Blog Update: Why I Suck At This (And That’s Okay)

Hello everyone! I know at least a few of you read my blog regularly, so I felt it was important to be transparent with where I’m at.

To be honest, I’m struggling with this blog. I’m doing well in other areas of my life, but I’ve hit a re-evaluation period now that we’re heading toward the end of the year.

TL;DR I started grad school this year, and it’s taken all my time. I cannot promise any consistency anymore and will likely write when I want to. I will also let the blog default to http://www.lifeoflieu.wordpress.com at the beginning of 2023, so expect that change soon. The resources will still be here. I don’t intend to take the site down.

Motivation and Time

I love this blog. It has become part of my identity over this last year because it represents a lot of my current theories and sums up support resources. It makes it easier to help people because I can link articles. It’s given me a more flush outlet to express myself. I’m glad that I made this.

But who could have guessed that a blog about my mental health would ultimately be affected by my mental health?

I’ve wanted to create post consistency, but I’ve had the struggle of every blog creator. I don’t have the energy or ideas to create content every week. That makes posting content every week impossible. On top of that, when the demands of life are too great, this is one of the first things I drop. I want to dedicate time and often spend countless hours creating well-researched articles.

I take pride in what I post here. I’ll have around 30 articles on this blog by the end of the year. That’s no small feat. I have to prioritize other things right now, so my efforts moving forward will be limited.

Audience

It turns out that blogs don’t work like Tik Tok. They’re much more difficult. One popular post doesn’t translate to a significantly increased following. It certainly helps, but on Tik Tok, that’s where most of my audience came from.

I started this platform to get away from Tik Tok. Creating content on Tik Tok is not good for me, but it seems it’s the only way I get traffic here. I have much more to offer here than on Tik Tok. I get the nuance, direct links to resources, and more thoughtful engagement.

I have a lot of respect for my friends that have created content and succeeded. I also commiserate with my many friends who are like me that have tried to build a platform but are continuing to struggle to build an audience.

Intersectionality

Another thing I’m struggling with is that I’m 22. I know a lot of my opinions are likely wrong. I know I’ll change my mind and have to eat my words later. My professional career may be impacted by being too open with my opinions.

I have blind spots I don’t know about. I try my best to stay informed and research topics, but I know I’m missing crucial aspects that I’m unaware of.

I don’t want to be just another mental health advocate that inadvertently causes harm with my platform. I’ve seen damage where advocates have lacked intersectionality and spoken for communities they don’t understand. When listening to voices harmed by other (much larger) advocates, I worry about how my platform may affect others.

I haven’t been accused of anything specifically, but I hope others feel comfortable discussing where I may be overstepping. I try to only speak from my experience where possible, but sometimes that comes off as recommendations for others.

The Future

So, what does this mean for the future of my platform?

I posted a Tik Tok about how they’re threatening to take down my account. I don’t think it will get taken down for now, but it’s always an underlying threat with that platform. If it ever does, I know I won’t re-join.

I plan on leaving this blog up. It will default to lifeoflieu.wordpress.com.

I really appreciate everyone that follows me. I have made several friends through my platform, and many have told me they have been helped. I love that I was able to help even one person.

It’s interesting how much a task changes when it becomes an obligation over a passion. So far, this blog has become an obligation that I cannot keep up at the pace I’ve set. My focus moving forward will be to create content as I want, when I want, without any schedule. I anticipate this may kill my audience, but I don’t have the spoons to be an “influencer.”

I know this isn’t a typical blog post, but I appreciate it if you’re interested in where I’m going from here. I’ll try to keep everyone updated. I appreciate you giving me your time and your support.