Mental Health Break because Blogging is Hard

I am back! I have missed writing creatively and the enjoyment I get from expressing myself through words. Being away from my blog has left a huge void in my life. I took a few months break to focus on things happening in my personal life, but I also just needed a break. After all, Pink Tea Latte has been going steady for 7 years!

Blogging is something I do in my free time and has been a pure labour of love. Compensation for my blogposts has been few and far between, so I never really made any money from Pink Tea Latte. Instead, I invested a lot of my own money into this website. Most of the events, activities and restaurants I have visited are paid for completely by me. Needless to say, Pink Tea Latte is not a revenue stream for me and I do not anticipate it changing in the future. 

I blog simply because I enjoy it. I prefer to use my free time creating unique and original content versus mindlessly scrolling on my phone. I am proud of Pink Tea Latte, but in these past few years, traditional word-based bloggers have become overshadowed by social media influencers. In fact, nothing gets me more riled up and annoyed like seeing an Instagramer or TicToker call themselves a blogger. A picture or 15 second video does not make you blogger because to be a blogger, you need to WRITE original content or articles which are then published on a website. 

Content catering to short attention spans and delivering instant gratification has become the gold standard. Anything that requires more than 30 seconds of focus has become a tough sell. I never want to be chasing views, but it is hard not to feel discouraged when the numbers begin to drop. 

My inbox is no longer filled with exciting event opportunities as companies shift their marketing approach to focus on social media content creators. It is hard not to feel rejected. I was no longer excited to write because I was too worried about if the content is the "correct" content. 

Being a blogger for 7 years has taken a toll on me. In addition to financial, being a blogger is a massive time commitment. The words do not write theirselves. If I am not in the correct headspace, I find it incredibly difficult to write. Editing the pictures takes up the biggest amount of my time. I love my DSLR and taking pictures with it. What I do not like is editing the pictures because it requires a lot of focus and work from me. With the amount of time I need to commit to being a consistent blogger felt like I was working a part time job in addition to my full time job. I simply had become mentally and physically exhausted! 

Putting in so much time and effort compounded by the decrease in readers just had me feeling drained. I always told myself I would only blog if it is fun for me. I was no longer having fun and instead found myself stressing out about posting more captivating content. 

Taking these few months off from blogging and social media has been incredibly refreshing. I no longer feel compelled to pull out my camera at every restaurant I dine at or activity I do. Instead, I focus on being in the present and enjoying myself. It is embarrassing to admit that I did live the "Camera Eats First" lifestyle, but I am now a reformed blogger! 

I am excited to be writing on Pink Tea Latte again. I have had a lot of time to think during my months off. I am going to do a lot things differently. I am going to focus on having fun while blogging. 

BYES