Posts Tagged Blogging
Open Book
I’ve been doing a lot of introspection the past couple weeks. One of the drawbacks about putting your thoughts and feelings out there in the blogosphere is that not everyone will love what you have to say, all day, every day.
Shocker, right?!
Naturally, I know it comes with the territory; it’s a risk I have to take, both as a writer, and also as someone who is trying to overcome a challenge. I have to realize that when I broach touchy subjects (or any subject, really), some people will possibly be turned off by my words, and some people might feel annoyed, frustrated, or upset reading my words …
Likewise, I never know what will be a “good post” or an “eh post.” Some days I see zero comments (but 700 hits) and other days I get a ton of comments on a particular post, or follow-up e-mails.
Comments are good; they create a dialogue, which is one of my blog’s missions. Often your comments (positive or not) lead to another post, and I do that because I’m listening … observing … absorbing.
Deep down, I know change doesn’t emerge from stagnancy … and so I know in my heart that writing/blogging about the good, the bad, and the ugly has helped myself and others. And I do believe that without it, I might not be where I am today on this journey.
That said, whereas before I wrote my thoughts and feelings in a journal and no one but me could read them … now my thoughts are out there for the world to read. And that can be a daunting notion. (more…)
7 comments April 29, 2009
To Blog or Not to Blog …
I have to admit, it was very good for me to take a whole day off from obsessing about disordered eating: emailing, blogging, talking … I nixed it all.
Even my friends I usually speak openly about this stuff with, I had to back off. And it was good. I didn’t chew/spit, didn’t overeat, didn’t over-exercise … just “was,” and it felt nice.
I thought long and hard about this, took into account what all of you shared (online or offline) and it means a ton to me to know how much support there is out there.
The thing is, I love to write, and so I am ready to be back, but perhaps on different terms. What I mean is, I might not write every day, five nights a week like I have been, but I am not going to stop Tales; life doesn’t stop and therefore my blog — a form of art imitating life — … shouldn’t stop, either.
Unless it’s what I want. (more…)
5 comments March 19, 2009
… Now What?
I’ve been asked lately by several people if my blogging about my disordered eating issues is really helping me, or hurting me.
Every so often this conversation arises, and the more time that passes, the harder it gets to answer because I, myself, question this very notion.
Some days I am so sure I am doing the right thing here — sharing my experiences, offering a sounding board for others who are experiencing similar challenges, creating a community for like-minded people who also want to recover/get better.
But then other days I feel like I am just going in circles, not making progress, just rehashing the same scenarios time and time again as they occur.
In fact, I often wonder if I am hindering my own growth potential when I spend time in the weeds instead of in the field … or possibly hindering someone else’s when all they read about is my set-backs.
The truth is, I am at a tipping point. Ultimately, the only person who can decide if it’s helping is me. I feel a strong sense of ownership in that I love to write and maintain my blog, and the topic is clearly something I am passionate about. (more…)
11 comments March 18, 2009
From the Doc’s Couch to Your Laptop
I met with Dr. G. last night and shared with her my concerns about blogging, as well as those of my loved ones who voiced their concern that perhaps ithis outlet was fueling my obsession and hurting me, rather than helping me.
I shared that I got a variety of responses from my readers and loved ones, and how I wanted her opinion as a professional. If, as my therapist, she saw harm in it.
So she asked me if my chewing-and-spitting and midnight incidents had lessened since blogging, as this was the behavior we were initially working to change. (Yes — they still occur but far more infrequently than pre-blogging).
She asked me if I enjoy blogging. (Yes, absolutely).
And she asked me if I would miss it if I didn’t do it. (Yes, I think I would; I love to write). (more…)
13 comments December 10, 2008
Immunity?
A recent conversation with a loved one has me pondering if perhaps I’ve become immune to what I’m experiencing … as in, maybe because I’m living it, I don’t see glimpses into just how obsessive I still am? And that perhaps blogging is only adding to my OCD relationship with food and exercise?
Some days I think this is truly helping me. I can sift through my thoughts and share my opinions here; it’s a “safe place” because I write and you read and then we create a dialogue.
But then someone says something that makes me second guess myself. Like a friend, or a loved one — voicing concern that maybe blogging is just another mechanism for my obsessivness: instead of talking about food and exercise … I’m writing about it.
In detail.
And so I’m beginning to wonder … is there really any difference? Is this just another manifestation of my OCD? (more…)
16 comments December 5, 2008
Separating Rational & Irrational Thoughts
I had therapy last night and, as always, it was a great session with Dr. G.
Now I’m going every other week, and we’re building off each past experience every time we meet. I’m much more comfortable, and it’s awesome how she really “gets” me…and helps me “get” me, too.
Captain Obvious would say, “OK, but she is trained to do this, Melissa.” This much is true.
Still, I marvel at the thought of someone who can really help me see me for me, and accept me as I am, helping me to sort through my thoughts — even if they’re not about anxiety or eating issues — teaching me techniques I can use for the rest of my life.
One of the biggest things therapy has helped me do is separate rational and irrational thoughts. This requires thinking before speaking, something I’m not accustomed to doing.
That said, I’ve really been trying to think more before speaking … to make sure that my spoken (or written) thoughts are rational ones, to make sure I’m not putting demands on myself that are too high or unnatural.
This also means gauging my audience and thinking about them before speaking: be it at work, at a social function, amongst friends, or even here on my blog ….
Which, in a rather long-winded manner, brings me to today’s post about how I’ve been feeling about my body lately, an internal battle of sorts: accepting myself as I am, or struggling to re-lose these last 10 or so again. (more…)
23 comments November 14, 2008
When Work and Life Intersect
Image credit: Digital Studio 7
I’m here in Chicago for AdTech, a conference for digital marketers. (I work at a digital ad agency).
Tonight’s keynote speaker was Clay Shirky, the social media whiz and author of Here Comes Everybody: the Power of Organizing Without Organizations. Clay is a hot commodity in the digital world, and he will actually be speaking at a symposium my agency is hosting this fall.
Clay’s basic premise, in five words, is that “group action just got easier.”
Essentially, with the proliferation of the Web and all its various platforms (blogs, Flickr, Facebook, Twitter, to name a few) consumers have gone from sharing to creating conversations to collective action, all under the umbrella of the Web.
And they’re doing it on their own; they’re Googling and hunting for content that intrigues them and using social media platforms to share their thoughts and opinions.
Today, everyone and anyone is literally capable of being a producer. Anyone can upload a home movie to YouTube, anyone can Twitter, and anyone can pen a blog. In fact, according to Technorati, as of December 2007, there were 112 million blogs!! Are we all that exciting?!
While not all blogs have a tremendous following, consumers like me are out there, producing content. We’re advocating for causes we believe in, we’re promoting presidential candidates, we’re reviewing hotel rooms in Tuscany. (more…)
4 comments August 6, 2008
