Alice Catherine Alice Catherine

Welcome back to a brand new blog post – today marks world mental health day, so I thought I’d compose a slightly more personal piece of writing as it’s been a little while since I’ve written anything of that nature. I basically just wanted to type freely about something that’s been on my mind as of late – the pressure to keep up with the way the blogging industry is growing/changing, and how it can often trigger anxious times and make it feel like you’re treading water and way out of your comfort zone…

Now don’t get me wrong, I think challenges are important for everyone – it’s a positive thing to teach yourself to be uncomfortable now and then, it often makes you adapt and react more quickly in situations you fear. However, there is an increasing pressure to self promote, to host events, to be in shiny campaign videos – basically all of the things that cause me sleepless nights and anxious email responses. My anxiety is a part of me that I think will always be present in some form – but as my blog grows, so does my fear of not being good enough. It sounds silly, but there is a pressure to almost conduct yourself like a model or presenter, and not every blogger has bags of confidence or legs that go on forever. I am often envious of bloggers who almost double up as models and take to huge projects with ease, but for me it sometimes makes me shy away and rethink what the hell I’m doing. Then I think back to how I felt about YouTube before I started – I was completely convinced that it was something I’d never do, but now that I’ve started, I’ve actually found myself really enjoying it. It’s a new way to share and engage with you guys, and hopefully get across a little more of my personality. That being said, would I have taken the plunge had it not been for the pressure? Who knows.

One of the questions I was asked on a recent YouTube Q&A was have I ever doubted myself along the way? The truth is yes, massively, and I still battle with confidence and self doubt on a regular basis. For someone who (for the most part) can be quite introvert and prefers the familiar – creating content for the internet can often be draining. There are days when I sometimes feel a little suffocated by it all – constant expectation and new outfit ideas can be overwhelming. Perhaps sometimes I just want to wear the same jeans all week and perhaps I don’t feel like having my picture taken or promoting my own work. These are all struggles that rear their head from time to time – just like most jobs, there are ups and downs to blogging and sharing parts of your life with the online world. It’s funny because my phone used to feel like a personal object, but now I look at it and automatically think about work, I think about emails and posting new Instagram images. Sometimes just glancing over to where my phone lays on a Monday morning is enough to completely overwhelm me before lunch time. It’s safe to say that just over six months into freelancing, I’m still working on finding that work/life balance that works best for me.

There’s also this connotation that if you’re a freelancer – you shouldn’t complain. After all, you’re likely to be doing a job that you’ve chosen to do, exercising a skill set that you enjoy. In this sense, I often feel bad when moaning around friends or family when I have hard times – but this is silly. Everyones issues are issues to them – everyone has the right to admit that they are finding life a little harder than they did the previous week. This is not something that is automatically snatched from you just because you get to do your dream job. I might seem that I get to have amazing experiences from the outside (which I do), but what you don’t always see in the meltdown I might have had prior to going on that trip or turning up at that event. It’s all a learning curve, and for the most part, freelancing has taught me that although I might struggle with down times and self doubt, I am also way stronger than I sometimes let myself believe. No matter how things change or evolve, I have to be willing to move with that, and not get too caught up in the future or the expectations of others. There are going to be stretches of really happy/fun times, but there will also be times when I question myself and wonder if I’m on the right path. That’s just human. the only difference is, if you suffer with anxiety or depression, these times are likely to be heightened – that unavoidable crushing feeling in your chest that becomes all too familiar, but doesn’t get any easier to digest with each return. It’s important to take a moment to remind yourself that are you are strong, you are worthy of your dreams, and each bad feeling is only ever temporary…

If you are suffering from anxiety, depression or any kind of mental health issue – no matter how big or small you think it might be, talking to someone is always a step in the right direction. If you are based in Manchester for instance, organisations like Manchester Mind are a mental health focused charity that are working for better, more positive attitudes towards mental health in the city.

Alice x


Photography by Adriana

Disclaimer: This post isn’t sponsored, I am working in collaboration with Manchester Mind to highlight their important work!

Jacket – Native Youth | Jumper – H&M (old) | Pendant – Theodora Warre

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15 Comments

  1. Jill Gilbert says:

    Thank you so much for posting this. I just started an Instagram a few months ago and I really want to start blogging. I am introverted as well and there have been a couple times that I have felt crippled by self doubt. I feel a lot better knowing I’m not alone <3

    1. alicecatherine says:

      Thank you for reading! And best of luck with blogging – I’m sure you’ll be amazing xx

  2. Anja says:

    Thank you for being so open about your struggles.

    With all the social media these days I often feel like everyone’s living a perfect live, while I’m on the struggle train. But then I look around me and realize I have a mother who’s been in treatment for a burn out, a best friend who suffers from depression and myself who often lets anxiety take over.

    I think it massively helps to figure out what’s causing the issue you’re having and then get a step by step plan together on how to deal with it. I get overwhelmed when I don’t get to have downtime at home every day and after accepting that and giving myself the time to relaxeach day I’ve been suffering much less with from neverending sleepless nights, tummy ache and skin issues caused by being on the tipping point 24/7.

    x

    1. alicecatherine says:

      Definitely – speaking to someone is sometimes the hardest step but also a really important one. I’m also the same with regards to allowing myself daytime – I think a lot of it stems from keeping myself busy and distracted because that’s usually when I’m the least anxious. However, that always leads to becoming burnt out later on down the line. It’s necessary to have breaks and allow ourselves to switch off x

  3. Marine says:

    Hi Alice!

    Really powerful post. Anxiety is not an easy subject to broach and I think you’ve found the perfect words to talk about it. Your writing is honest and full of truth!

    Love,
    Marine

    1. alicecatherine says:

      Thank you so much! Such a kind and encouraging comment – very much appreciated xx

    1. alicecatherine says:

      Thank you! x

  4. Oh Alice, you’ve perfectly spoken my exact thoughts and feelings that I’ve been having lately and I did initially feel rather alone on the topic of not feeling good enough in this ever-changing and growing industry. You’re completely right, having mental health struggles on top, like you I struggle awfully with my anxiety, it does add to the constant challenges thrown our way.

    “each bad feeling is only ever temporary”
    A gentle but powerful reminder that was very much needed today.

    Beautiful photographs and honest words as always lovely! x

    1. alicecatherine says:

      Thank you so much lovely lady! Means a lot xx

  5. Holly White says:

    I totally know how you feel – I’m so full of self doubt!

    I worry that I can’t compete with other ‘bigger’ bloggers and I find that I’m so concerned about ever complaining that I feel stressed out or overwhelmed because as a Blogger, were not allowed to be. But in reality, we’re all individuals and just have to do our own thing (I constantly have to remind myself of that) xxx

  6. Victoria Coenen says:

    Hello sweet sweet girl, so lovely to see you on here (I googled you last week when Gabs came home from seeing Mark) and there you were. Well done, best of luck for the future xxx

    1. alicecatherine says:

      Thank you! Miss you – me and rachel will have to come and visit soon xxx

  7. I always love thought-provoking posts like these ♥ thank you for posting this! The blogosphere needs more posts liek these, because we all end up otherwise believing that the others have this perfect life and that is so not true at all!

    Sora.
    http://dangerouslyme.com/

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