If things go wrong, like me losing my whole website one day, I panic. I am pre-dispositioned to act like this. Whilst my anxiety will never go away, I can put tools in place to manage it. I now have to find ways to balance the blog and my anxiety levels.
The excitement of starting a blog means I wanted everything to be perfect and I was eager to upload several posts and progress the blog as quickly as I could.
Pick your battles and only trade your energy where you believe it is worthy.
Like other young families, I have some time management issues. Working around childcare, having a messy hubby, housework, learning a million new things at once, I have struggled with also fitting in self-care. In my free moments, I’m always asking myself whether I should work on the blog instead of resting. I need to remember that I’m still in a recovery period following a mental breakdown, and whilst writing for this blog and speaking out about mental health is helping me, it’s about taking it one day at a time.
It’s lovely to be part of the mental health blogging community. Having like-minded people who know how you feel is amazing, so thanks to everyone who offers me support on a daily basis. Becoming a blogger is the best thing that’s happened to me in a long time.
So brave of you to share your experiences with others. I hope that you get the help you need to overcome your anxiety.
— Iza Forestspirit (@IForestspirit) October 27, 2021
Tips on how I am currently managing my anxiety levels
Naps
I know I talk a lot about naps on the blog, but they do so much good. My anxiety is worse when I’m tired and therefore I must take time to rest if I don’t want other areas of my life to get out of control.
Brushing off the insignificant things
Naturally, when you suffer a mental breakdown and are going through redundancy, you identify the things in life that simply don’t matter. And you train yourself to not care or use your precious energy on this particular thing in life. Pick your battles and only trade your energy where you believe it is worthy.
Medication
I am still taking anti-depressants and intend to continue doing so for as long as I need them. There is no shame in this, despite the stigma still surrounding the issue.
Without medication, I wouldn’t have been able to get to a place where I could start recovery or let myself heal. Think about a pot on your broken arm or pain medication whilst a sprained ankle is healing. You wouldn’t be able to even begin the healing journey without these measures. Mental health is no different. My hope is that by speaking out, the perception will change.
Not stessing out about things outside my control
I’ve come to realise there are more factors outside our control in our lives than the ones we can do something about. I previously worried about other people and changing things. I don’t anymore.
It’s sometimes easier said than done and I will be honest, at the moment I still have the same reaction to difficult life circumstances. The difference now is, I stop to think about whether it’s the correct reaction and I evaluate this before proceeding.
Organising things inside my control
Before pregnancy, when everything kind of fell apart, I had standing orders set up to make bill payments and I was super organised. I am now trying to find some sort of middle-ground. In this middle-ground, the automatic stuff like money, shopping lists, meal planning is taken care of. This leaves time for the more enjoyable elements of life.
I am still working on the plan and hope to have it resolved soon. My family and I can then look forward to a bright future and concentrate on living life.
Working on the blog when it suits me
To clarify, I work at least 3-4 hours daily on the blog, and during the first three months, it was a lot more. Because I have a little one to entertain during the day, I usually work early in the mornings and late at night.
The point here is, I am free to do special things with the little one during the day. We have just started visiting soft play areas and going swimming regularly. This is the reason I would like to turn my blogging passion into a full-time job, eventually. I can then achieve my dream of finally having a work-life balance.
Vowing to never return to what caused my stress in the first place
Long work hours
Pressure to hit targets
The office environment
Significant travel time to work
All the above are things I can control and make adjustments to in my life. I now have the confidence to achieve a future job role or self-employed status which means I don’t have to put myself through this anymore.
For me, any of these factors may cause me to get to breaking point again. It’s now about creating a happy, healthy future and avoiding the impact on my mental health.
Final thoughts
I hope this post has given you some insight on why I started the blog in the first place and how I am managing all elements of life with very little time.
I know these issues impact many families. I would love to hear from you in the comments below. You are not alone.
Not stressing out about things outside your control is really important. I read a great book called “The Four Agreements” and one of the points was to only worry about things that you are able to control and let go of the rest. It is life-changing to do that.
It is life-changing to ditch unnecessary worries. I will check out the book 🙂
I think all of these points could apply to a lot of things in life! Blogging is supposed to be fun – not anxiety inducing. So it’s great that you’ve found ways to ensure it doesn’t get to that point x
I am trying to keep blogging fun because it is what I love doing. If I can’t keep it fun, then I take a break. However, as my default setting is literally, do everything now, it can be difficult 🙂
Thank you for sharing your story! I also find naps beneficial to help me with my anxiety. It is hard not to stress about things outside your control, but it’s important not to.
I hope sharing my story helps other people. I used to feel guilty for taking a nap, but now I realise it’s vital!
Great post – I think allowing yourself flexibility is key! Once you start putting loads of pressure on yourself it can get so stressful!
Corinne x
I totally agree. I allow myself flexibility, simply because I am up late and do some early mornings. It’s lovely to have family time during the day or feel able to break off to do fun things.
I don’t even have words, this was such a great post and glad I came across it! My favorite part was vowing to never go back to the things that created the stress. I am only now learning this and sticking to it! My job caused me so much stress and so much interruption with my blogging. I recently told my job I will no longer be working extra hours or volunteering again.
I am happy you found the post helpful and you could relate – this is the reason I started blogging and it’s great to get this feedback.
It’s also great you’ve changed your situation to reduce stress. I look forward to reading more of your blog posts.
I relate to this so much. I do not have children, but I am nursing a severe mental illness while trying to blog. The start up has been rough. I also know I can’t go back to work. I would like to monetize my blog, but the hours it takes with posting and marketing and research feels like a job sometimes. However, it is my passion and I just try to remember what I do this for
I am glad you could relate, but also sorry to hear you are going through this.
Blogging is hard work and I am learning each day. I am sure you will find your path, but at the moment try to focus on recovery. I don’t think I will ever be recovered, I’ve just picked up some ways to deal with my anxiety. I still have bad days.
These are some really good points to help you work through creating a new blog. Especially with organising things inside of your control.
Thank you for sharing.
Lauren – bournemouthgirl
Thank you for the feedback. Organisation is definitely key with blogging. I have that many spreadsheets I get confused about which one I need to access to find the information I need, haha!
I am so excited that you’re sharing this. It’s given me some lovely insight into how other people’s brains work and how I can be better to support fellow bloggers
Rosie
I am glad it helped and thank you for showing support. I love the blogging community.
Fantastic post! I think blogging can affect your anxiety if you feel the need to keep it going- and this is a great way to manage anxiety and mental health while you keep up your blog x
I agree, it’s all about balance. I keep reminding myself of it each day. I can only do so many tasks on the list in one day!
I can totally relate to your post. I went through several anxiety crises while I was working in my previous job. I had created my brog originally to be my time off everything but after I quited my job I spend lots of time in it and deal it as a business. I believe it will grow and pay off tge time and energy I spend in it and it definitely makes me happy doing so. However, there are still times my anxiety levels go high.Thank you for sharing this. It is encouraging 🙂
I admire you for coming out and talking about your breakdown. Our situations are very similar. I have an autistic 4 year old, and can only work on my blog at night, or when she’s at day care. I’m also on anti-depressants and they really have changed my life, it’s been around 7 years since now. I also have horrible anxiety, and it took me ages to pluck up the courage and actually publish my blog. Weirdly enough though, it’s actually given me heaps of confidence since I went live, which is great. Feel free to reach out if you ever need a chat. 🙂
I am so glad you are able cut out stressing things in your life and deal with what you are able to control. Just like you, my blog is one of the best things that has happened to me. I am able to express myself freely. 💪🏾
I am happy you find blogging beneficial. It’s the best thing that happened to me too!