If I’m being completely honest: I’m not the best person to talk to when it comes to self-care and taking care of your mental health. Then what the heck are you doing writing this post, Marie? You may ask yourself.
Well, let me tell you something: over my years as a content creator and blogger, I feel like I still managed to get better with it all and, especially, to learn some little self care tips that have helped me getting better.
Do I still get angry at myself, do I still sometimes neglect my mental health for all of this? I’m not going to lie: I do. But I’m a work in progress… and this post is here to remind me that.
If you’re having any kind of tough time dealing with everything, I thought I’d compile for you some little tips. Little reminders I try to shout at myself every now and then, to remind me that it’s okay to take care of yourself first, and always. Also, I wish I could be better at taking my own advice.
5 Self-Care Tips To Protect Your Mental Health as a Content Creator
Find an organization plan that works for you
When you’re a content creator, every minute of every day can be so easily filled with work. There is so much to be done, whether it’s on your blog, on your social media accounts and more.
There’s finding inspiration and ideas to blog, writing blog posts, scheduling them, taking pictures for your instagram account or your blog posts, brainstorming content ideas for your social media, interacting…. the list never, ever ends.
I think it’s so easy to get overwhelmed and feel like you have to be everywhere all at once, do everything. If you’re settling a realistic plan, it will be best long term for your mental health. I know for me, it’s been that way. It’s been less stress, less anxiety about blogging overall. I know what’s coming, I know what I want to do next and I found a right rhythm that works for me most of the time, too.
A rhythm that allows me to keep on doing what I love, creating content, without putting my mental health on the back burner.
It’s all about finding the right plan and the right rhythm, for you.
Keep in mind that this plan is yours and YOURS ONLY. I’m not a full-time blogger (I wish, aerm), therefore my plan has to be thought out carefully around the rest of my life, like my full-time job, other obligations and other hobbies and life plans, just as well.
Always keep in mind that your plan wil be trial and error, it won’t be set in stone, either. As you keep on blogging, your plan will change and grow along with you. That’s okay, too. The plan should grow and work around your well-being and not the opposite.
Also, always always remember : it’s okay to take a break from said plan, too.
☂️ Read more: How I Use Notion For Blogging: My Organization Tips For Bloggers
Surround yourself with the right people on, and offline too
When I started blogging, I met such an incredibly warm, welcoming and wonderful community online. I feel so lucky to call some of these people close friends today.
That being said, no matter how hard you want it to be, the world isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. You can’t only make friends and, most of it all when you’re starting out as a content creator, it’s SO easy to have eyes on EVERYONE ELSE but you.
It’s so easy to compare yourself to others and, once you go down that road…well, it’s NOT all sunshine and rainbows, at all. Envy is a dark little green monster that will get into your brain and stay. A little creature that will whisper to you: you’re not good enough. This blog is prettier than yours. This one’s more successful than you are. This other one, just look at their follower count growing SO quickly. And the list goes on and on endlessly.
The golden rule, for me, is that: surround yourself by people who make you feel good.
People who inspire you, yes. People who you enjoy talking to and people you admire.
Don’t be afraid to mute or hit the unfollow button if following that person isn’t right for you.
Also, always try your best not to compare your journey to others. You’re on your own path and it’s a wonderful one.
☂️ Read more: How to stop comparing yourself to other book bloggers
Find the right things to focus on
NOT statistics
As a content creator, there are obvious things that jumps as your throat, whether you’re blogging, an influencer on instagram…
That thing? NUMBERS.
Follower count, page views, likes, comments and so on. They’re all numbers and, whether we like them or not, they’re here. In our faces and THEY MATTER.
I’m not going to lie and say they don’t, because they do. Numbers, for us, indicate growth. They have the power to make us feel giddy when we reach a new milestone, to make us feel down whenever our stats are plunging for whatever reason.
The thing is: you can’t CONTROL numbers.
Okay, maybe you can a little bit. By establishing the right strategies, focusing on SEO, promoting your content right and so on.
That being said, numbers are capricious little creatures. They go up and down, they depend on algorithms, whether it’s Google or Instagram. You can’t always know or master these complicated beasts.
I’m always telling myself this: numbers have SO much power, yet they don’t reflect my blog’s worth, at all.
I’m trying to think of numbers as something great, but I’m not trying to focus on them too much, either. Instead, I try to focus on what I do and whether or not I love what I’m putting out there.
NOT all platforms
With the domination of social media, I have to admit that I felt a little bit lost with my blog. Is book blogging dead, I asked myself? Should I focus on other platforms, expand myself as much as possible to fill all the sudden voids surrounding me?
It’s easy to feel like you have to be everywhere. Instagram’s all the rage, Tik Tokers are getting so much praise and hype all around.
