Have you posted today? No, I am awfully sorry, I am constipated!
Disclaimer: Constipation is a common digestive problem and I am in no way qualified to write about it nor am I making fun about it. I am using it us an analogy for writer block as the similarities in psychological factors are rather striking: fear and laziness.
What are the reasons for constipation?
Genetical or psychological reasons
I will not go into that!
Consumption of dark chocolate
While consuming the right dose of dark chocolate will give you
an all time high by your brains releasing endorphins, too much of it will impair some of your bodily functions.
Highly addictive dark chocolate single malt whisky truffles by Late Bloomers (just a slight hint)
Too much of everything, too much information and your brains shut down
I do not know about yours but mine did. There is only that much which any brains can digest. Paired with the expectation of mastering any new plugin, widget and gadget it is a nogo.
Getting lost in cyber jungle – It ceased to be fun
In the beginning it was exciting and thrilling to get to know everything from how to write a blog down (5 easy steps) to technical intricacies to social media (1001 reasons why you have to be on every platform). But with the time it is tiring to adapt to all innovations within 2 hours unless you want to seem _________ (fill in after your heart’s content).
Traditional schooling did not prepare me for the MACH II speed. Get familiar with a new subject, learn about it, study it and adapt it to your needs. Use it and the rest will become routine. Maybe dull sometimes but very comfortable, like a pair of well worn shoes.
Search engines vs. humans
I wanted to do everything myself. But some shoes are really too big for me, neither do I have the talent nor the skills to delve any deeper into technical stuff. No wonder I was frustrated, I understood about 5 % of what I was reading, how could I ever expect to be able to use it?
What is wrong with me? What do I do wrong?
I have decided while writing this post: there is nothing wrong with me. I just have to watch out NOT to fall into the same trap every 2 weeks. The trap of expecting too much from myself and not being enough.
What was my goal when I started blogging?
Humble goals: I wanted to reach a bigger audience than my three faithful readers and I wanted to combine all my interests on one platform. I still do.
And I really enjoy your reactions and comments and the forging of new friendships.
And now?
Every now and then we should take some time to take a step back, analyse and reconsider our situation before it gets out of hand and becomes a major crisis.
Take a day off or even more, get out of your hamster wheel, the world will not come to an end if you do not spend every single second online, trying not to miss out on anything, be present on every social platform.
After all, this is about people, this is the reason I started blogging, to communicate with real people online not some anonymous SEO guru and be part of a community of likeminded people. And real people will understand.
Delegate stuff you do not understand or want to be worried about. There are great specialists out there, happy to come to your rescue.
Reread your own posts on “How Focused Are You?” and write a post about constipation.
Talk to friends about your situation, your fears and wishes, listen to what they have to say, it makes sense. Do not be shy and retreat to your cave, let an expert like me give you this advice.
And I want to thank my friends Kaarina, Janine, Kittie, Lori, Hajra, Claudia, Melody, Bill, Lucy, Jack, Craig and all the others I cannot list now for being my friends!
Comments 42
I.love.you, and I love this post! Bravo to you for finally releasing that constipation, haha! You now need simply to heed these words you’ve written. Stay off the hamster wheel. Laugh. Smile, Enjoy. And you had me at single malt whisky truffles, my friend:)
Find the fun again. In reading some blog posts of late (a few of my own included), I think it’s natural to have the “post honeymoon let-down” phase in this world of “social”. You start wondering…why am I doing this? How can I possibly learn all I need to learn? Deadlines…writer’s cramp (or constipation;)…drowning in a sea of clutter, clatter and noise.
Just stop. Breathe deeply. Decide what exactly it is you want to do. Then do. Allow the results to take care of themselves. Baby steps, dear Barbara…one step at a time. Cheers! Kaarina
@KDillabough You know, dear friend, there is a weight off my shoulder! Fortunately my problem did not have anything to do with bowel movements, imagine the descriptions!
I like your wording of the “post honeymoon let-down” phase, very similar and who reckons with the amount of time it takes to cultivate a relationship (or a blog)?
