I’m Not Back, But: How To Conquer A Reading + Blogging Slump Like A Pro (Because I Know All!!) // Catch-Up Thing-y?

Yes, my posting is all over the place. Yes, I’m okay with that.

My name is Lu and I am here to guide you through your book blogging life, like Yoda* because I know all, obviously, and we’re pretty much the same height and both look like trolls??? What does Yoda even look like?? I forgot???

Me right now ^^ see, we’re basically the same

back to the focus of this post: cakes are delicious, don’t you agree? CAN YOU BELIEVE I HAVE A FRIEND THAT DOESN’T LIKE CAKE??? Aren’t I a great person, befriending, and forgiving these sinners? Anyway: BACK TO THE FOCUS. I think that if you gaze upon previous posts, they’re pretty ranty, and I don’t think that there was much of my mojo there? IDk reading them back (which was a huge cringe-session for me, yes) I was just like, can I please just actually be pleasant? I sounded like a huge mound of salt attacking the universe. I apologise?? Actually, no I don’t because ranting is my life**. I am a lump of salt and I am proud of that.

*confession, never seen star wars??? I hope that this reference makes sense?? **after cake and books, naturally.

Posts to note:

• May talking about the illusion of being perfect on the internet and why we shouldn’t feel the need to be perfect.
• Ju talks about how to get rid of blogging stress from an expert (I.E Ju The Wise One)
• Jackie REALLY honest about what’s been troubling her at the moment (check it out, give her a hug).
• Marie talks about her pressures and kjgkr relate.
• Ilsa talks about 10 things she’s struggling with.

And of course, there are MANY more out there because we are all human and YES WE GET STRESSED.

realise you need a break. 

I was in HUGE denial of needing a break because I am Lu and I PERSIST. I refused to think about it for ages, and in order to do so, just plunged right into writing post after post. Obviously, little did I know that with every word I was writing, I was tumbling further and further into the cesspit that is feeling that you have to post. Because feeling that you have to post is a “disgusting and/or corrupt” place to live in.

And of course, I was beating myself up about not reading ten thousand books per week because I am silly and expect to be Thor after one workout. (wait?? it doesn’t work that way???)  So. Either you notice on your own that you’re basically the leftovers of a fire (a twig, perhaps) lying in the ash of your burnt sanity and your last twig is dwindling out fast and you know that you need to go on a break to save the depleting fire that is you, OR you write an Angsty™ post like I did and wail about not knowing what to do and listen to the trillions* of people that told tell you. to. abandon. ship. (for only a little while b/c must come back!!). and. save. yourself. And then maybe like a week later you realise that yes, these shouty internet people are yapping at you to go away because they care about you.(THANK YOU, EVERYONE, WHO TOLD ME TO GO AWAY, I APPRECIATE YOU SM!!)

*okay, maybe not trillions, maybe just billions??

now, you go away. 

> get off WordPress. 

You gotta just be firm and say “NO I AM NOT EVEN GOING ON THE SITE TODAY” and while you flail inside for the first moment because Withdrawal™ is a dark, dark, place, this teeny fragment inside you KNOWS that this is what you need and you need to listen to that one cell in your body for 0.25 seconds and not post.

Honestly, I should be a life coach. I’d be great.

I stopped checking people’s posts for a few days and checked my reader every couple days. And while I felt bad for commenting late, it was okay because I know that if I’d been checking my reader I’d get all twitchy and start getting into the mindset that I have to post otherwise my blog will jump into the void and I’ll just sit in an empty field for the rest of my life.Honestly, I think that going away for a bit (kind of, I still did the odd post like once a week to kill the free time that I had) made me just completely chill about blogging. And, I was PETRIFIED ABOUT A BREAK. I honestly was. But the amazing people on the internet made me realise that I needed this. 

Go live in your duvet for a bit! Actually, sleep? Make free time for you to just sit there and say “I’m bored” because holy flipflap it felt good to not have something to do ALL THE TIME. Rest your eyes from all the screens!! JUST LEAVE WORDPRESS AND THEN COME BACK WHEN YOU’RE READY.

 > log off Goodreads. 

I don’t even use GR that much because the app confuses my puny brain.

But you need to stop feeling the pressure to read and that means removing seeing how much everyone else is reading!!

I stopped reading as many books as I could?? I just can’t work that way. ARCs were stressing me out, so I put them aside for a bit too, and I reread City of Bones with Ruby and I just read at a slow pace and stopped when I didn’t feel like it.

After pressuring myself to read it was nice NOT to. And now, I actually don’t have a slump anymore?? Isn’t that MAGIC?? I read the All For The Gametrilogy (The Foxhole Court) and I reread the last book b/c I love it that much???, and I read Alice Oseman’sNick and CharlieNovella (Solitaire 1.5), andOpalby Maggie Stiefvater in four days and honestly, it was so nice to read again and just LOVE what I was reading.

… and you don’t come back straight away all guns blazing… 

Do you want a repeat of what just happened?? Where you were living off caffeine and looked like a mad scientist as you crumbled under the pressure you were putting on yourself?? No, you do not. 

Write a post, wait a while. If you’re feeling that “I HAVE TO WRITE ANOTHER POST ASAP” thing, and your eye’s got this twitchy thing going on and you feel the craze creeping back, back. away. slowly.

If you write the post and you’re cool it’s plain sailing, there’s no stress, u got dis, test the waters, BUT DON’T JUST DIVE BACK IN YOU FOOL.

IF YOU DIVE RIGHT BACK IN YOU WILL BE RIGHT WHERE YOU STARTED AND IT WILL HAPPEN ALL OVER AGAIN. 

And the same goes for reading, don’t say, “omg I was on a blogging break and read seven books* so next month I’ll hope to read nine!!” in the most optimistic way possible.

LIke,,,, did you not … SEE WHAT THAT THOUGHT PROCESS DID LAST TIME?? Did you… DID YOU NOT? I know, books and shiny; beautiful and they call to your squinting eyes to read them.. but tell those books “Nah, not this time Sunshine.”

*oops I did that… BUT I’M NOT GONNA TRY READ 3475 BOOKS NEXT MONTH B/C I WILL BREAK MY EYES AND MY BRAIN WILL FRY.

How have you recovered from reading slumps? What do you do when you have a posting slump thing? How do you know when you need a break? When was the last time that you had to go on a break? How are you??? LET ME KNOW. 

Luuuuuu