Blog Stress
I have come across on the net (like any blogger has) many articles dealing with blogging, search engine optimization, monetizing a website, and many more tech stuffs.
However, a topic that takes a backseat is what we can call “blog stress”. I have been writing topics in Nursing research which deals with different types and sources of stress. I have noticed, from my personal experiences, that blogging can also be stressful – very stressful. Whoa!
This is true especially when the blog is new and the blogger (like me) is so enthusiastic to get noticed and increase his Page Rank (PR) in Google or authority in Technorati, which is, admittedly a painstaking job. In my own methods of online research and observations on trends in blogging, monetizing a blog is not alien to bloggers. In fact, all the bloggers I know do some sort of advertising and monetizing.
Some friends I have online are full-time bloggers and nobody can blame them (including myself) to try and earn some $$$ out of the work WE put into blogging. Who doesn’t want to earn money, anyway? It’s a win-win situation, if I may add, for bloggers like me. For one, we can express out thoughts, feelings and ideas writing posts. For another, we get paid (in variable amounts) which in my opinion is just and fair. Why? Bloggers reach out to many people. Serving ads with blogs is not easy as some may think. On the technical side, the server in which the blog is hosted may serve the site slower than usual due to inevitable cluttering of inline texts and ad blocks which come in still images or animated gifs/flash files. Further, at times, ads interfere with some readers who are sensitive to ads.
In light of these things, bloggers should be given credit for all the work they do. After all the sleepless nights (in some cases) and hours of writing and formatting the blog post, the body and mind that at times we succumb to them. My blogger-friends informed me that they got sick, experienced muscle pains in all parts of their bodies and suffered headaches in more than one occasion. I too, have had unfortunate chances of experiencing the same things.
This leads me to believe that bloggers need a break from blogging to protect themselves from further ailments. Some bloggers admitted to me through email and message boards that they have become “blogoholics” – they breathe and live to blog. Well, this is very common especially among full-time guys and gals who work at home because of family obligations, lack of employment outside, and for others reasons I have failed to mention here.
In my case, I have begun to realize how difficult it is to work as a full-time blogger for the past month. So, I have adopted some sort of changes in my blogging habits starting when I felt some pains in my lower back and neck. These are actually very effective. I hope you will actually try them for yourself to see the effects.
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Before working in front of the computer, do some stretching of the arms, neck, legs and waist.
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When eye strain begins to strike, look away from the monitor for 5-10 minutes. You can look out the window and focus on distant objects. The clouds, trees, mountains or buildings far away from your place are good targets.
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Stay away from the computer at least a couple of hours before resuming prolonged work. Again, you may do some stretching.
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Don’t be too concerned with your page hits. Enjoy blogging. Don’t take it seriously when you get no page hit for the day. As long as you love what you’re doing, getting traffic should not bother you too much. I would have to admit, I had the nasty habit of checking my statistics almost every hour of the day. Don’t do that. Keep in mind that a blog’s success does come after many months of hard work. Successful blogs were not made overnight.
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Do other things aside from blogging. Take a good walk in the park with your dog, go to the beach, cook an unknown recipe, paint, or do whatever you love doing aside from blogging. It helps refresh the mind for new posts.
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Get a massage if you can have one. Maybe I should consider myself lucky. My wife, being a nurse, is a good masseuse. And I love the way she massages my shoulders and back (knowing that it’s free of charge, lol!)
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Listen to good music. This helps relieve strain on your mind when you’re thinking of the next article to write. The brain usually re-energizes after listening to good music. Whatever your genre doesn’t really matter. What matters most is you enjoy the music you’re listening to. You can also do yoga if you know how.
For the last tip I gave, you may download some relaxation music I have uploaded in my previous post “Relaxation Music Ready for Download“. I have only uploaded 6 files (not much I know) because first, this blog is not a music store and second, it will take its toll on my blog’s loading speed. You can find other free relaxation music online by searching through Yahoo or Google search engines.
If you can share some tips that you have tried and deemed effective, I would sincerely appreciate it if you can leave a comment on this post so others will benefit from it.
Happy blogging and may your blogs reach Page Rank 10!
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Tags: Blog Stress, Blogging
You are right to write about exercises to do befor PC. I pass different hours towrite and to search and to advertise myself -and as a result I have my eyes in the bad condition now. With the glasses -4 I don’t see anything more on the monitor… It’s time to begin to think about.
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liudmila, thanks for informing about this… don’t let your condition worsen. maybe you should adopt some changes in you blogging habits as well. if your eyes are no longer comfortable, get some rest for a few minutes. don’t wet your eyes with water just to stay awake and refresh. this will cause spasm and may damage the nerves. instead, follow one of my tips. look from afar then return to your computer when the you’ve rested enough. take care of your eyes. as computer geeks, we cannot afford to lose good eyesight. inform me if you feel any improvement in your eye condition after doing what i told you. take care!
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Thank you. I have to do it. The only thing I forget all around me when I write. I have maybe to eat something more necessary for eyes.
If you can, write something about intoxications. I have the great problem to have intoxications from every food. Maybe it is from the nerves.
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liudmila, thank you for your suggested topic. i have it prepared already… i just need some time to prepare the post… always take care of yourself, my friend.
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Kuya, baket ngaun ko lang nabasa to? Lumalala ang myopia ko. I can hardly see the words I am reading infront of my PC and whenever I use my cellphone. I think i need to upgrade my contacts and eyeglasses very, very soon!
Scotty’s Princess’s last blog post..If I Had A Choice
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[...] Blog stress is a term I coined in one of my previous articles because when I was new in the world of blogging, I had to learn how to promote my sites in social networks, connect with fellow bloggers and buid links for my site (this site, specifically). [...]
[...] Eye relaxation technique can include the following write-up: Studies show that you can actually give your eyes some rest or relaxation by looking at a running water or bodies of water like a creek, river, waterfall, or the sea. Eye strain or fatigue is common to people who work in front of computers for long hours. During waking hours, your eyes get the most strain because you just can’t close them for a long time when you’re awake. Sounds logical, right? lol! However, you can give them some rest by looking at a running water or by looking at distant objects for a few minutes (see article on Blog Stress). [...]