Thursday 7 June 2018

The Blogger Tag

Hi lovelies! I haven't blogged for a week until now and I really can't explain what's gotten into me! I've just had literally no 'up and go', zero drive to do much of anything. It's felt like I've been zapped of energy, but not enough for it to have an impact on my insomnia apparently >.< HOW UNFAIR IS THAT! I'm thinking that the main culprit has been the glorious weather we've had, because my body doesn't let me enjoy nice things, ugh #fibroproblems. Despite everything, I have done quite a bit of reading over the last few days and I have been very much enjoying that! It feels good to finally have my passion for reading back & hopefully it's here to stay! I like having an escape from my overwhelming thoughts and it's been great getting lost in the wizarding world If you follow me over on Instagram, you'll probably know that I'm reading the Harry Potter books! After the first two books in the series, which I read when I was in primary school, the others are all new to me and it's been wonderful getting to read all of the details that the movies changed or left out completely. By Monday, I hope to be moving onto the 5th book, Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix. Have you ever read any of these books? I'd love to know which is your favourite! 

So today's post is a tag one! I'm such a fan of answering questions; I'm a sucker for surveys, online research questionnaires and trivia games! (I can just hear my best friend's voice in my head calling me a nerd right now XD haha). I was recently tagged to answer questions all about blogging by my awesome fellow-blogger friend. Thanks Nat! ^.^ You should all go check out her post here :) I hope you guys enjoy reading these kinds of posts, as much as I enjoy writing them! 


1. How long have you been blogging for and why did you start?

In September, I'll have been blogging for 3 years! I can't believe it, time has flown by!! I know I've not been the best blogger when it comes to keeping up with regular posts over the last two years, but I still love my little corner of the internet and I'm pretty proud of my work :) 

I started blogging when I first moved back home after completing my degree. At this point in my life, my mental health was at an all time low and I had really struggled to get through my degree because of how intense my anxiety had become. It had really started to affect my social life and my ability to leave the house, and I was feeling a big gap missing in my life. I was stuck at home for the majority of the time and I needed a creative outlet. I needed somewhere where I could express myself, as my mental illness just felt all-consuming and I thought it was important to remind myself that I was more than my bad thoughts. I don't even know if that makes much sense, but that's how I was feeling at the time. I also wanted somewhere that I could get away from my everyday situation, a place were I could write about all of the things that I enjoyed about life, and I hoped that I would find some kindred spirits who enjoyed the same things as me! I have met some wonderful people because of blogging, and I am super happy and grateful for that. You're awesome guys! 

2. Is this current blog your first blog?

Yep. Before blogging, throughout my teens, I had a couple of websites on Piczo. Does anyone else remember that? I loved playing around with HTML codes so I could have fancy, multi-coloured text, sparkly scroll bars and cute cursors. I had a dinosaur as a cursor at one point, because I was just that cool XD Other than that, I've had several tumblr blogs, one of them was dedicated mostly to animal science and wildlife photography, as I'm a big geek, haha! I'd been reading a couple of blogs throughout my time at uni, but I was too nervous to start my own because I seriously thought that no one would want to read it. I was convinced that I was boring and that my social anxiety would make people not wanna interact with me. I really wish that I'd have blogged now because it would been lovely to look back on all of the things I did and places I went and stuff. That's something I very much love about blogging... being able to scroll back through my life over the last few years and be reminded of good times I've had :) 

3. What would you categorise your blog as?

I would say that Raiin Monkey is a lifestyle & geek blog. I don't really concentrate much on the theme of my blog though, I just want to a space where I can write about whatever I want. I'm a person with many quirks and eclectic interests, and I want my blog to reflect that. Let me know if you think it does :) 

4. Is it still the same kind of blog as when you started?

When I first started blogging back in 2015, because of my insecurities that people wouldn't want to read it or enjoy my content, I was very conscious of the topics I'd write about. I would look at other blogs which I loved and I would feel bad about my own, and I would let them influence my thoughts on what I should and shouldn't write. It didn't take me too long though to change my outlook, and this was through reading more and more blogs that reflected my own interests and that I could really relate too. When people started reading my posts and wanting to get to know me, it definitely improved the way I thought about myself and my work. I can't say that I don't have those bad days when I look at my blog and harshly over-critique it (I think all bloggers have days like this, because blogging is damn hard sometimes!), but all in all, I mostly just blog about whatever the heck I want to :) 

5. Top 3 things about being a blogger?

All of the fabulous people that it's brought into my life!
Reading people's lovely comments on my posts and on social media.
Having a creative outlet, where I can talk about anything and feel supported and not alone.

6. What is your favourite kind of post to write? 

I love writing geeky posts, about my collections or figures or about my love for kawaii culture, etc. I really enjoy talking about these hobbies and interests of mine, and it's super fun to take photographs for these kinds of posts. I love sharing my love for these things with others who also enjoy the same hobbies/interests too. The same goes for subscription boxes and haul posts, they are great to write about! I also enjoy sharing posts about topics and issues that are important to me, stuff that I feel need talking about more to help end stigma or change opinions. I like being able to do my little bit to get people thinking/learning about new things. Oh, and I like sharing nature photography posts with others who appreciate them, it's nice :) 

7. What is the hardest post you have ever written and published?

There's quite a few posts that have been tough for me to share to be honest. Because of my social anxiety disorder, I get pretty nervous before I publish many of my posts, although I have gotten a lot better over these last two years. I just worry that they don't read well or something, and even though it is easier for me to blog about a lot of things now, whenever it's something personal, I still get anxious about what people will think of me after reading those kinds of posts. It's hard not to sometimes. The hardest posts that I've written where about my struggles with dermatillomania and this post about living with obsessive compulsive disorder. The sides of mental illness that are much less talked about in society are tough to talk about, but I am glad that I did because it was kinda cathartic and I hope that by blogging about topics like this, I've helped others not feel so alone in their own struggles.  

8. Tag 3 (more more) lovely bloggers! 

So we've reached the end of The Blogger Tag and I hope you've all enjoyed learning more about my blogging experience! I really enjoy blogging, and even though my health has made it a struggle for a while now, I still love sharing posts with you guys and I am determined to keep blogging for a long time :) Anyhow, I'm tagging Tasha, Eleanor & Stacey to do The Blogger Tag too. Everyone needs to go and have a read of their fantastic blogs :) 

Thankyou for reading!


I'm curious... what is your favourite thing about my blog? 

What makes you come back to keep reading my posts, and do you have a favourite post of mine?
I'd really appreciate your feedback guys! 


If you're a fan of tag posts, check out some of my previous ones:

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