Okay. I have to start this post off by saying that I am just coming out of being in the blogger burnout space. Now that I’m starting to focus on myself and growing as a blogger, I’m ready to create again. The discouraging ‘burnout’ feeling is the worst. So many times, I felt like saying goodbye to my blog and my Instagram (my main/largest platform of influence).
What is Blogger Burnout?
Blogger Burnout is a feeling or mood of being overwhelmed or discouraged. A blogger can feel a lack of creativity and passion to create something that they were initially passionate about.
Who experiences Blogger Burnout?
ANYONE. Sometimes it can be hard to be creative. Especially if you have other things consuming most of your time (family, work, etc). Sometimes your source for release can take a turn and actually cause you more stress. We as bloggers always feel the need to create something new and to be original for our audiences. Fashion bloggers feel the most pressure to always be spotted in different, expensive and on-trend styles.
3 Reasons You are Getting Discouraged as a Blogger:
You are Comparing Yourself to Others
This is NEVER a good idea. No matter what you are doing. In the blogging world, I was comparing myself to other bloggers who had:
• More followers
• More engagement
• More brand deals
• Better clothes
• Perfectly polished looks
• Perfectly fit and healthy
• Happier
At a certain point, it started to get more discouraging trying to connect with other bloggers than inspiring. I was actually getting mad at the fact that they were more successful than I was. Thank you so much green monster (is that what the envy monster is actually called? I have no idea). It’s so easy to get caught up in the blogging world. You turn to others to look for inspiration, but you end up getting frustrated when you start comparing your blog to theirs.
What to do: STOP. To so plainly put it. One of the hardest things I had to do was to stop looking at my favorite blogger’s blogs and Instagram feeds. In the end, I wasn’t getting any actual inspiration from them. I started just trying to copy what they were doing.
You are Overwhelmed
It’s so easy to get overwhelmed by your work -it happens to everyone. I find that I get overwhelmed when I:
• Am doing something new
• Have other (more important) responsibilities (family, kids)
• Am unorganized
• Don’t have the resources I need
If you are running an actual blog, like a .com blog, then you know how much work it actually takes. I have watched probably a thousand hours on YouTube about how to fix/create various issues on my blog.
So many times I’ve had to take a break from creating to care for my family. Because no matter how you put it, real life should always come first.
As a fashion blogger, I model my styles – that is THE biggest factor for my blog. If I don’t have the pictures/videos I need, I can’t post. Therefore, if I don’t have a photographer available, I’m screwed.
Most of the issues pertaining to me being overwhelmed have to do with organization. If I were a more organized individual, I wouldn’t feel fazed by these factors. However, the point is that whenever one of these issues comes up, I want to give up blogging.
Content Block
Sometimes we genuinely get stuck in a creative block. Especially if you start to focus more on the affiliate/rewards side of blogging. You can easily start to create with the sole purpose of making money off of your audience. That is what I like to call, creating without a purpose. So you have to ask yourself:
Why am I creating if there is no purpose?
Because you should always have a purpose. Whether you want to inspire, motivate, answer a question, fix a problem, you should always create with a purpose. A little secret is that posts without a purpose are very distinguishable from the posts that are created with a purpose. I can’t tell you how many of my favorite bloggers I’ve unfollowed because it felt like they were constantly just trying to sell me something.
So, if you are in that same headspace, feeling burnt out, not wanting to post or even create more content, you need to ask yourself these 3 questions:
Is blogging something I can see myself doing for the rest of my life? Do I genuinely like sharing my life with the world? If I never made a single penny from my blog/Instagram, would I be happy?
If your answer is no, then here are some harsh words, give up. There is no reason to force yourself to create something that you don’t love. Bloggers that are forcing their content always end up the same way, losing. Followers don’t want to see faked happiness or copied content (burnt out bloggers always look to successful, fulfilled bloggers for content ideas). You will do nothing but hurt yourself in the end if you are not totally in love with what you are doing. So, why stick around in a dead end blogging job?
If your answer is yes, then YAAAAS BABE! I’m all in too.
Click Here to read my tips on How to get Inspired to Blog Again.
Click HERE to Download my 30 DAYS OF CREATIVE CONTENT TO GET INSPIRED CALENDAR
