Discussion: How Mood Affects Our Blogging

There probably comes a time in every blogger’s path where we just don’t feel like it. We don’t feel like logging in, typing up that review, sitting down to read that book, going around blog to blog to comment, and the various other activities we do. Hey, it’s normal. We can get bogged down with work, whether it’s work from the blog or real-life work, and become just plain tired. Things can start to feel very chore-like and to simply put it: screw that.

So, we take our much needed mini-breaks when these little crap times sneak up on us. Being part of the community, I’ve come to understand this and have even had to take my own a few times.

But what do you if you start noticing it’s something a bit more serious than just the usual? Is that when you have to start considering leaving the blogging community permanently, even when it breaks your heart at the thought?

Things have not been well for me. Thanks for noticing.
Until I finally got a co-blogger (hiya, Taylor), I was contemplating leaving the blogging world behind later this year if I still couldn’t get things together. Honestly, I’m still not too sure. I will have to see how it all turns around soon as I begin picking things back up over the coming weeks. But it does seriously hurt to think about that, mostly because I rarely have anyone to talk books with and this is my place to vent and gush… I don’t think I could not leave reviews at least.

The start of my year had a lot of personal issues and illness that I care not to discuss publicly, but it was enough to put my writing on hold for weeks. Enough for me to not even care about the computer at all much as I worked through things. I’ve hardly even picked up any books since the year began, and now that I’m looking at the calendar to see the date, I almost want to start crying all over again for the hundredth time. I’d had goals this year with my reading, ones that were going to be special to me since I turn the big 3-0 in September (ya know, the whole ‘need to read before thirty’ thing, I guess)…and I doubt it’ll happen now. Sigh.

And I missed my three-year blogoversary as well, which was about two weeks ago around Feb. 18. I’d had plans to do something pretty big, but can’t afford the expense now that I’ve looked things over. There’ll be a mega giveaway later this year and we’ll just make it a late celebration. So sorry about that. When it comes to those things, I often feel like the outcast blogger since I don’t have them so much. Personally, I always feel like a bit of a loner in this community and I don’t know why…

I didn’t write this post to boo-hoo though.

What I’m trying to get at here is it can be tough. A lot tougher than I think we are given credit for… Most people tend to forget bloggers have real lives outside of blogging, and when it gets them down, it can get them down and get in the way. It was in my own recent experiences that I had to finally just say “I need a co-blogger or I’m going to quit this community right now” when I decided to go on the hunt for extra help around here. Sometimes you need one of those simple mini-breaks. Sometimes you need one of the major changes like me.

On a personal level, my mood really affects how I blog, read, write… even review. If I’m in a down or bad mood, my reviews will reflect that because I feel like they won’t be written as well as they could’ve been--usually short, not much emotion or explanation to them. The desire to blog or read is a no go as well. I’m basically a big couch potato watching TV and sleeping A LOT during these types of moods. My health has been pretty crappy lately as well so that hasn’t helped much. But a change in dosage on my thyroid medication and additional migraine meds, etc. should be helping to improve that side soon at least.

I know when I’m in a great mood, I’m working at things constantly, with never-ending ideas and bouncing around all over the place. I’ll also tend to read 3-4 books at a time, within a matter of days, if the mood and books are doing well. Forcing myself to read can put me from a good mood to a bad one quickly though. I have to WANT to read a particular book.


How about you? How do you feel your mood affects your blogging/reading/etc. And have you ever been in such a bad slump you almost gave up completely?