I have been blogging for over 13 years and that still feels mad to me. When I started, I honestly thought it would just be a little hobby for a few months. Somewhere to waffle about the kids, what we were eating, things we’d been up to and all the random thoughts floating around in my head. I never imagined I’d still be here all these years later and I never expected blogging to change me as much as it has.
One of the biggest changes blogging brought into my life is how much more I notice the little things. When you blog about everyday life, you start paying attention to different things and in a different way. You notice the small stuff because small stuff turns into a blog post. A random thought while making tea, something funny someone said in passing, the way the light comes through the window in the evening or a feeling you can’t quite name but know you want to write about it. Blogging trains your brain to go that’s worth remembering and writing a post about it. Before blogging, I probably rushed through a lot of days on autopilot. Now, even after all these years, part of my brain is always noticing things, like collecting little moments. It’s made me more present and grateful for the ordinary bits.
Blogging has made me much more aware of my own thoughts. Writing things down helps me untangle my brain a bit and I've realised blogging is therapy with fewer tissues. I’ve written through stressful times, parenting worries, confidence wobbles, family stuff and those weird phases of life. Sometimes I only realise how I feel about something once I’ve written it down. Typing it out makes it real. Some posts never even make it onto the blog. Sometimes the writing is just for me and getting it all written down can clear my head.
I wasn’t always confident sharing my thoughts publicly, hitting publish used to feel terrifying! I’d read posts back about ten times before they went live and still panic. I used to overthink everything. I think blogging daily sort of knocked that fear out of me over time. I still overthink some posts but I have learnt that my voice doesn’t have to be perfect and I don’t need to sound clever or polished all the time. Sounding like me is all that really matters. Over the years, I have stopped trying to write the way I thought I should write and started writing the way I actually speak. Chatty, honest and a bit rambly sometimes.
Blogging has become as normal as putting the kettle on. Even on days when everything feels a bit off, it is nice to sit down and write something. Some days the post is long and thoughtful and other days it’s short and scrappy. Blogging has been there through every stage of my life over the last 13 years with different worries and different versions of me. Looking back at old posts is strange because I can remember exactly where I was in life when I wrote them. Some make me laugh, some make me cringe a little and some make me feel emotional, because in 13 years so much has happened.
Blogging has taught me that it’s okay to change. My blog has changed loads over the years because I’ve changed, my interests and my priorities too. I used to worry about that but now I quite like it. It would be weird if I was still exactly the same person I was 13 years ago. The blog has grown with me, rather than boxing me in and it’s helped me let go of the pressure to stay the same just because people expect it.
One of the best things to come from blogging is the people that come with it. People who pop up in the comments, readers who’ve been there for years, messages from someone saying, I thought I was the only one who felt like that. Even though most of the time I’m just sat in my armchair typing away on my laptop, it never really feels lonely. There’s always someone who relates to what I’m saying or leaves a comment saying they feel the same way. I love that. Being open helps other people feel less alone and that’s important. It’s made me kinder, more sympathetic and more willing to talk about stuff that isn't always easy to talk about.
Daily blogging is not always easy, there are of course days when I cannot be bothered at all. Days when I’m tired, uninspired or staring at a blank screen wondering how on earth I’ve managed to blog for this long but I don't always have to feel inspired to create something. Sometimes I just start writing and see where it goes. It can be messy but I muddle through and usually end up with a blog post to publish.
After years of blogging, I am now someone who notices the small things, trusts my voice, understands myself better than I did 13 years ago, values consistency over perfection and even now, after all this time, it still feels fantastic to sit down to write. It turns out, this little hobby changed everything!
How have you changed since you started blogging?
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