How I Overcame Bloggers Block | My Story & Top Tips

Today I wanted to do more of a chatty style post for you all, mainly because I'm in the mood to write and because I've felt a little out of touch with my blog recently and have suffered a bad case of bloggers blog. I've been blogging for four years now (actually my little blog turned four this week yay). I've thoroughly enjoyed my little space on the internet ever since hitting that publish button on my first ever post. Blogging for me has always been a hobby and I've always seen the fun side of blogging. However over the years I've suffered a with a few spells of the blogger blues and if you're a fellow blogger reading this I know that you'll be able to relate to me 100%. Sometimes your heart just doesn't feel in it and everyday life just gets in the way. Whilst I think this is perfectly normal and natural, it doesn't stop me from feeling guilty and whenever I go though these stages the guilt from not blogging or not being active enough on social media, it actually makes me more down about the whole situation and this mental block that I have around blogging just becomes so much harder to get over. I hate sounding like a negative nelly, but I've experienced these feelings a few times since I started blogging and I just want you all to know how I've been feeling and that its more than normal for us bloggers to get down about not being able to find the energy or effort to produce the wonderful content we know were more than capable of doing.

However there is light at the end of every tunnel, and the bloggers block can be overcome. In the last few weeks I feel positive, motivated and inspired and I'm ready to step back into the internet world. I'm really excited about writing and its such an amazing feeling looking my computer and filling up a blank page with words instead of staring at an empty screen trying to force my fingers to type. I feel like I've repressed the switch somewhere to go full steam ahead with my blog again and it feels great, so today I thought I would share with you some simple things that helped me get past this little break that I've had on my blog.

Take A Good Break

Over the last couple of months I think I've only managed to type up around 4 posts a month and for me personally this is a shocking amount of times. I loved it when I had a regular blogging schedule and I know you guys benefit hugely from having a regular routine. I was trying to get posts done but my heart wasn't it in and I wish I had just taken an official break. What I mean by this is that I really shouldn't have put any content up at all and no one wants to read half arsed content. I think its really important sometimes just to make a clean break for a little while. I didn't do this and everyday I would try and motivate myself to type something up and felt to rubbish at the end of the day when I hadn't produced anything. It just made my bloggers block even worse and looking back I should have made a decision to have a little break and that would have taken away all of that guilt. You just have to tell yourself that its ok to take some time off.

Don't Compare Yourself To Others

In the four years that I've been blogging so much has changed and when I first started blogging was literally a pressure free zone. Blogging used to be simple, my best pictures used to be taken on my phone (and lets face it cameras on the back of phones weren't too great back then), there was no fancy flat lays, sometimes I would even take pictures at night and use the flash on my camera because of my ridiculous working hours. All of this was ok back then, but it's not now. Don't get me wrong I could still do those things, but theres no way I would be happy with that standard of work anymore. It's almost like our blogs have to be a place for perfection these days and the standard of blogs are so high. You only have to look at a few blogs to see beautiful and brightly lit imagery, unique personalised blog layouts and content that just makes you think 'whys my blog not as good as this'. Well I'll tell you right now it is! Comparison is the devil I swear and I think anyone who works creatively will naturally want to compare their work to others, especially when theres so many of us out there blogging about similar things. Theres been so many times when I've looked at other blogs and been in two mind sets about my feelings. One part of me is in awe and so proud of the girls out there who are killing it. The other makes me feel that I'm just not good enough and its a pretty crappy feeling. I know its easier said than done to say don't compare our work with others, but if you're going though a case of not being able to blog, its literally the worst thing that you can do.

Routine and Sleep Are Key

Establishing some sort of routine was such a key part of getting me past my phase of not blogging. I found trying to get some sort of blogging routine was impossible without having some regular routine in my everyday normal life. I couldn't even start thinking about a blogging routine, whilst my life for a good few months just feel chaotic. As a new mum, this is something that I've really struggled with. Having a baby means that everyday simple things become such a mission. I don't have the luxury of getting ready right away first thing in the morning anymore and being able to eat roughly the same time everyday is just a mission in itself. However Archie does have a regular routine with his feeding times and he's in bed around the same time every night. However because he doesn't really like sleeping in the day, it just makes having any sort of daytime routine for myself impossible. This is where getting an early night and getting enough sleep in has really helped me. A tired mind is not good for blogging, especially when my blog was being put on hold. I was just too tired to do anything. Over the last few weeks I've made an effort to go to bed at a reasonable time and its made such a difference. I honestly can't stress enough how important sleep is, especially to your state of mind. Whether it's a baby, work or just life in general that are just leaving you exhausted at the end of the day; if you get enough sleep in things will become that little bit easier. Now when I wake up in the morning I feel so refreshed and I just feel so motivated to get all the jobs I need to get done in that day.

Take Baby Steps

Now that I've gotten my blogging mojo back, I don't intend dive right into the deep end, I just don't want to put that kind of pressure onto myself. I know that the more I write and the more I blog the more natural things will feel. I feel like when I'm forcing things it doesn't reflect a good representation of myself and I want the best possible me to be reflected in my blog posts. I think its the same for social media too. Before I started typing up blog posts and taking loads of pictures in bulk, I started working on one platform at a time. I started with gently easing myself back onto Twitter and tried to become a little more active on there and then rekindled my love with Instagram again. It wasn't long before the people I follow started to inspire me and I literally couldn't wait to type up a blog post. After not having the motivation to blog for so long, its such an amazing feeling wanting to do something I love so much. 

A Happier More Positive You

The the most important thing is to keep positive. I like to think to think that I'm always this happy bubbly person and for the most part I am. But I do struggle sometimes and I get very easily stressed and anxious about silly things and I'm guilty of getting wrapped up in negative thoughts; but its ok and completely normal to do so. I feel so much happier and positive about now being in the right frame of mind and I really just had to take the time to slow down a little. Having a blogging break and having bloggers block do not make us bad bloggers. Whether you're blogging for a full time job or just as a hobby it should be fun and the minute that its not, just means we need to slow down and take the time to pick ourselves back up again to a more happier and positive you. 

So there we have it. If you've ever felt like this or have been suffering blogger block please share your experience in the comments, I would love to know what you guys think too.