31 October 2014

The Problem With Being an Introverted Blogger

recharging by Don(CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)

Some days I want to delete all my blogs and Facebook pages and disappear from this online world forever. The thought of writing another post, or commenting on someone else’s blog, fills me with dread. I just don’t want to do it.

A couple of times I actually clicked onto the ‘delete’ button, and in an instant, all evidence of my online existence disappeared. I immediately became an ex-blogger. It didn’t take me very long to miss my online community. Never write another post? Perhaps I’d been a bit too hasty. Both times, I brought my blogs back from the dead, and life went on until the next crisis. Yes, I’ve had other days when I’ve just wanted to roll up my blogs, reclaim my family and retreat from the world. But I haven’t hit the ‘delete’ button again. I have learnt that the panicky overwhelming times pass. Blogging excitement and enjoyment do return.

I’ve been thinking about these up and down cycles. Why do they happen? Are they a consequence of being an introverted blogger? 

Maybe it’s not immediately obvious I’m an introvert. When you read my posts or watch one of my videos or listen to a podcast, you might assume I am very outgoing. And I am outgoing to a certain extent. In ‘real’ life I do like to meet up with friends and talk, but usually in small groups, and in small doses, and for short periods of time. After socialising, I need to retreat home and recharge with lots of quiet time. And if I have the choice, normally I prefer not to go out in the first place. Staying home and being creative on my own is very attractive.

In some ways, blogging is an almost perfect situation for an introvert. I can write, and make videos and podcasts, and share on my own terms. I’m in control. I can close my computer and disappear when all the associated contact with people becomes too much. At least that’s how it works in theory.

The problem is I’m not very good at ignoring my online life when I need a break. If there’s lots going on, I stick around. I continue writing and publishing posts, answering comments and emails, visiting other blogs and commenting. And I end up feeling sick inside.

There comes a point when, if I read a post on someone else’s blog,  I just can’t make myself write a comment. I creep away without leaving any evidence I’ve visited. Does this sound strange? Does anyone know what I mean? Usually at this stage, I start to feel guilty about not joining in with the blogging community. It doesn’t take long before I’m declaring I no longer want to blog. I start questioning the value of what I‘m doing. Surely blogging isn’t that important? I’d rather be free of all the many online things that seem to reach out and entangle me. And so I begin to think about deleting my blogs and Facebook pages and retreating forever. But of course I don’t. I am still here.


So if you notice my Facebook page hasn’t been updated for a day or two, or if you haven’t seen me on your blog for a while, I’m still around. (I might even have crept through your blog and enjoyed your posts without saying a word.) I’m just taking some time out, being invisible, being quiet.

I’m going to take some time out to be quiet this weekend. Yes, it’s Friday already. It’s the end of another week.

I’d like to thank everyone who has read this week’s posts, commented on them and listened to my podcasts.

And a special thank you to Lucinda of Navigating By Joy, who mentioned my podcasts in her post, A week in the life of a British homeschooling family – Friday. I do appreciate the mention and the link. 

Please visit Lucinda’s blog to read her posts, including the spectacular science ones. I just know I would enjoy science if I lived with Lucinda. I imagine her enthusiasm is very contagious. 

READ  Reassessing

So what are you going to do this weekend? Will you find some time to be quiet and recharge? I hope so!

The Angels of Abbey Creek


Image: If only I could plug myself into the electric outlet each evening, like this cat, in order to recharge! 

You can also find me on my Stories of an Unschooling Family Facebook page, unless of course, I’ve disappeared briefly for some quiet time! Please hop over to my page for all the extra blog stuff.

Sue Elvis

I'm an Australian blogger, podcaster, and Youtuber. I write and speak about unschooling, parenting and family life. I'm also the author of the unschooling books 'Curious Unschoolers', 'Radical Unschool Love' and ‘The Unschool Challenge’. You'll find them on Amazon!

56 Comments

  1. I know this is an old post but I wanted to comment anyway. 🙂 I am an introvert. And therefore, I guess I’m an introverted blogger. LOL I can relate to the whole introverted blogging thing you described. I often wonder if there’s any point to my blogging as well. And I’ve done the whole deleting of the blog thing too! In fact, I went through and re-did my blog not too long ago, deleting many, many posts. And I have been a very sporadic blogger for probably this whole past year. There’s been a lot going on this year and I find that when I have a lot going on, I tend to not feel like I can write much on my blog. Funny, huh? But I’ll have spurts where I’ll think of several things to blog about and then end up not writing. I started jotting my blog post ideas down in a notebook so that if I don’t write about them right then, I still have the idea written down in case I do want to write about it at some point. 🙂
    Anyway, just wanted to say I can relate. 🙂

    Hope you’re having a wonderful day!
    Karen

    • Hi Karen,

      I’m glad you stopped by. I love finding comments on old posts and continuing the conversation. It’s good to connect with another introvert who understands the problems of blogging!

      I also keep a blog post ideas book. To be honest, I keep dozens of notebooks and use whichever one is at hand. This means I can’t always find the right ‘brilliant’ idea when I do decide it’s time to write a post. I need to become better organised. Perhaps I should jot down the main points of what I want to say straight into a draft post. I could make a list of subheadings and then return later to fill in everything properly. This might give me time to mull everything over before I begin writing properly. And I’m more likely to actually use the post idea!

      I like your blog! Books, coffee and lots of chocolate sound perfect to me. I hope you’ll feel inspired to keep blogging. Even though at times we feel like giving up and deleting our blogs, we don’t always know who is reading and how our words are affecting other people. So keep blogging!

      It’s been wonderful chatting with you. I hope we can connect again another day!

      • I chuckled when you mentioned about having dozens of notebooks and you use whatever one is at hand. I can so relate! LOL I love notebooks and often have several of them lying about that I’m writing in… plus a nice stack of brand new ones back on the bookshelf in the office. 🙂

        Thank you so much for visiting my blog! I haven’t posted very regularly this year. I used to blog more about homeschooling but I haven’t done a homeschooling post in quite awhile.

        Anyway, I love your blog and read it regularly….even if I don’t always comment. 🙂 Oh, and I wanted to mention that I love your new blog look!

        Hope you have a wonderful week!

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