Recording Struggles and Experiences: The Power Of Blogging

When it comes to life – no one has it figured out. Everyone makes mistakes and feels the pressure of money stresses and success worries. And yet, no one used to speak about their daily struggles until recently. Mental health was a completely misunderstood illness, and due to the development of social media, you are met every day with depictions of distant friends’ lives that appear perfect – and it puts you in a constant state of comparison and competition. Luckily, the online world is beginning to change, and what used to be thought of as “taboo” topics people are now able to talk more freely about.

The online world has started building communities of supportive people who are going through the same life struggles as you, and opening up so they can help people that are not yet ready to speak publicly about their hardships. Topics like anxiety, depression, sexuality, obesity, parenting troubles, and loneliness to name but a few- there is a platform for pretty much any struggle you could find yourself facing. Just by researching a company like Website Builders, and using their website to set up your page; you can create a blog that has a voice that can help to change the way people view certain struggles you may be going through, like ill mental health, or struggling with weight gain. It’s also a record for you to look back on and see how far you’ve come, and you may even find helpful advice and lifelong friends along your journey. Here are some reasons why opening up online may be one of the best things you ever do for yourself and others.

Easily Accessible

At any time, day or night, there is somewhere you can go to unload your thoughts onto a page. You could write words of advice and positivity for you to read later when you may be feeling at your lowest; you can document the happy days where you managed to go a long time without feeling entirely burdened by your troubles. You may write down reasons why it is important to keep striving forward or give advice for someone who may be going through the same thing. Whatever you choose to write, it will be accessible to you from anywhere in the world, and it will stay there until you choose to delete it (if you would like to). It is not a journal that could be misplaced and forgotten about or even a coffee shop napkin that held your deepest thoughts until it was accidentally thrown away. It is a record of every bit of progress you make, every goal you achieve, and every day you thought you couldn’t get through but did. This record will most likely be invaluable to you, and others that may be going through the same thing.

Therapeutic

Have you ever felt that incredibly heavy feeling in your chest? Where everything has built up to the point that you’re not sure whether you are going to cry, scream into a pillow, or need to breathe into a brown paper bag? Of course, the answer is yes, and everyone has been there at some point in their life. Daily stresses will build up in life until you completely crack under the pressure sometimes, and it can become increasingly hard to pick yourself back up again. Writing everything down that is going through your mind at times like these can help to lift the weight off your shoulders, helping you to step out of the situation and assess it from a different perspective. Writing each fear, problem, or cause of stress down can actually make them all seem a lot smaller than you originally thought, and therefore a lot easier to deal with. Writing down a traumatic or stressful experience can actually help you to come to terms with what has happened, give you the motivation to overcome the struggles and problems it is causing you, and to help others through sharing, which can be incredibly rewarding.

Connects You With People

Fears and anxieties have this amazing (and incredibly debilitating) way of making you feel like you are the only person in the world feeling the way you do. You can also be extremely confused as to why you are feeling like this way – and although it doesn’t feel like it, it is absolutely normal to feel like this. Feeling this way tends to be a big symptom of ill mental health, and it is always so surprising how it can make you completely isolate yourself from the world around you, pushing your friends and loved ones away. Even if you feel like you can’t bear to step out of the house for the day, that doesn’t mean you aren’t able to connect with someone who could help you. Even if you don’t have the strength to reach out, there are many forums you can post your blog to, explaining how you feel, and people will reach out to you of their own accord. The internet is sometimes advertised as this mean, scary place where people hide behind their keyboards. However, when you open up to a community of people who understand and have felt exactly what you are going through right now, it is surprising the level of kindness and support you can receive.

Keeps You Goal-Oriented

Whatever the purpose of your blog is, and whatever struggle you are trying to overcome, you will have a goal. You will have a reason why you started it in the first place. Whether it is just a place for your thoughts, a way to help someone going through similar struggles in their life, or even to help yourself. It is important to always remember why you created it and to work towards achieving your main goal. That goal may be something as small as deciding to ask for help from someone you love, or a professional, or it could be to post a certain amount times a week on your newly created blog. Writing down this goal, and being able to view each section of your progress through documentation, will only help to keep you on track and motivated to keep pushing forward. If you do gain followers, they will also help in supporting and advising on how you can keep striving for success. You may also have people at exactly the same point in their struggle as you, and have you and your blog to thank for helping them get to this point.

If you have been affected by anything in this blog, yet are not quite ready to put your voice out there, there are still people you can talk to that will be able to help. Charities like the Samaritans and Rethink have phone lines open 24 hours a day. The most important thing to remember is that you are not alone, and you will get through and overcome whatever is troubling you this very second. Taking little steps that add up to a huge step in the right direction – like talking to a friend or professional – will already be a massive help towards reaching the light at the end of the tunnel. Once you are ready to share your experience, whether that be online or in person to your loved ones, remember you may be helping someone to overcome the exact same troubles you have faced. Always throw kindness around like confetti, and keep in mind that everyone has their own secret battles they’re fighting, so you’re not alone.

** This is a collaborative post **