The amount of pressure we put on ourselves should be studied. I have a low stress blog where I can just write whenever I want about whatever I want. WRONG! Even something as small as this I put immense pressure on. I tell myself I need to come out with a blog post once a week and not only that, but it needs to be: entertaining, informative, inspirational, and not performative. Along with that, the title needs to be accurate, the keywords have to be relatable, and make sure the blog goes in the perfect category. Let me take a breath.
I love writing and telling stories and sharing my experiences. I love community. Putting pressure on myself like this results in zero posts getting published. The complete opposite of what I want actually gets done.
Why do we put so much pressure on ourselves?
I’m sure this comes from society and half from our upbringing. Recognizing it is the first step. It’s a lot harder to relax and go with the flow than it is to tell ourselves something needs to get done and it needs to be perfect. This causes burn out and actually increases stress. All our fault.
I’m type A. I like my lists and deadlines and organization. That has bled into my blog unfortunately, which is not the vibe I was going for. It’s supposed to be fun and real and honest. If I want to write a whole post about a tree I should be able to because it’s not that serious and this is my space. Would I write a whole post about a tree? Probably not. But you get what I’m saying.
I wish more people had blogs. We should bring them back. I know TikTok and YouTube and other short form media is the equivalent, but also I want to read. I want to read the way you write and how you speak on “paper.”
Let’s bring back expressing ourselves leaning more toward creativity and honesty rather than performance and pressure. I know that’s difficult since everything these days is monetized, but it’s doable. So if you’re thinking of starting something or creating something (in any form), do it. Like, right now. After reading this post get to it. Oh, and share it with me.
And don’t do it for anyone but yourself. Most of the time I write these blog posts and it goes into the void, and there’s something peaceful about that. I’m allowed to say what I want into nowhere (the odds of someone reading it is low). Like this post is my rant for me, and also some people might read it and connect. Rolling the dice.
At the end of the day, we have no one to impress. Stop putting so much pressure on yourself. Easier said than done, but honestly take a breath. Oh yeah, and remove your tongue from the roof of your mouth and relax your shoulders. You’re welcome. See you in the next post.
