Monday 17 October 2011

Have you been hit by the blogging burn-out?

It seems like every so often, someone in the blogging world posts that they are burned out and feeling overwhelmed and need a break. Because of this, I did kind of wonder when this would happen to me. Well, I think it was last week. Here were my symptoms:

  • Not being able to get into anything I was reading and having to put down books after a few pages and start a new one.
  • Because of this, not being able to write reviews and having zero other ideas on what else to post.
  • Being unenthusiastic about new books and seeing them not as great stories, but as more to load onto my overwhelming TBR pile.
  • Waking up in a cold sweat and then being unable to get back to sleep because of the worry about said TBR pile and how I was ever going to get through it.

I was trapped in a horrible cycle. My TBR pile had me so stressed that I couldn't stop worrying and get focused on reading. And because I wasn't reading, my TBR pile wasn't getting any smaller. Does this sound familiar at all?

The not-sleeping thing is what spurred me to do something about this. If there's one thing I can't sacrifice for reading and blogging, it's my regular 40 winks because I seriously can't function on little sleep. However, trying to cut down my TBR pile has been only marginally less painful that cutting off one of my limbs. One thing I decided to do was return the 17 library books I had out on loan. I want to keep using my library, libraries need all the support they can get, but it got to the point where I was just holding these books hostage and preventing other library-users from picking them up. I have more than enough bought books on my bookshelf and on my Kindle to last me for months.

To get myself back into reading, I reread a book I love (The Book Thief) and although it took me longer than usual, I think it got me out of my funk. I'm also hosting a giveaway and it always feels good to make other people happy. Sigh. I'm feeling better now. 

But I can't help but wonder why we bloggers put so much pressure on ourselves. Our blogs don't have deadlines and aren't being graded, yet I think my dissertation was the last thing to get me as worked up as this! On the one hand, it's a good thing that our blogs are so important to us but on the other, we need to chill out sometimes.

I'd like to ask how many of you have felt this way and what you did do to overcome it? Maybe a self-help and relaxation guide for bloggers is in need!

7 comments:

  1. I went through something similar a few weeks ago and am just now coming out of the funk. It really is a lot of hard work keeping a blog running. Not just the reading and reviewing bit but the fact that I feel like we have to blog regularly to keep our readers interested. Then there's all the blog hopping. I've been keeping a whole stack of library books hostage as well but I finally gave in and accepted that I can't read everything and decided to just read what I really really wanted and also not to accept every review request because I'm not doing anyone any favours. Hope things get back to normal for you soon.

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  2. Lan - Thanks, Lan. I'm enjoying the book I'm reading now and I find running giveaways exciting, so I think I am heading back to normal. I think I am just going to have to accept that with a full-time job (that's quite an exhausting and time-consuming one) and friends and family, I can't run my blog perfectly. I also definitely don't have the time to blog hop and comment as much as I want to, but you know what? That's what the blog archives are for. I will get to look at everything I want to eventually and there's no rush.

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  3. Yup I've been there...Actually, I was there right up until I randomly bought a copy of The Lost Hero by Rick Riordan last Friday morning at work. Up to that point I was reading 5 books and getting now where fast with them.

    I find just walking away from the books for a day or two helps. Do something else and not even think about books for at least a 24 hour period has helped a lot. As a result of said slump I've been getting a lot of knitting done. :)

    Hope this was helpful. Blogging is supposed to be fun not a job. I think it boils down to figuring out a way to make it fun again.

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  4. I completely sympathize. I can't function with less than 8 hours sleep.
    I've also been suffering a little from blogging burnout. In my case, I'm still reading but haven't been writing reviews. I've also cut down on the number of memes I participate in because I just can't keep up with them all.

    I just wand to read, blog and enjoy myself. I don't want blogging to become a chore so I'm not putting any more pressure on myself.

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  5. Definitely been there. When it happened to me, I put my blog on hiatus and got myself caught up on some reading and article and review writing. I also brainstormed and came up with some ideas for articles and posts I want to do at some point (even if I couldn't write out a whole article).

    After Banned Books Week, I felt exhausted with all the excitement. I've been taking this month slow. Sometimes that helps. Even just taking one week off and doing something completely different with your free time might break you free. I was spending some time crocheting for a few weeks in the last month.

    I'm glad you were able to find a way to get through it! :)

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  6. You are not alone! I've felt this way as well before! And sometimes I just fall behind because of schoolwork and then I feel even more anxious. I especially feel bad when I manage to put up a new blog post but then don't have the time to go and read what other people I am following are reading. Always good to just take things one day at a time I've discovered!

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  7. I'm having one of these last ten days. I was whining how I can't wait for my fall routine to begin because I'll be able to organize my day and read, write and blog more. Turns out it was the opposite. Getting adjusted to a new schedule is trying and most of the time, if I'm not reading, I'm just staring into the wall!

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