Anyone who follows me on Twitter would know that I've been struggling with my mental health recently...
I've been feeling quite depressed, and I'm feeling the pressures of everyday life and blogging.
For this reason, my A-Spec August reading challenge has taken a back seat as my mental health has to come first. If you're interested in my progress with this reading challenge so far, I have read Loveless by Alice Oseman and Rick by Alex Gino. I began to read my next book Beyond The Black Door by A.M. Strickland but decided to DNF it at around 52% as I found it quite slow and too long drawn out.
This week, I'm taking a break from my current read and instead publishing a short update and reasons why we could all benefit from putting our mental health first.
Taking Breaks
After four night shifts at work and trying to fill any spare time with reading, I quickly became burned out and desperately needed a break. I decided to relax more over the weekend, only briefly checking social media and instead focusing on self-care and prioritising my mental health.
As a result, I haven't finished my latest read (Daughter of the Burning City by Amanda Foody) that was due to be published today, yet it will be published soon instead. It's SO important to take breaks, and there's nothing wrong with doing so. Although I feel guilty for disappointing you all, I know that my mental health is begging me for a break.
Learning To Slow Down
Linking to the previous section, it's important to know when your brain needs you to stop and slow down. I could feel myself becoming more agitated and stressed by all the pressures in front of me, and for this reason, I decided to pause my current read.
It's okay to have breaks and prioritise your mental health, in fact, sometimes it's necessary.
Comforts and Self-Care
Over lockdown, I picked up some new hobbies for myself including yoga, which I turned to over the weekend to help relax myself. I also turned to some personal self-care comforts that helped too.
I've had some pretty serious mental breakdowns, and I understand when my body is pushed to the limit. I'm sorry for those who were waiting for my next book review, it will come soon!
Apologies for a short post this week - much love to you all for your continuous support!
Take care,
Sophie x
Hi Amna,
That's very sweet of you, thank you! Yep, I'm the same! I try to give 110% to my blog on my days off yet really I should be spending some time relaxing and giving myself a break to avoid burnout. I'll be sure to check out your post <3 . Thanks so much for your comment x
I can totally relate to how you feel. I always want to write more and post more on my social media on the weekends because I want to make sure to have enough content for my readers. But I think it's better to rest and recharge, otherwise the content will suffer! My latest blogpost is actually about the importance of self-care. I hope you got the rest you need :) - Amna (askamna.com)