I tried bookstagram and, while it can be fun, at times, I realized I don’t want to focus on this platform. It brings me much more anxiety and it does not make me feel as fulfilled as THIS does. Writing a good old blog post.
Do I feel some pressure that I have to be elsewhere? That, since I don’t have a Tik Tok account, I’m “old” and “boring”? (I hope I am not) ? I’m not going to lie: of course, I do.
Yet, I know that expanding to all of these platforms won’t be good for me. I know it will only bring more pressure, more stress and, in the end, will be detrimental to my mental health.
Focus on what you love.
If you love everything and CAN do everything, great. If you like one platform more than another, focus on that one. There’s no need to spread yourself too thin. It will only end up in burn out.
☂️ Read more: 7 Ways My Blogging Has Changed in 7 Years (Is It For The Best?)
Remember to write about what you love
When you’re looking for content ideas, it’s so easy to get carried away. To feel like you HAVE to write about some topics, because they will be popular.
It’s also easy to burn out when you’re not writing about something you love.
Book blogging is a niche and it’s a small one. I know that books aren’t necessarily THE topic that will be highly popular. I also know, for instance, that book reviews aren’t the best received, commented or viewed blog posts in the world. Yet, I keep on writing them, because I love them.
Last week, I started drafting a blog post that I’m a bit nervous to share. Yet, when I started writing it, I felt it. The words pouring out of me in a second, the NEED to put these words down, to tell this particular story.
So, I did.
Honestly? Doing this makes me happier than any kind of popular post would. Yes, the latter might bring a spike in my page views and make me happy, but it’s fleeting. And when it goes back down… it’s not good for my mental health, at all. Looking back at my blog and reading these blog posts that mean so much to me, the ones that weren’t necessarily the ones I thought would be popular… they still warm my heart and make me feel a bit proud.
And you know what? They weren’t the less-well-received blog posts on my blog, either.
It’s a win-win, really: if people feel your passion, I truly believe they will appreciate what you write. So… why not do what you love the most?
☂️ Read more: How to write a blog post people will read
Take some time for yourself, too
Whether you’re a full time blogger or just a part time one, whether this is a hobby or something more, it does not matter. You HAVE to take some time for yourself, too, outside of this little bubble you created yourself, here.
I know how easy it is to get overwhelmed with this incredible thing. Content creation, honestly, is one of the BEST things I’ve done and I love every part of it, too.
Yet, sometimes, I forget that I need to take time for myself. To do something different, too. Watch old TV show, read a book I’m NOT going to be reviewing on here, work on my novels.
It feels good sometimes to step away from it all and take a break, too. It’s refreshing to hit pause for a while, not to think about what you have to plan, to write, to do next.
Personally, I find it REALLY hard to log off completely, not to check my blog, work on something new for it or not go on social media every single day.
That being said, I feel like I should do it more. I KNOW I should do it more. Give myself a little break.
It’s the best way to protect your mental health, really. Take a break, a breath and come back happier, more inspired than ever.
📌 Pin How To Practice Self-Care as a Blogger on Pinterest!
Do you have any self-care tips to share? What do you do when you’re feeling a bit overwhelmed by the blogger’s life?
I’d love to hear from you in comments!
Twitter ☂️ Bookstagram ☂️Goodreads ☂️ Bloglovin’ ☂️ Support the blog
I love your discussion about not needing to use all the platforms. I find I burn out very quickly so I had to make the choice to cut down on my Instagram usage because I felt it wasn’t really bringing me much joy. I hope in a few months once I get more of a groove I can work it back into my schedule in a way that won’t feel too much like a chore and more like a fun hobby. We shall see though.
Thank you so much, I’m so happy you enjoyed this. I’m right here with you: I burn out quickly with some platforms and I find it way better to use social media slowly and my blog more consistently… even if it’s not a popular choice, it’s one that sits better with me in the end 🙂 I hope you’ll find a right rhythm for you! 🙂
I think this is so important, content creators put a lot of effort into their content and something we have to learn is what a healthy balance means for us. I love how you mentioned plans aren’t set in stone as I think it is a point I often forget. I am so eager to create and plans can start off so great and productive, but they don’t last and it makes me feel like I’ve failed in some way. When the reality like you said it plans need to adapt to our current moment in life to be the best and that will also need to include breaks too. This is definitely my biggest problem –“I think it’s so easy to get overwhelmed and feel like you have to be everywhere all at once”, easily overwhelmed. I really loved reading this and I found it so relatable. Thank you for all these helpful tips and I’m sending you my best wishes Marie!! 💕💕
Thank you so, so much, Sophie! <3 I get it, I often feel the same way. I LOVE having a plan and when I can't make it as I wanted it to be, I feel like I failed. But it's okay for plans to change and shape themselves in different ways, depending on how you feel, too! :) Thank you so much!