Too bad, the truffles would melt now in those summer temperatures, I’d send a huge case over to your place! But you will have them one day, here or there!
Big hugs, Barbara
@Late_Bloomers I really dislike chocolate, except for dark chocolate. I know that is weird to many people, but unless it’s deep and dark (and with single malt, even better!), it’s not my cup of cocoa:) Cheers! Kaarina
@KDillabough With you all the way: milk chocolate has little appeal for me, too: it tends to have a gluey consistency and a “milky” nauseous taste, the real stuff is 65 %+ cocoa and what flavours can be discovered! Do not mess with nature is more to my liking!
Have you seen the video Danny Brown had in one of his post about a fortnight ago about whisky tasting? I have forgotten the name of the tasting master but the way he recommends combining coffee, chocolate and whisky – heaven!
@Late_Bloomers No, I didn’t see that post, but it sounds delicious. I will look it up:)
@KDillabough Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zjrkd_RZFFY&feature=player_embedded – Have fun!
@Late_Bloomers @KDillabough That video is hilarious! I love that guy’s comedic style. Great tips….mmmmm….scotch.
@rdopping @KDillabough Is he not fantastic? He could sell you his grandmother’s dentures!
Say it isn’t so!!! Dark chocolate can cause constipation!?!??!
Barbara I’m sure you are describing a phase in the life of a blogger that we all go through. We start out excited and any little thing is a big thing and it’s all fun but then we get involved and try harder and just force it so it’s not fun anymore! In fact, I’ve just come through it myself! For now. I hope! I usually get back on track by reminding myself why I started. I think @deliberateblog put it best at a Hangout recently when she said “We put something out there because we want to – because it feels good!” (Honestly – I wrote it down 😉
I’m glad you stayed with it. Your words and wisdom are needed here and much appreciated.
Lori
@Lori @deliberateblog Lori, do not worry, it is only when you eat 2 kilos of it!
Is it not how we react to a given situation? I tend to panic where others would look at it in a more relaxed way. For me the crucial thing now is to adapt a new mindset both on- and offline. I am working on it!
Thank you for your kindness, this means a lot to me and who knows I might write that book yet!
@Late_Bloomers @Lori @deliberateblog Write.that.book. No panic allowed:) Cheers! Kaarina
@KDillabough @Lori @deliberateblog Ha, Kaarina, with all of you around me I will never have my back to the wall and I will definitely write that book!
@Late_Bloomers @KDillabough @deliberateblog 🙂 Keep us posted!
@Lori @KDillabough @deliberateblog You bet!
Been feeling the same thing lately. overload of info and I wanted to eat it all! Today i realized that I needed to step away from it all for a bit and listen. Felt really good to say that on my blog this morning and this day has been lovely…even though I could not resist one last peek at this great spot!
http://www.recoveringchurchlady.com/
@SusieKlein Hi Susie, welcome to Late Bloomers and thanks for your comment. What a great feeling of relief, is it not? And let it never hinder you to come to my place, please!
Sometimes you just get caught up in this and that leading to all sorts of chaos and confusion that conflicts with the creative constant.
That is the sort of gibberish that some of my college professors used to like, but for the life of me I never understood why.
@TheJackB Hi Jack,
Any news yet? Is it not amazing how we wish for others to move ahead but for ourselves the world seems to be at a standstill?
Please, enlighten me: what sort of gibberish are you referring to? I have just been watching the semi finals of the European Football Championship, maybe I suffered some brain injury?
@Late_Bloomers No word yet, soon I hope.
Yay, I made a list………:). And I’m happy to be your friend.
This post could have been written about any of us. I decided to do it on my terms and what worked for me. If I never achieve world global dominance, I will still be ok with my efforts.
For now, I’m having fun and writing and some people are actually reading it; that’s a win for me.
Just keep plugging away, there is no ‘magic’ button that makes it all easy and understandable so just do what you can.
