Break.
10 Reasons I haven’t written since before the Berlin Marathon:
1) I just haven’t felt like it. I felt a bit overwhelmed and pushed by my own expectations of writing and trying to make a go at my blog. It was feeling like a “must” and not something I do to reflect or have fun.
2) I was disappointed after Berlin. I wanted to take some time to find the positives from my experience. No doubt it was a GREAT time, but I was not happy with how running went and so a lot of negative thoughts took up space in my head.
3) Soon after I was in Berlin, I went to New York. So really then I didn’t have time to update on all the other stuff; I was in the throes of new stuff.
5) Once I got back from New York I had to throw myself into my study again. I had less than 3 weeks until my exam (which, if anyone is interested, I passed).
6) OK. Exam over. Now to Athens. Better get some kilometers in my legs.
7) What a painful, time-consuming marathon that was. I never want to run again.
8) So little running. Trying so hard to heal, but it’s hard. The weight is coming back on.
9) Big decisions made – no marathons in 2017. More education coming up in January.
10) Feel pretty much like no one is interested. I’ve been blogging since November 2009. I honestly don’t know why I keep going. I wanted so much to make blog friends and have an online support group. But the thing is, if you disappear, no one really is looking for you. It’s not a community bulletin board. Maybe that’s what I was hoping for all along. I do know that you have to make effort with others and that’s probably where I fail. I just don’t have time. So I get back what I put into it. I’ll be rethinking the blog and putting things into perspective. For now I’m just taking a break.
Do you take a break every so often from things? Do a reset? Do you find that it helps?
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I’m interested but I understand how you feel. Blog when you feel, we will be here!! Congrats again on passing your test you are so amazing!!
thank you so much Nellie xxxx
Step 1: Go back and read what you just wrote. Step 2: Be amazed at yourself! You just reeled off a world tour (Berlin, New York, Athens), with running marathons and sitting exams. You even forgot to mention you went to work in between all this. You are amazing! Step 3: You deserve time to relax. You have earned it. More than earned it. Step 4: If you write about your experiences in 6 months’ time, will it be any less valid? No, plus you will have had more time to process it all. Maybe you’ll feel like writing it then and there will be people thinking about signing up for the same events next year and it will be perfect timing for them to read it then. If you never feel like writing about it, that’s entirely up to you. Lovely as it would be to be a professional blogger (perhaps), you do actually have another job as well as studying so you can’t devote the same amount of time to it as people who spend far more time focusing on writing. There probably aren’t that many bloggers whose followers sit around just waiting for their next post to appear. The Bloggess is probably the exception to the rule, but she doesn’t have races to run and training to fit in. Some of the really well-known bloggers I follow also have their ups and downs and some of them don’t post anything new for weeks or months. Others just keep on repeating themselves every so often. Readers don’t have time to read everything those daily bloggers post, either. Better to be an inspiring blogger when you’ve got an upbeat story to tell, or a tale of overcoming difficulties, than half-heartedly churning out stuff for the sake of it. I really don’t believe that stuff about ‘you must have a routine so your followers know when to expect something’. Rubbish! If you write something in 6 weeks’ time or 3 months or whatever and you’ve been away all that time, when I see it in my Reader, I’ll be even more likely to read it than a post by someone who posts 3 photos, a poem and an essay every day. Maybe now it’s your turn to read other people’s blogs, comment on them, or just take a step back entirely and enjoy the sensation of not having to write or find something inspiring to say. Just give yourself permission to be less than Wonder Woman for a bit. There’s far more to you than just being a runner.
thank you Sarah, of course I know all this stuff but clearly I needed the reminder.
I need to find my way, a rhythm if you like. I am not used to no plan, no goal, no schedule anymore.
Sometimes it’s actually ok to go back to basics and reset ideas and goals again. xxx
I remain a (silent) reader, dearest soulsister <3
If not for this blog, I would have missed out on the friendship of awesome, you.
I can relate fully to all your 10 reasons.
You remain my hero, though.
When I am feeling the "quiting energy" taking over my entire being, your blog archives are one of those I turn, to.
I love you and will always be cheering and supporting you in anyway I can. Just say the word (I know…this is so cheesy but so true!)…I willl be there for you.
Love, J
(home sick…hahaha should be resting but NOW have the time to read…. XOXOX )
ah Joanna, you are lovely. thank you for these kind words xxx
I have no words of wisdom for you, just commiseration. #10. Yes.
I think it’s not true in both of our cases. Blogging has changed. everyone is snapcchatting and instagramming. but I do care about you Thea xxx
I feel pretty much all of what you feel, only replace running with illness / moving stress and it’s all the same. Weight coming back on, going into my little hidey hole to deal with the stress, slipping out of the country without people really seeming to notice or care. Losing connections with friends etc. It’s hard, it really is. I just try to remind myself to be kind, remember what we’ve been going through and that it will all be ok. Focusing on the positive things and hoping that will give me the strength to get back on track and get my shit together!
Sometimes you need to take a break, like you said. Regroup, so to speak. <3
hey I noticed and I cared :( but sometimes I feel like that and I haven’t even left the country. It is hard though, and you guys will have to fight for those connections now that you are kind of isolated. But just know that we’ll always be friends and I do plan on “roughing it” at some point and coming down to the middle of nowhere to visit you (because, let’s face it, it looks amazing there. please get rid of the spiders though). We all go through these phases I suppose and at some point we wait up and yell “WTF” at ourselves and we turn it around. Right? :)