YES YES YES! So when I first started blogging, probably into year 4, I would feel soo guilty every time I didn’t keep to my schedule. I just felt like I was failing. I was worried about the number & stats, and it just made me feel worse. Now going into my almost 5 year blogging anniversary soon, I’ve learned to let go a bit. If I’m not feeling up to it, I don’t make posts. While my numbers have gone down a lot, it honestly doesn’t bother me much. I’m just happy to have the lil’ community of people I chat and catch up with. I agree with everything you mentioned here! Great post xx
Melina | http://www.melinaelisa.com
I’m so happy you’re feeling a bit more relaxed about blogging now. I was just like you, so stressed out and guilty whenever I missed my schedule. I still feel that way, sometimes, but I’m trying more and more to let it go and focus on what makes me happy and what I can reasonably do, too! 🙂
Excellent advice. It is so easy to get overwhelmed or despondent or just to feel you’re running on empty when you’re blogging. When this happens I always think it’s good to go back to basics, think about what is important to you as a blogger and how this stacks up against other things in your life. If you don’t manage to post as often, does it really matter? I doubt it…..
Thank you so much! I agree with you: it’s always good to go back to basics and remember why you’re here and what matters the most 🙂
This was amazing Marie! ❤️
It’s always really important to practice self care in anything we do, blogging especially I think. It’s so easy to fall into the do, do, do trap to gain those followers, but it’s good to take a break too. It’s funny I’m sitting here reading this while also planning a Instagram reel in my head… I need to take this advice! 😂
Oh thank you so much! I get that… I wrote all of this post, and sometimes I need to remind myself to take my own advice! 😂
You’re welcome! 😄
Right?! Why can’t we take our own advice!
Amazing post! Those are good advices and tips that are important but we learn it hard way. For me I have started to take breaks. I post or blog hop when I feel like doing that. Before I used to force myself to blog hop and interact and it was not bad either but now I follow my mood and time I have than doing it for sake of obligation.
I’m so glad that you’re doing that now! I was exactly the same: I used to force myself for a lot of things and, in the end, I burned out quickly. It’s important to do it when you’re in the mood to do so 🙂
I’m so incredibly proud of you for writing this post, because I know how dear this topic is to your heart! I can only agree on all points and as you said in the beginning, we might fail at following those steps, but just reminding ourselves of what’s important and what we should rather not focus on can be so helpful already. Amazing work, Marie!
Thank you so, so much Kat 🥺🥺
Oh Marie, this post is such a wonderful reminder to just… slow down, or even stop and give ourselves a break! THANK YOU for that, because I have been feeling like such a failure lately, and you have helped me feel a bit better! I didn’t realize how completely impossible blogging like I am used to would be when going back to work. Like, at all. And I won’t lie, I feel like I am not keeping my head above water, not even almost. Of course, I requested a ton of books that I would have been able to handle during the pandemic, that now with working again… well, it just isn’t as doable. And the kids being back to school is harder than I thought too! I got so used to not having homework to worry about, to not need to worry about outfits and lunches and all of that. My mental health is taking a nosedive lately because I am wayyy too tired, which obviously isn’t conducive to good MH, and because I feel like I do literally nothing for myself. Like- blogging IS, but it is also an obligation in some respects, you know? Obviously review books, and monthly posts that I have agreed long ago to do, etc. So I don’t even have time for the fun ones that I actually enjoy writing! I think I really need to reevaluate, honestly. Thank you for this chance to like, get it all out- it’s so cathartic!
Oh Shannon I’m so, so happy you enjoyed this post so much, thank you! <3
I get that feeling so much. I don't have kids myself, but with work only it's challenging so I can only imagine handling it all and adding blogging to the top of it. For others, it's easy to say: sure, but blogging is just a hobby, so put it aside.... but, YES! It's a commitment, too. Reviewing books you receive and so on, for instance.
I'm so glad this helped and i'm always here if you need to chat! x
THIS POST IS EVERYTHING! And every single word is true and accurate!
