Hi everyone! I am coming out of hibernation and opened WordPress on my laptop for the first time since December 2024. I realize how much I’ve missed connecting with all of you through my posts and updates. I’ve also missed leaving comments on your blog posts. Reading your blogs on a regular basis has been something I missed too. In case you missed my last blog post from December 2024, you can read it here. I never did update you on which goals I ended up accomplishing. Honestly, I don’t really remember the details because I didn’t write them down.
No Motivation for Anything
I am not proud of completely abandoning my blog. What you witnessed here was my last blog post that I had written. Yes, it dates back to my goals for December 2024. To summarize how December went, everyone in my immediate family got sick during Christmas break except me. Usually, my immune system is terrible, but for some reason, I didn’t get sick, so that remains a mystery. That being said, I was sick last week and spent this week recovering from a nasty head cold.🤷♀ ️
Rethinking My Game Plan
I recently discovered that a work colleague of mine is making good money with digital marketing. She was kind and told me what it’s about without gate keeping her strategy, but I don’t want to get into digital marketing. I also don’t want to actively use Instagram or TikTok to sell courses. However, this makes my #Redbubble side hustle feel more like a waste of time than ever before. My Redbubble earnings are peanuts compared to my colleague’s impressive 5-figure income from her side hustle. This realization also made me rethink my entire strategy. On top of everything, the algorithm on #Redbubble is punishing me for being inactive on their site. It would mean the world to me if you check out my little shop on there. I am 2 likes away from reaching 2,000 favorited items! ❤
🌸 My Redbubble Shop: @sereneluna 🌸
♡ You can browse all of my 108 designs here: http://shorturl.at/otvxQ
The CAD prices have changed due to recent inflation. Unfortunately, the inflation that we are all experiencing to some degree has impacted many small businesses and their pricing strategies. Thus, I had to offset the costs to maintain my profit margins. It was also necessary to justify continuing with this side hustle, because otherwise, what’s the point of doing it? I know that I am passionate about this side hustle and want to keep doing it. And the best part? It’s zero inventory so less clutter (except digital clutter) in my house. If I make zero sales by the end of the month, I’ll probably readjust the prices back to what they were before. I truly value my customers and want to keep my prices affordable.
Honestly, I think it’s more of an algorithm issue. It’s not as much of a price issue because visibility and reach often play a crucial role in sales performance. Right now, my prices are set to $2.04 CAD. The Canadian Dollar is so bad right now. This makes it difficult for me to sustain this hobby (time + effort) without making these adjustments. I am hopeful that as market conditions improve, I can revert to more competitive pricing.
(っ◔◡◔)っ ♥ FINAL THOUGHTS ♥
I know this is an unconventional blog post yet again. I want to explain why I haven’t been blogging lately. I’m feeling overwhelmed with everything in my life right now and I need to determine what I need to do to get my life in order and back on track. I’m also struggling with depression and anxiety, which makes it hard to find motivation. I often blame the long winters and lack of sunshine in Alberta, but I also hold myself accountable. Still, I’m trying to remain hopeful, even when I feel lost. My goal for this year is to create at least one digital product related to this blog, aimed at people who, like me, are struggling with mental health and trying to get their lives on track. Not only that, but I want to figure out how to market it, preferably in USD.
Do you struggle with everyday life? Do you feel completely lost like I do? Do you feel scatterbrained with no clear path? Feel free to leave a comment below ↓ I would be grateful if you followed me on Twitter/𝕏 (@serene_hilz). This is, of course, if you aren’t already a follower. It is harder than ever to grow on that platform. I really enjoy using it to connect with like-minded bloggers.
Thanks for stopping by! ♥
It’s lovely to see you posting again. I’ve had previous struggles with depression and anxiety so I understand some of what you’re going through. I hope you keep finding the motivation to post and that you begin to feel like a key part of the blogging community once again. Sending hugs to you. For me, basic self care was hard enough during periods of low mood. I found that using behavioural activation techniques helped me feel a sense of achievement each day and it was just about the here and now rather than the future. I have an old blog post on behavioural activation if you want to learn more. Remember tiny little baby steps are enough when you’re struggling.
Thank you so much, Laura. I missed the lovely community and forgot how much enjoyment I got out of blogging. A lot of days, I don’t feel like writing because it’s too much of an effort. However, reading lovely comments like this makes it worth the time and effort! 🥰
I used to do cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) before the pandemic happened. When Covid hit, therapy sessions stopped. I only went to 3 sessions but CBT helped me a lot because I was more focused on taking action rather than ruminating about things and not actually doing anything. I thought I was being productive but at the end of the day, I ended up not doing anything at all.
