Why Blogging is Ruining my Life

Ok, I wouldn't say it is ruining my life. Ruin is a strong word. But I bet it got your attention.

 

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Really, for the most part blogging is a pretty enjoyable endeavor. Obviously, or I wouldn't be doing it. But there are times where I feel like blogging is a burdon. It's an addictive cycle of creating, producing, and writing then waiting for any acknowldgement of agreement, enjoyment, or praise. Which sometimes comes, and sometimes doesn't. 

 

Over the past few months I have contemplated why I blog and what I get from blogging. Most of the reasons are positive. But there are some things that have resulted from blogging that are not so positive. 

 

For instance...

 

1. The need to keep up with the Jones's. If you tell me you don't try to keep up with your friends or compare your lifestyle to that of your friends, you are either a liar or a saint. It's pretty natural to try to keep up your standard of living with those you spend most of your time with. But when you blog, your network of friends and acquaintances grows exponentially. So suddenly you feel the need to keep up with that girl with the amazing style blog that probably spends as much on her wardrobe in a month as you do in a year. I work from home and rarely leave the apartment during the week, why would I need a $5,000 purse, $800 shoes, and 5 different styles of chambray shirts?

 

2. The need to keep up with what the Jones's are doing. By that I mean, I have become even more addicted to social media since I started blogging. I am constantly checking Instagram to see what people are eating for dinner or what they wore to work. So, if you are ever thinking, "why the hell am I posting this picture? No one wants to see this." I probably do. Same with Twitter. Sometimes, you people can't tweet enough! I get so bored at work some days that I will probably read every tweet in my feed twice. Yes, it's sad. 

3. The need to be validated. I guess none of us really get into blogging for shits and giggles. We want to share our experiences, stories, knowledge, and creativity with each other. But do you find that when no one comments on your post that you are kind of let down? I always think, "why don't they like me?" or "why don't they like my blog?". And it only gets worse the longer you blog. You put effort into each post, and you want people to read it and like it, right? It would be great if I could just post whatever the hell I wanted without any concern what you all thought. But more than half the time I am just hoping you tell me how good you think my post is. 

4. Viewing everyone as competition. This one is kind of ridiculous, because blogging is not a zero-sum game. You are not limited to the number of blogs you can follow, so why should I care if you follow one blog over another. Well, I don't really. But I find myself comparing my blog and myself to other blogs and bloggers. Their writing style, the number of followers they have, how many comments they get, what they write about, their outfit choice, the quality of their pictures, etc. Everything is a competition to me. Not that I am winning at any competitions. But it sure does make me pretty judgmental sometimes, which is not a quality I  admire in myself.

 

5. Everything has to be a blogable moment. "Oh hey honey, dinner is almost ready but you have to wait 10 minutes so I can take 50 photographs." "Babe, can you hold your drink up so it looks like you are cheers-ing me so I can Instagram this." "I need to bring a change of shoes so we can take an outfit picture later." Any of these sound familiar? I feel like lately, everything I do has to something I can blog about later. B knows that after I make a particularly good meal, that I am going to take a bunch of pictures. Or on those rare days where I actually get dressed up, he knows he's on call to take outfit pictures. It's great and all to stuff to blog about, but I feel like the blog is now dictating what I do with my life. 

Is there anything that blogging has brought to your life that are not all that positive? Do you ever contemplate why you blog?

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