I find that it is so easy for me to keep on pushing myself to keep on producing content even when I am so damn tired and burnt out because I sometimes feel like I’ll loose all the growth I’ve worked towards but at those times I like to remind myself that I’m only human
And I really need to work on setting up a notion account for myself, I’m pretty sure it’ll really help me streamline my blogging more
Oh thank you so much, so happy you enjoyed it, thank you!! <3 I understand that so much. It feels like stopping will make you lose all progress you've work for SO hard and so long on, but... sometimes, you just need to do what's best for you, too! <3
This was such an insightful post and I’m really, really glad to read it, because honestly it was the motivation I was in need of. Lately, I haven’t been posting at all. I’m so busy with my internship tasks all day and then when I have some time, I’m focusing on my other projects and groups, catching up with friends, trying to spend time with my girlfriend (even if only online) … And when I go visit home, I’m running everywhere all the time. So I’ve been neglecting all my platforms and also reading. However, I’m realizing that I’m exhausted anwyay and I feel bad about not doing either of those (blogging or reading), because I love doing them. So for this upcoming month I’ll try to stick to a strict routine! I really need to be better at following routines, because my physical health is also being neglected because of work (which I cannot allow anymore). I really need to organize all aspects of my life, and once the most urgent things are done with, I need to sit down and reeeally think about what kind of content I wanna post (I haven’t thought about content planning in months). I also have been avoiding blogging and filming because it takes so much time out of my day, while Instagram is easier. And on my internship I spend a lot of time on TikTok, and to be honest I find it so entertaining, I would really like to give Booktok on my own (and not for my internship) a try. Basically, I wanna do everything hahaha But 24 hours per day doesn’t seem to be enough!!
Oh thank you so much Marta, I’m so happy this post could be helpful <3 I hope that you'll be able to find a rhythm that's right for you, and especially is the right balance between taking care of yourself and doing what you want to do and what you love, too. I get the feeling, though! There aren't enough hour in the day to do everything you want to do!
I LOOOVE THIS POST SO MUCH. These are all such important and timely reminders, especially for this October considering my numbers dropped a bit. Thank you for writing this!
Oh thank you so, so much Kate, so happy you enjoyed it and that it could help! <3
This is SUCH an important post ❤ I’m so bad at doing basic self-care as well, but I’m really trying to do better! Finding the right blogging rhythm has been a game-changer for me, I used to post more often back in the day, but now it’s simply no longer possible without stressing me out.
“The thing is: you can’t CONTROL numbers.” I really needed to hear that! I don’t check my stats that much but likes and comments are so visible that I end up seeing them whether I want to or not 😅 I also don’t focus on Instagram or TikTok, they seem fun but I know that they aren’t for me!
Oh thank you so much, Caro! <3 I'm glad you found the right rhythm for you. It's so important to have it fit your life at any time, and not to be afraid to change it a little bit, as well <3
This post is such an important reminder for so many Marie 💜 There was a time where I felt like I had to be on every platform and doing all of the things just to feel good about myself. It was just feeding into hustle culture which social media has contributed to glamourising in my opinion. There’s a hustle culture and then there’s forgetting about your mental health and letting yourself burn out for the sake of ‘productivity’ and ‘hustle’. Definitely agree with you on how there’s certain posts that would be popular if we were to do them but it’s unlikely to leave us feeling satisfied. I often have the most fun when I’m drafting a post about something I really love, if you love something I think it shows through the post. You can feel the excitement and love the blogger has for whatever they’re talking about.
Bookstagram is a whole thing, I have one but I mostly sit on stories in there nowadays. I enjoy sharing snippets of my daily life but I’m not a huge fan of posting on there to be honest. I enjoy connecting with my fellow bloggers on there but other than that – I’m not really a fan of the platform to be honest. Not with how they’ve gone in a video direction >.> it’s not really my thing.
Sending you love and hugs Marie! 💜
Clo, thank you so much for your sweet comment, I can see how passionate you are about the topic and your words echo with me so much. Like, how there’s this whole ‘burn-out’ culture for the sake of productivity, that I know I’m buying in, even if I don’t want to. It’s something I really need to take a deeper look at, for sure.
I’m glad you found a way to use instagram that works for you! I get that, the whole video thing isn’t my favorite thing either aha 🙂 Sending you love! <3
Yes to ALL of these! It’s so important not to get too wrapped up in the statistics side of blogging or to focus on the things you feel like need improvement. Writing what you love is key!
Exactly! Thank you so much! 🙂
I honestly think my biggest tip for any blogger that’s feeling overwhelmed and like blogging is affecting their mental health is to take a break. Take a few days completely away from the blog to do something else you enjoy, and then after some time has passed do an evaluation of what was making you so stressed. Were you posting to much? Do you need a schedule? Did you request too many ARCs and can’t keep up? Etc. Then once you’ve evaluated the problem you can make the appropriate changes to see how that helps.
I’ve done this countless times. Whenever life gets busy, I take a break. When I’m feeling overwhelmed about posting, I take a break. When I feel like I’ve just been focused on blogging and nothing else, I take a break. I’ve taken countless break from blogging, whether outsiders noticed it or not, and each time I get the recharge that I need to continue with this platform that I love.
I so agree with you. It’s so important to take a step back and reevaluate why. What bothered you, why you were feeling burned out etc. and to try and change things to make it all better for you. I’m so happy you’re able to take a break and recharge and always come back stronger for it, that’s SO important and what helps keeping the love for blogging for sure <3