Yes, I’m interested in reading your blog post about behavioural activation. It sounds very interesting. Feel free to leave a link and I can check it out. (I’ll make sure that WP doesn’t accidentally mark the link as spam).
I totally understand how you feel about writing and I find that when I’m depressed, I struggle to even compose a blog post as the words just won’t come – I presume due to loss of confidence or something.
I’ve found CBT really useful too. Are you able to access it again now that things have settled down? Rumination is a real issue during periods of low mood and I’m glad you learnt about it in your sessions and how to combat it by taking action – it’s really helpful to learn these things but actually finding the motivation to do stuff can still be really hard.
This is the guide I wrote on Behavioural Activation: https://mycreativelife.blog/2022/03/14/monday-matters-a-mini-guide-to-using-behavioural-activation-as-a-treatment-for-depression/ If you want a copy of the sheet I created in MS Word, just drop me an email and I’ll send it to you.
I’m so sorry you’ve been experiencing depression and anxiety. I’ve been struggling with the same since the start of the year too. Know you’re not alone and that things will get better over time.
Thank you so much, Pooja! 🙂 It’s reassuring to know that I’m not alone in this struggle. It’s been super cold here in Alberta with temps as low as -29°C. The days are short, the temps are so cold, and everything is getting so expensive in Canada. It’s really demotivating not gonna lie. Some days I ask myself, “What’s the point of all of this? What’s the point of anything?” Meanwhile forgetting that this wonderful community on WordPress still exists and I’ve been ignoring everyone unintentionally.
My anxiety is still bad. I ended up working significantly less so I could get my anxiety under control (it’s not really working though). I hope it gets better, I really do. It’s hard to have hope especially this time of year. I guess ppl call January and February the most depressing months for a reason.
Thank you for reading and commenting. It really made my day and it’s nice to hear from you. 🤗
It can be tougher when you get little to no sun and life gets tough. It’s a really bad mix for people with depression. But yes, this wonderful community exists and lots of great people exist out there. Things never remain the same, try to stay hopeful that things will get better. I know it’s tough to remember that when you feel down but try your best to think of more positive thoughts.
And of course, if you ever need to talk feel free to message me any time 🤗
I’m very sorry to hear you’re struggling with depression and anxiety, I think the digital product you plan on creating to help others with their mental health is a really selfless thing to do and that whatever it is it will help many. Your redbubble designs are super cute btw!! 😍💗
So nice to see you posting again!! It can definitely be hard to feel on track sometimes, but as long as you just try your best, then that’s great! 💓 Also, I love your Redbubble designs! So cute!
Thank you, Samantha! 🤗 I had planned on posting something (Part 2 of 5, or possibly a rant post) last week but didn’t get around to it. Been playing Infinity Nikki on the PC which has been taking up whatever free time I have. There’s not a whole lot left to do so hopefully now I can go back to writing.
Thank you so much. I’m still at 108 designs and have a bunch of unfinished ghost designs to finish, even though it’s not Halloween at the moment. I need to start promoting again, which I haven’t been doing either. 😬
Infinity Nikki!! I learned of that game through a vlogger called Capsule Bunny, and she lives streams herself playing it occasionally. The graphics are amaaaaazing!
I look forward to seeing more of your designs in the future! 💓
That’s awesome that you’ve heard of it!! 😀 The graphics are ultra-realistic and pretty. It’s a game we didn’t know we needed. I don’t typically play “dress up” games but it’s so much more than that. The map is huge and I’ve spent hours just exploring.
I highly recommend playing Infinity Nikki. I thought I would have to spend money to play it, but I learned that it’s free to play and all we need is a PC or tablet or PS5 (there’s options). I have an old Xbox controller which works perfectly and makes the controls so much easier to use. I saved myself hundreds of dollars not having to buy a PS5 just to play Infinity Nikki. I haven’t tried the mobile app but might have to look into it 👀 I haven’t heard of Capsule Bunny 🐰 but I do follow a couple of YouTubers who play this game.
Thank you for the information!! Much appreciated! It truly is a beautiful game and I love the outfit designs! 😍
You won’t regret it! I agree – the outfits are so lovely 😊 You can even dress up Momo the cat. Mine still wears the default “hobo cloak” but I think it suits him lol 🐱
THE MOMO CAT!!!!! He is so cute! 🥰