Lately I've noticed a lot of people, (including myself), sharing their thoughts and feelings about how little they actually want to blog right now. The blogging mojo has left the building, and I completely understand. I don't know if it's the time of the year, the weather, or the excessive drama on the blogging front, but I have never seen so many people at one time discuss their lack of passion towards their blog, with some even contemplating whether they want to continue blogging.

No. No. No.

I can't let this happen, and it must be stopped.

We all have days/weeks/months when we feel like doing anything but blogging, which is completely normal. This happens in any situation. As much as we would love it, it's hard to always be coming up with new and interesting post ideas. I go through phases of being so into my blog, and coming up with 5 new post ideas a day, to not being able to write a complete workable sentence. It can be so frustrating, as no matter what, you are your biggest supporter, so if you aren't feeling it, it feels like the entire world isn't either. Like I've said a thousand times before, (and will keep saying it), feeling like this is ok. The fact you haven't already given up shows you still have your passion, and you want to work through your problems (slightly sounding like a relationship coach here), but now it's time to get your inspiration back.

REMEMBER WHY YOU STARTED BLOGGING

This is definitely the most important factor. We all started blogging for our own personal reasons (you can read about my story here), so think back to yours. Starting a blog and putting your thoughts and feelings out there for the world to see is a huge thing. It takes a lot of gut and courage to do so. Think back to all your blogging first too, and how you felt. The first post you published, the first time someone shared your post on social media, the first time a comment was left on your blog. These may seem like little things to you, but these are achievements you should be proud of. I will always remember the time when I published my first post and that excitement of finally starting something I've been wanting to do for a while, and the curiosity of what's going to happen next.

TAKE TIME AWAY

Never apologise nor feel guilty about wanting time away from your blog. Blogging is really intense and does take a lot out of you. Sometimes you need to get out of the online world and concentrate on the real world to find inspiration. Even if you do nothing interesting during this time, you can still write a post about how you like to relax, things to do offline, or what your break taught you. Nobody wants to read unpassionate, dull posts, and I know for sure I would much rather wait for something good. I took a year away from blogging, and it was the best decision I could have done for myself, and my blog.

SHARE HOW YOU'RE FEELING

This post came about after I was stuck in a part writing rut, part "is this worth it" rut. Luckily, my mojo found it's way back quite quickly, but all of these points shared in this post stemmed from thoughts and tips I used personally. If you have literally lost all your blogging passion than write about it. A problem shared is a problem halved, and seeing as you're sharing this with the world, there is a lot of halving going on there. Sharing your feelings is also great for two reasons. One, it shows that not every single blogger lives in a blogging cloud packed with inspiration, and an easy life filled with beautiful things. A majority of your readers will be bloggers themselves, so letting them know these are things all bloggers go through shows the reality, and your relatability. Two, it documents your personal journey. I don't read my old post back much, except the ones where I talk about personal things. You never realise how far you've come until you read back to how you were feeling before.

REFRESH YOUR BLOG

You know when you look in a mirror and you start getting bored with your reflection, so you change up your hair or your outfit and you feel reborn? Well, the same thing can happen to our blogs. Less hair and outfit though, more theme and niche. You may be bored of looking at your blog design, or even your photography style. I know when I am lost when it comes to posts, I start taking photographs, which I fall in love with, and post ideas start rolling in. You may have lost inspiration because of what you're writing about and not how you're feeling. Your niche can either be too wide, or too small. If you have no niche/your niche is everything and anything, pin-point a few topics (maybe even something new) to concentrate on at the moment. It can be overwhelming to have so much to think about, so pick your favourites. On the opposite scale, if your niche only covers a few topics, broaden it. Start something new. It doesn't have to be permanent, but don't restrict your creativity.

FORGET THOSE DAMN NUMBERS

We are all guilty of this, including myself, but we shouldn't let our blogs be defined by numbers, nor should this be the ultimate motivation. Your average views and follower counts goes up and down depending on a number of factors. (Unless we are talking about Instagram, we all know what's up with that.) I always take a note of my monthly numbers, which is important to see growth, but I used to be constantly checking daily, even hourly, to see what was happening, and it really does play with your mind. If a post didn't get as many views as another, I would think no-one liked it. If I posted on Instagram then lost followers, I would think my picture was awful. I then decided to not look at my stats for a week. So after those 7 days were up, I looked. It wasn't as high as I expected. Oh well. Life goes on, and so did my blog.

BRAINSTORM

To help spark new ideas, get a large sheet of paper and write down your blogs name in the middle. Coming off the centre, write all the things you love to talk about, on and off your blog. Now coming off all of these points, write specific topics. For example, pop culture -> music, tv, books, celebrity. You can break those down further to specific post ideas. This is how I changed things up on my blog during my rebranding. If you really think about all the things you love and are passionate about, you'd be filled with ideas in no time. I still have my original brainstorm and always refer back to it from time to time.

KEEP A JOURNAL

Inspiration can come to us at the most random of times, so keep a journal or notebook with you at all times for an easy way to store them. It might even be a conversation you've had, something you read, or a discussion overheard. Fight the urge to keep these ideas stored on your phone though. The majority of our lives (and all of our blogs), usually use technology, so it's nice to have something on paper.

YOUR FAVOURITE POSTS

Find 5-10 posts you've written and absolutely love. Read them. What do you love most about these posts? Maybe it's the photography, the style of writing, the topic, or the feedback you got from your readers. Could there be a part 2? Or could you write an updated version? Hopefully, this can remind you of what you love to write about. Draft a few posts and see how it goes. Start with a few sentences, that might be all you need to get your ideas rolling. You may even want to ask your readers what post topic they love most that you've published.

SEASONAL POSTS

When I'm planning post ideas, I always start off with a vague idea of what's going on that month. For example, July and August are summer months, September is my birthday, and December is well, very cold. Having this thought in your mind while planning posts will always help fill in those few (or many) blanks you have. What I love most about setting seasonal posts, which I'm sure most people will find strange, is the restrictions it gives you, in the sense, you can't be writing about your favourite summer smoothies in October. I guess it's the same concept about working better under pressure.

P.O.A

Sometimes all we need is a plan of action. What do you want to get out of your blog and how are you going to get there? Set 5 new goals to help you achieve them. At this point, think less about numbers (followers and views), and more about what really matters right now. How many posts do you want to publish a week? How many days in advance are your aiming to schedule these posts? Who are you going to email about sponsored posts? These little motivational boosts can really help you get in the right mindset. If you're stuck for ideas, I have 52 weekly goal ideas to help.

Writing this post has been both difficult, yet inspirational. It's quite a struggle writing about finding your mojo when half of yours is missing, but by the end of the post, she had returned. If you've currently lost all inspiration, I hope this post helps, but please stick at it, you'll get there. Let me know in the comments below any tips you'd like to share on how you got your blogging mojo back.