The Stresses Of Being A Blogger

Yes - you've read that title correctly.
 Blogging has it's stresses, and recently I have been feeling them weighing down on me a little more than I probably should.
I mean blogging is a hobby, something I love and do for fun and enjoyment - it shouldn't have me breaking out in a cold sweat or give me an uncontrollable feeling of weight on my shoulders should it?

Since starting my new job at the beginning of the year I have been leaving my 'blogging stuff' until the weekends (as I leave my laptop at work Mon-Fri for convenience) - but with plans and general life getting in the way I've been struggling to get on with everything that I want too, queue - the stress of blogging.

I think, sometimes, people don't quite understand how time consuming blogging actually is - I take my hat off to anyone who has a blog with regular content (even myself!), so much goes into it all but just looking at a pretty picture and a few words, maybe sometimes that doesn't come across.
I'm sure if you're a blogger reading this you will agree with me and ALL of the below!

The Inbox
I will hold my hands up - I can be a total pain when it comes to e-mails. Replying, remembering,  I hang my head in shame sometimes with my lack of internet skills.
 I may spot one in my inbox one afternoon and then totally forget that it's there for 3 days... I'm sorry okay!
I do try my best to reply to as many as possible/necessary but it comes to a point where sometimes there is just no need for me to reply. 
An infographic about superheros, reviewing men's beard oil or someone claiming they can better my google search ranking - sorry you guys go straight to trash and... I don't feel rude doing it.
Working within the PR industry now I do realise how helpful it is to reply quickly and efficently to the brands that you ARE in contact with though - so I've been trying my best to keep in regular contact, let people know when things arrive and send them over any links to my posts/mentions I may have done - but again, this all takes time and sometimes I have more flagged e-mails to remind myself to do things than not! #helpmyinboxistakingovermylife (I cannot imagine how 'big' bloggers and influencers feel - they must have SO.many.emails)

The Post - The Pile - The Photos
This is the part of blogging that I sometimes find the most stressful. Yes... we all love getting post - I get most of my things sent to my parents house as it's a little easier for me but when I head there and there's 6-10 different parcels/boxes/packets waiting for me my brain kind of goes into overdrive and I start to panic.

When will I have enough time to sort all these? What order do I do them in? Why have I committed to so much work?
This probably all sounds absolutely ridiculous if you don't blog (or even maybe if you do aswell) but that pile of products/items growing in my spare bedroom to organise, trial and photograph is enough to put my heart into overdrive!
Yes, my photos are okay - not fantastic, I'm well aware of that, but I mean I've come a long way over the last 3 years from my poxy little camera taking photos in my garden.
It takes a fair bit of time to get everything set up, plus I can be a bit of a perfectionist so I have to take about 20 different photos of the same exact setup and angle just to make sure I'm happy!
Now I write all this I am thinking to myself.... what's there to be stressed about really Kirstie? - but I always just want to do the best I can and create things that others are going to enjoy and want to read... which takes me on too.....

.....Personal Pressure
I've gone from starting out blogging not really knowing what to upload and when, to blogging every single day, to now - writing as and when I can. I think the pressure I put on myself is probably the biggest stress of all.
 I'm always striving to make my blog bigger and better and will only ever upload something if I am totally happy with the outcome and how it looks, which can take a long while I tell ya!
Time is really my number one enemy - a few hours on a Sunday afternoon isn't really ideal to create a whole week's worth of posts and I think this is what makes me so stressed. There's always so much buzzing around in my mind that I never know where to start and it all kind of goes wrong from there.
I try to upload at least 3 posts a week - and even then I don't think that seems enough, I have so many ideas in my mind I wish I could just blurt them all out!

The Comparisons
I struggle with this one and I'm sure I'm not the only one.
 It's not jealousy and it's not that I don't want others to have great content and blogs I just always feel like mine is a little bit pants when reading and enjoying other people's. I get in the 'what's the point', 'will I ever improve' head space and I beat myself up far too often.
The way I write, the quality of my photos, my content ideas - I need to remember how far I've come and maybe force myself to look back through some 2013 cringe to realise that 'hey, I'm doing alright! Chill.'

FOMO
The Fear Of Missing Out.
Blogging friendship groups, the meet-ups you miss, events you can't afford to get too! This may just be me but I always stress that I'm missing out on so much by being over here on the Isle Of Wight. 
All the fabulous things I haven't gone too or have missed out on for one reason or another just stresses me out! Do you think you need to be physically present at things to make an impact in the blogging world? (Let me know below!)

All-in-all blogging is a bloody amazing thing - the best hobby I could have ever started and I LOVE it,  but it does come with some downfalls - all worth it obviously!
I say onwards, upwards and calm from here on out!
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