Overwhelm. Blogger burnout. Taking a short break.

I currently feel overwhelmed with stuff I have to do. The day job is busy, I'm performing at the Melbourne Fringe Festival this Friday and Saturday, I've got some nights out at the movies and theatre this week, I need to exercise and keep house, and there is a backlog of draft blog posts (and articles) I have to finish. Yesterday I had a three hour nap in the day, and I still went to sleep by 10.00 pm. Life's good, but it's busy.

So this week I can't promise to have anything up on the blog. I've been trying to write two to three posts a week, but by the time I finish at my day job - which is a communication role - my brain is done with the thinky and I just want to zone out.

I'm stealing a few minutes to write this as I feel guilty for the basket of washing that hasn't been folded yet, and wondering how long I can go to the gym for before Fringe Festival rehearsals this afternoon. And then I think, stuff it, I just want to write a few words. While listening to a podcast of course. And the dishwasher is on. I've taken an hour this morning to send off $3500 worth of invoices while eating breakfast. I'm the queen of multitasking.

I was reading an interesting article on blogger burnout last week.

"A tricky thing to avoid as a full-time blogger, considering that the Internet never sleeps, readers want fresh content daily and new social media platforms must be mastered and added to the already demanding workload. Add to that the economic challenges of blogging full time. "

Sometimes I feel this way. Each blog post is more than the writing. There's research, back linking, proofing, social media promotion and something I'm really bad at - replying to the lovely comments.

I feel the pressure to create new and interesting (and good quality) content on a regular basis. I want each blog post to move a reader. I want to write well enough to be republished. I place ridiculous pressure on myself. Of course, the world won't stop if I don't blog, but bloggers are being encouraged to write regularly and consistently so readers know when to expect a new post. I could just get over myself and realise that people aren't relying on my blog, and reassure myself that I will pick up writing again next week - it's my passion, how could I leave it for too long?

 

I also get this unnecessary worry that the more I write about appearance diversity, the more people will be bored by my incessant activism, or think I'm overreacting. I get messages telling me that I should see each encounter of having my appearance questioned as an opportunity to educate, or that I'm being defensive or that these encounters are not an intrusion but a part of life that I should expect. The truth is, I'd rather educate on my own terms - here - rather than having my day interrupted to satisfy a stranger's curiousity. And that's ok. And I know putting myself out there for comment through this blog is my choice, but I really don't want to be made to feel I'm overreacting or imagining things when I write about them.

Blogging is hard work - it takes time and work to build a community of followers, and while there are infinite topics to write about, my time is finite. I'm tired. So this week I'm going to take a break from the blog. I just don't have the energy to write. You can catch me on Facebook, and Instagram to see what's going on in my life.

Thank you for your constant support, see you in October!

Do you feel burnt out by blogging sometimes? How do you overcome it?