Blogging | Tips for beating a slump

We've all, as bloggers, been there. Some more than others, i.e. me once every few weeks. Sometimes it feels as though there is just no beating it - you want to throw the towel in, declare everything in the world that is worth writing has already been written and close down your little corner of the web for good. Believe me I've had this thought more than you may think and it gets especially difficult when other areas of your life begin to take over! Today, however, is not one of those days. Today I'm feeling motivated, but I wanted to take a moment and give a shout out to those of you out there damning the blinking of that cursor, screaming, crying and throwing fits at your device, and those of you who are on the precipice of throwing the digital towel in.

Here are some of my top tips on 'beating' a blogging slump;

Take a break and don't be ashamed;
It can be tempting to apologise to readers when you take a break, but remember your reasons for starting this blog, as a hobby, as an enjoyable way to express your love or dislike for something, or even just to pass the time! As long as you don't have a specific obligation to advertisers or promoters that particular day / week / month then you're quite entitled to a break.

Schedule as far as you can when you're feeling it;
On a good day I can get myself sorted for a solid month in advance, which of course allows me some leeway to have a 'break' if I so choose. So what if one week I'm just not feeling it? I know there's still a post going up every Wednesday and Friday for at least four weeks - and trust me kids there's no better feeling than being organised (yes I realise this makes me sound 'boring' but I'm sipping on my coffee chilling while you're losing your minds over lighting!)

Think about you - not digital you;What do you fancy doing today? Relaxing at home with some Netflix? Chilling with your cat? Or hell going on  an adventure. Think about yourself minus the blog, minus the social media and run with it - and if you've got the time to blog, great, and if not who cares?!

Needless to say this is all much easier said than done - but if you're anything like me then simply seeing things written down can give me a nudge in the right direction. Whether that's the direction of the sofa or the direction of my blog it doesn't matter.

Hopefully from this post you have found what you're looking for, words of encouragement, the realization that a break is just what the doctor ordered or maybe even a kick up the backside, be sure to leave all your tips and hints for beating a blogging slump in the comments below, else you can find me lurking on all of the usual channels, Twitter, Instagram and Bloglovin.

Until next time,

H.Elizabeth x

The Power of 'No' | Why I'll be saying 'No' more in 2017

'No'

Two little letters with potential of mass proportions, and despite having seemingly negative connotations, 'no' can actually bring you more joy, help you attain richer life experiences and feel more relaxed than you ever have in your life. 'No' takes much more courage to say than yes, particularly when you belong to the generation where saying no even once can bring you down with a serious case of the FOMOs (fear of missing out..s) Fear that convinces you that saying no could mean skipping out on the adventure of a lifetime, missing out on the best night of your life, or simply waving goodbye to the boat of success entirely...

Which of course is ridiculous.

This is something that has dawned on me only recently, at the ripe old age of 23 having gone through a series of life changes over the last year and a half and learning just where real happiness comes from. And where is that? Has Granite City Girl unlocked the secret to lifelong happiness? Well it's different for everyone, so I guess the simple answer would be that happiness comes from within yourself and can be discovered by asking yourself a few simple questions. What matters to you most? What do you love? Who do you love? And finally what brings you most joy in life?

Well what does this mean for Granite City Girl?

It simply means that this year I won't be grabbing every opportunity flung my way. I won't be reviewing more restaurants just because I've been invited along, I won't saying yes to obscure brand deals that have nothing to do with my blog and do little to peak my interests, and I won't be wasting any more time living behind a screen when I could in fact be out there living life and writing about richer and more interesting experiences than what I ate for lunch that day.

Perhaps most importantly I won't find myself stretched for time, driven to madness by blank pages on a screen feeling mocked by a blinking cursor waiting on tender hooks for the latest and greatest blog post only for 10 other posts written about the same event or subject to pop up with the same inevitable conclusion.

This of course doesn't mean to say the end of Granite City Girl, I still very much love writing, sharing where I've been and what I've been up to, but as I'm about to enter a new and very exciting phase of life it just means something a little different and more of what I fancy and less of what I feel pressure from others to write about.

Thank you for having the patience to stick with me during my many and numerous breaks and of course to reading and sharing in my love of writing over these last few years, I look forward to continuing to share my life and passion as I move forward in life.

Until next time,

H.Elizabeth x

Social Media | Posting about Exercise and Weight Loss

I have never been one to document every detail of my private life on social media, god knows there are plenty of ladies and gents out there who over share and it has just never appealed to me to become one of them. Honestly who cares what I had for lunch or what kind of underwear my mothers cats aunt wears? However, having said recently I have become a bit more of a social sharer online when it comes to my health and fitness endeavours and I thought I would share an explanation as to why I find this helpful, productive and generally a great thing despite potentially annoying others in the social arena.

Throughout my life I have struggled with my health particularly when it comes to weight loss and healthy eating after adopting excuse upon excuse, and trust me I have used them all from 'I'm too busy' and 'I'm too tired' and even sometimes 'It just isn't practical for my lifestyle' and it wasn't until I reached a near 13 stone that I decided something had to be done and finally take my health a bit more seriously. So through a combination of a healthier eating plan and (VERY) regular trips to the gym I have successfully lost 3 stone and finally feel a bit more comfortable within my size 12 clothes and most importantly within myself, but today's post isn't about my entire weight loss journey, instead I want to share something that may seem so small and insignificant to outsiders looking in but that played a role in my own determination and drive in bettering my life and that is the use of Twitter and social platforms to keep me motivated.



 

Prior to my own experience I used to think people posting certain aspects of their lives on social media was obnoxious. My eyes would roll into the back of my head whenever I saw someone share a post workout selfie or document their salad choices via social media, that is until I became one of them. Everyday without fail I will probably note which physical activity I'll be doing that day, or perhaps a goal I have for the week (most recently that was an endeavour to cut caffeine down gradually) and I'm sure my posts, tweets and general musings about my new lifestyle have induced some eye rolls too and I don't blame them I found it annoying too. However social media might just be my greatest weight loss tool and motivator. Think about it, by posting your goals on social media you're not just making a pledge to yourself but you're putting it out to the world for all to see, so if you give up it isn't just you who sees it, the world does (don't worry I don't think 'the world' read my tweets but you get my drift) you set certain expectations for yourself and being able to go back in your Twitter history and see whether or not you met those expectations is a great thing.

In a mere 140 characters I was able to find and harness the support network and motivation I needed to keep going, not only do my followers and even strangers cheer me on but I am able to connect with like minded people who share the struggles I have faced in recent years and share tips, recipes and ideas on weight loss and fitness with them and if you are any of those people I have mentioned above I would here like to extent my thanks and gratitude. And of course if you're on the other side of the coin, those whose eyes are sick of rolling well, 'haters gonna hate hate hate hate hate'

Once again guys I hope you have enjoyed having a gander at today's post and I would love to hear your opinions on these sort of Tweets and social media posts, which side of the coin are you on? Perhaps you've found an even better way to keep yourself motivated to get up and go to the gym? As always I love to hear from you, be sure to leave your comments below come share your thoughts with my on Twitter or of course if you'd like to keep up with the latest Granite City posts be sure to follow me on Bloglovin.

 

 

Until next time folks, I'm just gonna shake shake shake shake shake...

H.Elizabeth x