Kathy Hamilton Hello everyone on this little corner of the internet, it’s been a while hasn’t it? When I published my last post I had no idea that I wouldn’t write another word here for the best part of a year but here we are. Life has a funny way of letting you know, by hook or by crook, when you need a break. But it’s a new year, and I’ve missed you. I’ve missed writing.
For the past two years,
like all of us in this crazy pandemic world, I have been funnelling most of my energy into my day job. Trying to keep the lights on, metaphorically and physically. I’m so lucky to work as a digital content creator but the funny thing is that when you rely on your creativity for a living it can eventually suck the joy out of the process. And after a day of work, I found myself unable to imagine logging back in to write anything else, even for pleasure.
It’s been a while since I realised I was burnt out.
I kept seeing the word splashed across Instagram and the media but it wasn’t something I associated with myself. Influencers get burnt out, people with millions of followers. Not a normal person living in Belfast! But for a solid five months, my brain just could not conjure up a creative thought that wasn’t directly linked to my job.
I didn’t read, write, take any photos or do much of anything like that. It didn’t help that my life seemed to have shrunk to the size of my house either. Working from home has its joys. But I started to miss the community that being at work brings and navigating the pandemic world outside my door sometimes felt overwhelming.
So I gave myself the time and space to slowly come back to the things that I love. I stopped trying to place goals or expectations on my interests. If I felt like picking up a book, I did. If I didn’t well…you understand. It’s been a while since I took a picture without the intention to share it or read a book I didn’t immediately feel the need to post about and deciding not to feels freeing.
Slowly but surely, I started to feel that spark again, the joy of spending time doing something I loved. I tried out new hobbies and picked up old projects and gave myself a break. Being offline felt really good for my mental health. I realised that honestly, the only person we should do any of this for is ourselves. With that realisation came a second one, it also feels nice to share our passions with other people.
So, why am I sharing this now? I don’t know really. Except that after such a prolonged absence here it felt disingenuous to pop back up with a post about reading or books. I wanted the opportunity to share a little slice of my reality with you. And do you know,
