Hi, hello, I’m BACK! (Feat. Finding Balance: Why I Took a Break from Blogging)

Hey there, it’s been a while, hasn't it? What, 2018? That’s the last time I posted minus my little teaser a little over a week ago?! $#@%! It didn’t seem that long. You might be wondering why I went MIA for quite a bit. Was it personal reasons? Was it the pandemic? Well, let me pull back the curtain and share why I decided to take a break from blogging.

Disclaimer:
The TL;DR version of this answer is I am well and happy, I had a bit of a career shift since 2018, and then the pandemic happened in 2020 which is when I initially anticipated relaunching following my second degree. But spoiler alert: I earned my third degree (my masters in professional counseling) during the pandemic, passed my NCE exam over a year ago and am currently working as a clinical therapist and LPC. I also plan to begin working on getting my MSN and possibly DNP in the future—however considering I also got engaged in the midst of all this and am currently planning a wedding, my academic endeavors are on a slight pause; but focusing on the now, outside of that, still the same old Bree!

And, regarding the blog, it will be undergoing some changes, but I plan on continuing to post because I’ve greatly missed this part of my life (to get a bigger scoop on the ch-ch-cha-changes, stay tuned in the next ten days!). So, for y’all who’ve been wanting my life update and what I’ve been up to for the last (almost) six years, here’s the scoop:

1. Prioritizing Mental Health:

Life can get hectic, and so did mine. Juggling work, grad school, personal life, and blogging can take a toll. I realized I needed to prioritize my mental health and step back to recharge. It's essential to acknowledge when the creative well needs a refill.

2. Quality Over Quantity:

In the pursuit of consistency, I found myself prioritizing quantity over quality. I decided to take a pause to refocus on creating content that truly resonates with me and, hopefully, with you all too. Quality always trumps quantity, and I want each post to bring genuine value, and not feel like forced labor to keep up with sponsorships and sometimes perceived competition. Because all in all, I’m doing this for me, it’s my creative outlet and I feel I should enjoy creating content as much as my audience enjoys consuming it!

3. Embracing Change:

Change is inevitable, and sometimes, it's crucial for growth. I took this break to reflect on where I want my blog to go and to embrace the changes happening in my own life. It's okay to evolve, and my blog should reflect that evolution too.

4. Personal Growth Journey:

Life is a journey of continuous growth. I wanted to dedicate time to personal development, learning new skills, and gaining fresh perspectives. This break allowed me to invest in myself, ultimately enhancing the content I create for my wonderful readers (psssst I’m talking about y’all!).

5. Avoiding Burnout:

Blogging can be demanding, and burnout is a real concern (especially as my main profession, a clinical therapist, has a high burn out rate too). To prevent reaching that point of exhaustion here and in my full time gig, I decided to step back temporarily. Taking a break is not a sign of weakness but rather a proactive measure to ensure I can continue to deliver my best in all aspects of my work, on and off the blog.

6. Reconnecting with Passion:

Blogging should always be a passion project, not a chore. I took this break to reconnect with the initial spark that inspired me to start this journey. Rekindling that passion ensures that every post comes from a place of genuine enthusiasm, because that’s what myself and my readers deserve.

7. Balancing Responsibilities:

Life's responsibilities can pile up, and it's crucial to find the right balance. My hiatus allowed me to reassess and reprioritize, ensuring that I can manage my blogging commitments while also fulfilling all other aspects of life. Again, I want this to be something I enjoy and share with others as a means of connection—not something I force myself to do.

8. Quality Me-Time:

Self-care is not just a buzzword; it's a necessity, and I learned this all too well during my time in grad school during the COVID-19 pandemic. I took a step back to indulge in some quality me-time, enjoying activities that I'm passionate about outside the blogging sphere. A rejuvenated blogger means better content for you!

9. Setting Boundaries:

Blogging often blurs the lines between work and personal life. Taking a break helped me set clearer boundaries, ensuring that when I'm working on my blog, I'm fully present and passionate about the content I'm creating, opposed to feeling like “I have too” it’s an “I want too”. Like any labor of love should be. This also has helped me set boundaries for when I’m not working on the blog as well, my personal time shouldn’t be consumed by worrying about sponsorships and deadlines—just like in my clinical work, I need to leave my blog work on the blog and enjoy my experiences outside of it. I have found this makes for a much more harmonious work/life balance.

10. Coming Back Stronger:

Sometimes, you need to take a step back to leap forward. I assure you, this break was not in vain. I've spent this time brainstorming, planning, traveling (*cough, cough* there will be a post very soon about my excursion to New York Fashion Week with my wonderful ghoulmate Adam) and creating content that I can't wait to share with all of you! So get ready for some exciting new posts coming your way!

I appreciate your understanding and continuous support during this hiatus. Let's dive back into this blogging journey together with renewed energy and passion!

And as always, I’d love to chat and catch up! So please feel free to tell me about anything and everything you’ve been doing to rejuvenate and care for yourself in the comments section down below!

P.S. All my socials are still the same, but just in case you forgot you can follow me on Instagram (and connect with me on Threads!), Pinterest, BlogLovin, Twitter (oops I mean “X”, major eye-roll), you can also like/follow me on Facebook and connect with me on LinkedIn!

P.P.S. Also, though my shop is currently under construction, you can still connect with me via LIKEtoKNOW.it (now LTK for short!) and then you’ll be able to shop my closet again once I get some new style posts uploaded.

