posts, so please don’t think about quitting!🙂
I don’t like doing what everyone is doing, like all the challenges and phases because to me its boring and repetitive!
This is sooooo relatable! I have such a hard time keeping up my blog and I think sometimes I just need to remember I’m not necessarily blogging for other people I’m also blogging for me and for the stories I want to tell. I love your blog so, so much you do such a wonderful job. I really hope you keep doing what you’re doing.
Hey Steph, it means a lot your comment, you are a brill blogger too so don’t feel down at all!
Oh my god I can RELATE!! Specifically with the time crunch and being a bit hesitant to share because of how much I care about what people think tbh. I’m in my second year of uni, but I started my blog in my first year, while having a retail job and doing a bunch of other things in my spare time, so finding time to dedicate to my blog was and still is, such a challenge. And I tend to care way too much about what other people think, especially those I know, so I didn’t actually tell people about my blog until a year later, and even now, I don’t really share it too much on my personal social media. It’s all a bit of a process I guess, and we’re all just trying to navigate it all, though you’re doing an incredible job! We’re all a bit harsh on ourselves sometimes, all we can do is try our best! xx
You literally sound like me! I can totally relate with trying to find time as that has to be my hardest challenge!
Wow….the struggle is definitely real. I feel this all the time, especially when o have not posted in awhile. I at times have blog crush/envy with bloggers who post fantastic contents multiple times a day. However, I bring myself back to reality by realizing, each individual is unique in their own way and the content they post about. Whether we blog about it twice a day or once a wk or however many times it allows. Blogging I felt has been a great outlet for me to to release, so I try my best not to compare my release to other bloggers release because we are all different.
Blogging is such a big thing now, that it allows everyone to create what they want which is amazing!