@bdorman264 Hi Bill,
Yesterday’s post was so hilarious, only you could get away with it! And I guess you are expected to write this way, funny, witty and sometimes a little bit provocative.
BTW, what about your writing project? Long time, no see!
Well, here we go on a lovely and very hot Friday, it is my mother’s birthday so I will be off most of the day.
Have a good time this weekend (I do not doubt it) and I am happy to be your friend!
@Late_Bloomers The ‘project’ is coming along slowly; I need to kick it into high gear and get it past the conceptual stage. Maybe my wife will be understanding if I tell her I’m taking the year off from work to do this………..:).
@bdorman264 @Late_Bloomers Oh yes, tell her that…then tell us all about her response;)
@KDillabough @bdorman264 Bill, this is a lovely idea and you could come to Europe on a cruise ship as your wife does not like to fly, tons of time for you to turbo-write …
I can relate on so many levels to this post!
@tandysinclair Hi, Tandy, have we not all been there? Sheer comfort to share the same experiences and what a good feeling to have sailed through the storm and landed in calm waters again! Hey, I like this metaphor, it reminds me of my visit to SA and standing above the cliffs at the Cape!
And you name me! That is all I can think about… I am self obsessed! 🙂
@Hajra Haha, no, I do not think so, it means we all enjoy being appreciated – hey, who is the shrink here?
@Late_Bloomers All we girls need is a compliment!Maybe you could write about that! 😉
@Hajra Compliments or carats, all welcome! We should write about that at the same time!
I’m so glad I’m not the only one using the C word!! You nailed it Barbara! This is truly one occasion when I think some form of diarrhea would be much preferred hehehe……;-)))
@jpage.manuel Better than hitting on the third next letter! Diarrhea – ohh, you have me thinking of some people who truly suffer those symptoms …. LOL, Joy, thanks a ton!
Ah I so totally agree 🙂 A bit of time out helps bring a greater sense of perspective and is a good time to remind yourself why you started in the first place.
@JanineRipper We all sit in the same boat, do we not? And me who does not like boats, no, it is the cruise ships, or maybe it is all about confined spaces and feeling trapped! Have a great week, and do at least once a day something for yourself. Did you have that massage yet? I will go and spoil myself for a facial as I still have a voucher from my last birthday!
This had me laughing out loud at first — I thought, “is Barbara REALLY talking about this?!” But it’s all very true.
@annedreshfield Hi Anne! LOL, laughter is the best medicine and will help us to gain distance, will it not? And promise: I will not turn into an online call center for digestive problems! Have a good day!
@Late_Bloomers Absolutely! Thanks for the laugh. 🙂
There is only that much which any brains can digest. Paired with the expectation of mastering any new plugin, widget and gadget it is a nogo. Thanks for sharing.
Hi @Late_Bloomers love, love, love this post. I think you just described the thoughts most bloggers have had at some point in their “careers”. The idea that we can automate so much of this experience is frustrating to me. If I experience, really experience, a post it takes a few minutes to read and for the most part the comments are where a lot of the fun and interesting stuff happens so how can we miss those? I have to read most of them to see what thoughts get generated from the content. Geez, some blog posts take me a half hour to get through.
Take a day off. For sure. That sounds so good. Recharge the soul.
Thanks a lot for this piece and where do I get some of those single malt truffles….yum.
@rdopping Hi Ralph, love, love, love your reply!
I do everything organically: be this cooking or blogging. In cooking it is with respect to my health and taste, in blogging it is (I admit it!) my hard learnt routine so far and laziness in getting familiar with Hootsuite.
Am I glad to read that it takes you a long time too. I spent hours reading and commenting only a few posts.
And promise: next time I cross the oceans I will take 10 kilos of my truffles with me …. ehhh, or do you know about any customs regulations regarding truffles?
Well, here is to organic blogging then! And, honestly, you can’t have too much dark chocolate, can you?
@JSJ2020 Muriel, do you think this would do the trick? And I completely agree with you, but I have never had any problems with being constipated!