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Life has a way of tainting us.
Of making us feel inferior to others.
Of making us feel incompetent and incomplete.
We forget how to be unapologetically ourselves. We forget how to be authentic. Hiding pieces of who we are so as not to disturb others around us. Sometimes we can forget those pieces even exist until one day, they are screaming to be listened to.
We get so good at hiding that we no longer even know who we are anymore.
USING YOUR BLOG TO FIND THE WAY BACK TO YOURSELF
Have you ever scrolled on your favourite social media platform and read something that just struck you? That captured your attention as if it was written just for you.
Words have a way of telling us the truth even when we don’t want to listen. They remind us who we are, what we want, and what we are trying to hide. Writing brings us back to ourselves.
Why do you think journaling is so beneficial?
Unfiltered.
Unaltered.
Words are powerful and when we learn how to use them to heal and surrender, we begin to change and become who we are meant to be.
Putting yourself out there is scary.
Putting yourself out there means being vulnerable.
Putting yourself out there is intimidating.
Putting yourself out there is a game-changer.
When words become our ally then we can begin to feel safe in who we are.
TIPS FOR AUTHENTIC SELF-DISCOVERY THROUGH BLOGGING
I have been a writer since the age of 10 when my fifth-grade teacher taught me the importance of getting the words out of my head and heart and putting them down on paper. He made such an impact on me that even after losing myself after my sexual assault, years later, I knew what I needed to do.
Share my story.
Was it easy? Oh hell no BUT I knew that there was no other option. I was at the bottom and I didn’t want to keep looking up from the black hole hoping and wishing that my life would change.
Was it scary? Oh hell yes BUT when I hit that publish button for the first time, there was this veil that lifted. I no longer needed to hide. It is a strange feeling when you feel like you need to hide something that happened to you because you don’t want people to know but at the same time you think that everyone can see it on you anyway and that they automatically know.
October marks 9 years since I started blogging. 9 years ago in October of 2014, I shared my story for the first time. I wish that I had that blog post to look back on. I wish I could see how far that girl has come.
9 years of sharing my story.
9 years of healing.
9 years of every day deciding that my story matters and is worth sharing.
9 years of discovering who I am supposed to be.
Why should you listen to me?
Well, you don’t have to but after all of my experience of sharing my story, and being vulnerable in front of family, friends, and complete strangers, I would like to think that I do know a little something about coming back to yourself.
Blogging was my outlet. Blogging was the tool that I used to catapult me into healing and I want that same thing for you. I want you to look at blogging as a way to share your story. Not only to heal yourself but to help others around you to heal.
When you can be vulnerable, you give someone else the courage to be vulnerable. That’s what this world needs. We need to show people that trauma exists and it doesn’t have to exist in black and dark. When we can bring it to the light, we can all heal and begin to shine even brighter.
So where do you begin? Here are some tips to help use blogging as a healing tool.
START SMALL
You don’t need to share your deep, dark secrets to start the healing process. Plus it can be terrifying to do that. Start by sharing a story that isn’t so big but still helped you to transform into who you are today.
Some examples are…
Moving to a new country, state, city
Getting married
Getting a divorce
Becoming an aunt/uncle
We are made up of stories and each one of them has taught us something about ourselves. Start there and see where it can take you.
DON’T FOCUS ON SEO AT THE BEGINNING
Did I just hear gasps after hearing this advice? Why am I telling you not to focus on SEO?
Well because we can get caught up in thinking that we have to know everything before we start something and then we never start.
Don’t wait to start blogging because you don’t know about SEO. You can learn as you go. Plus if you are looking for the basics of SEO, check out my blog post here. Remember that sometimes we can get stuck in the planning mode that we just never move forward. We come up with excuse after excuse because we think it needs to be done a certain way.
There are no “rules” to blogging. Start where you are and learn from there!
USE YOUR BLOG AS AN OUTLET TO DIVE INTO YOUR STORY
I’ve said it before and I will say it again. Writing is beneficial for your mental health and your healing. When you decide to start a blog to share your story, you take your history and your experiences and you begin to dive deeper into who you are.
Use your blog as an outlet to dive into your story even more. There are moments that I begin to just write and the things that come out are incredible. Things that I didn’t know I was feeling. Sometimes I can put into words how I am feeling until the keyboard is underneath my fingers.
Don’t focus on SEO.
Don’t focus on monetization.
Don’t focus on anything but getting your stories and experiences out into the world.
WRITE WITH AN OPEN HEART
Being able to express oneself is a gift that not everyone has. That doesn’t mean that it isn’t something that can be taught. When we are at that stage of healing and we are ready to share with the world our story, we are at our most vulnerable.
There is this little crack that appears where our hard shell once was and that little light flickers, slowly building up power and warmth.
When we try to filter who we are, we water down our experiences and everything that we have survived and accomplished. Sharing pieces of yourself truthfully and authentically means that you are not only showing others how to be vulnerable BUT you are teaching yourself that it is okay to show up for yourself.
THROW AWAY THE JUDGMENT ABOUT YOUR PAST
We are our worst critics.
I remember reading a book last year (can’t remember the title right off the top of my head) and the thing I remember the most is when she talked about how we don’t share our stories because we didn’t have it as bad as someone else.
This isn’t a competition for whose trauma is the worst. We all have trauma that we have dealt with or are dealing with and we don’t need to throw judgment onto ourselves. Learn how to reclaim your life with this blog post.
Your story is yours. There is no need to compare it to other stories. When we are in judgment mode, we diminish all that we have gone through. That just isn’t fair. It isn’t fair to you and it isn’t fair to those who need to hear your story.
Yesterday I was at the Momentum Open House. I was one of the vendors there showcasing my business. I was there last year as well and met so many incredible people. Yesterday, however, a woman came up to me (we also spoke last year) and told me that I was doing wonderful things. She follows me on social media and absolutely LOVES what I am doing.
She went on to say that what I was doing was important and she was proud of me for doing it. She thanked me for showing up and being vulnerable.
Why am I telling you this?
Because most days, you aren’t going to realize the true impact that you have on people. You need to show up for those people that you don’t even know exist. The ones who are soaking in everything that you share BECAUSE you are helping them to build up their voice.
She doesn’t comment on my posts.
She doesn’t share my posts.
Instead, she soaks them in. She shows up in a way that is silent to me but screams to her! That is how I am making a difference. I am the voice for those who haven’t quite found theirs yet and I will continue to show up until they do.
You have that same power.
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