Xx, Bree

Early New Beginnings: A Prelude

Now that spring has sprung for the sixth time since my hiatus, I’ve been feeling rejuvenated and this recent reinvigoration has made me reflect on what I want in life as well as what I want for this blog. It has also reminded me of how much I have missed this incredibly special piece of my life, I suppose absence really does make the heart grow fonder. And if you’ve been keeping up with me on Instagram, you know I’ve gotten a lot of inspiration the last few years that has re-sparked the flame I have for blogging and I have been preparing a lot of new content,  have had a ton of experiences, and have grown/evolved significantly along the way.

With this being said, when I look back on my existence, I don’t want to debase my experiences to a mere meticulously executed Instagram feed, worrying about deadlines for sponsored posts, or “OOTDs” on this blog, for this blog I want authenticity.

I hope I can recall all of the times I spent walking through poorly lit alleyways to get to Liberty Avenue to meet friends at 941 Saloon, inhaling mold in dusty antique/bookshops, getting incredibly too drunk at the dive bars in Lawrenceville with my best friend, and getting pelted with fat raindrops in the city streets seemingly every time (at least for the first 6 months) my fiancé and I went on a date.

Don’t let me forget the grown out black bangs tangled in my long wispy eyelashes which never fail to cause me to have to change my contact lenses after removing my motorcycle helmet, or that eerie incandescent glow and spooky flickering of the lights at the 6th street parking garage after 8PM in December. Remind me of the unexpectedly vibrant conversations and kind words had with strangers at bus stops and crosswalks, as well as the elongated shadows of my loved ones as we trek across scorching, black pavement on the 10th street bridge on our walks to SouthSide in the sticky, muggy heat that Pittsburgh’s summers never fail to bring.

I cried, I laughed, I loved. I lived through that grit and blossomed in its chaos wearing well loved band t-shirts, skinny jeans, and on most occasions from spring throughout fall, a motorcycle helmet. And  what I learned is delightfulness  is nourished by unexpected developments.

I’ve grown  and evolved so much since my last post in 2018, and am excited to take this blog in a new direction, but with a little of the same flare. It’s good to be back, and I can’t wait to see what this journey unfolds with you.

Stay tuned for my official welcome back post on April 10, 2024.

Xx, Bree

2017: It's Time To Be Happy Again

“True wealth is having a healthy mind, body, and spirit. True wealth is having the knowledge to maneuver and navigate the mental obstacles that inhibit your ability to soar.” -RuPaul

Despite all the wonderful things that transpired the latter half of last year, I'm not going to lie: 2016 was not the best year for me. During the early months of 2016, I struggled with some long lingering health effects of anorexia, putting me in and out of the hospital for testing, blood work, and further observation of the ailments I had been suffering from. So needless to say, the months of March, April, and May were not very pleasant for me; for both physical and mental reasons, which is what lead me to take my blogging hiatus last summer. However, during that break, I feel I experienced a substantial amount of personal growth and having a break from everything (including but not limited to the stress of blogging, toxic relationships, and of course a hospital room) really gave me some prospective of how I wanted to live my life. Without all of the chaos from being sick, cutting the toxic people out of my life, and having a little time away from here really put into prospective of what made me happy. Obviously, I liked being happy, so much so I decided it was time to practice some radical self love. 

I am sure if you gazed at Pinterest, Twitter, or Facebook during the year 2016, in the midst of all the negativity, I'm sure  you've come across at least one or two articles about the power of positive thinking, body positivity, and self love--seems as though social media has had enough of this negative nonsense too, right? Well with that being said, I did too, and I became intrigued. Because to be honest, I hadn't liked myself much since developing an eating disorder in high school, let alone loved myself. So while reflecting and recovering over the summer, I actually made a pretty hefty Pinterest Board filled with beautiful self-love and body positive quotes, and I even started keeping a small journal to write three simple things down in everyday, which are as follows:

1. A daily affirmation
2. One thing that I love about myself
3. A daily quote about self love, just as a little reminder

And though doing these thing didn't take much effort, throughout the summer I was surprised to find that I actually began to feel a change. I became less caring of what others thought of my appearance, I became more fearless in my approach to life (e.g. how I met John at Warped Tour after crowd surfing to Sum 41's "Fat Lip"), and I just simply started seeing the beauty around me again. It was an absolutely wonderful feeling, like a weight being lifted off my shoulders. I began to realize that my past does not define me, I am not broken to the point of no repair, the number on the scale is just that, a number (though this one is still a little tough for me, so I just quit weighing myself period--and that is perfectly okay!) and I am lovable and worthy of being loved by everyone, but that I am especially worthy of loving myself. The only thing I was missing was my outlet for my creativity, which obviously returned when I stepped back on the blogging scene last September, and I've been owning it and the other aspects of my life ever since. 

With that being said, think it's more than safe to say that in 2017, I will continue practicing self love to the fullest and plan on filling my little journal's pages to the brim with quotes, daily affirmations, and compliments! And what are today's you ask?

1. I am a successful young woman and I am proud of all my achievements. I know my future holds great things and I cannot wait to see what all the universe has in store for me.
2. I love the tiny bunch of scars on my left foot from when I accidentally had hot coals spilled on it. They remind me of one very fun night with some of my closest friends, and why you probably shouldn't drink wine while smoking a hookah.

3. “Wanting to be someone else is a waste of the person you are.” -Marilyn Monroe

How have you incorporated self love into your life? Let's chat about it in the comments below and keep the positive vibes going! 

Xx, Bree