Looking back, Advice for new Bloggers, & an Award!
I haven’t posted a new blog in over a month! Wow! My lack of work here has a lot to do with parenting two two-year-olds and a seven and an eight-year-old. But it probably actually has more to do with me having Bipolar Disorder I, Anxiety, ADHD, and feeling so overwhelmed and knocked-around by life in general that I just sigh and don’t put forth the effort it takes to write. But it’s so therapeutic for me to just write. But I haven’t lately, and that just shows that I’m letting Bipolar win and I hate when I do that! (Anyone out there feel me? I know someone does, someone has to, so speak up! The comment section is below.)
I have 39 open drafts, so there’s no shortage of inspiration, it’s just finding some quiet time (usually between 4-5am works best for me), direction, energy, and motivation.
I was recently nominated for this “Blogger Recognition Award.” Now, I know there are a lot of blogging awards out there, then there are those who are so proud NOT to have awards that they make an award for having an award-free blog! But I do appreciate the nomination and I proudly choose to accept the award, because it means someone else – one of my peers – appreciated me enough to nominate me. So here it is (Isn’t the artwork lovely?):
I’d like to thank FEARFULLY WONDERFULLY ME for giving me this. The author, Emily Susanne, is a Christian blogger who writes about “Growing in God and Inspiring Young Women Through Faith and Fashion.”
As per the rules of this award, I will briefly mention how my blog got started: I was manic with a touch of Hypergraphia. I was just weeks postpartum from having twins and I needed, I mean really, really needed to write. I googled various forms of “postpartum mania,” but most articles were devoted to postpartum depression or psychosis. That’s when I came across Dyane Harwood’s blog, Birth of a New Brain. I left a very long comment on her post, “Another Great Divide,” (which you can feel free to click on and read, if you feel so led). And she responded! Twice! I felt like, wow, someone actually hears and understands me. I had so much to say, I knew I had to start my own blog at that point. That was August 20, 2014. I published my first post (Double Teamed) on August 22, 2014, and have been writing ever since. My hopes and prayers are that the articles I write on this blog will be (and have been) a blessing, not only to me as a writer but also a blessing to others who struggle with similar issues.
So, I basically write about Bipolar Disorder and Mommying. But there are other categories my posts fall into. Looking back, here are a few of my favorite archives:
ADHD, Anxiety, and Bipolardisism
Why I Choose To No Longer Wear Leggings
My advice to new bloggers:
- Be yourself. Be your authentic self and don’t apologize for being who you are. (Unless you KNOW you’re not right, in that case, apologize in advance! JK)
- Respond to each comment you get. Another writer took the time to read what you wrote, then took the time to write you a message. Respect that by taking the time to respond in kind.
- Read and follow other blogs. Get to know your readers by reading what they write. Build your own supportive community.
- Use “Grammarly” or at least a Spell Checker.
- Proofread and Pray before you hit the “Publish” button.
- Don’t expect your friends, family, or relatives to create “Gravatars” and read everything you write. You may find your biggest supporters are strangers who relate to what you’re going through or writing about.
- Don’t worry about your stats. The quality of your writing may not be reflected in the number of “likes” you receive, so don’t base your self-worth on numbers.
- Don’t expect everyone to agree with you. Someone may “like” what you wrote but disagree with your philosophies or certain points you make. That’s okay. Actually, you can expect some (usually polite) criticism. You can agree to disagree, and not take it personally.
Ok, I was only supposed to write 2 points there, I guess I got a little excited! Now, I’m supposed to nominate some bloggers to do a similar post and receive this award. Whether or not you choose to participate is completely optional (again, some people want their blogs to be award-free. To those I say, “more power to you.”) The following are bloggers I admire greatly and I hope you feel honored that I am nominating you:
The Monster in Your Closet (is quite friendly, actually)
I also hope any people reading this will take a few minutes to check out these awesome blogs!
(For the Blogger Recognition Award, please complete the following:
- Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog.
- Write a post to show your award.
- Give a brief story of how your blog started.
- Give two pieces of advice to new bloggers.
- Select (15) other bloggers you want to give this award to.
- Comment on each blog and let them know you have nominated them & provide the link to the post you created.)
Finally, I’d like to give you a sneak peek into my next post…
“Looking Forward, Advice from Successful Bloggers & another Award”
For this post to be successful, I need a lot of feedback. This is a call to all Super Bloggers who struggle with anything, from everyday parenting exhaustion, to addiction, to mental illness. If you are a Super-writer or Super-Parent (and if you’re a parent, I bet you’re Super to someone), please comment below with your website link, and I will set up a “meet and greet” so to speak, for my next post. Also, please give one piece of advice on blogging. Until then, whenever that may be, goodbye and God bless!
Double Talk Quote: “And for a long, long, long while, Grandma read the bible.” – Mica, when they missed church one Sunday.
Bible Verse: “Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.” Ephesians 4:32
Term that has Lost its meaning (to me, anyway): Award-free Blog
Relatable Lyrics: “Beautiful” by Eminem
“Yea… To my babies. Stay strong…
And to the rest of the world, God gave you the shoes
That fit you, so put ’em on and wear ’em
And be yourself, man, be proud of who you are
Even if it sounds corny,
Don’t ever let no one tell you, you ain’t beautiful”
SuperMom Mentality 
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