It’s been years since I last wrote a blog post. It feels so good to be back here!

My long-time readers might be wondering why I stopped blogging. I’ve always been passionate about writing, but at the time I struggled to find time to produce long-form content. I was also feeling increasingly disconnected from the blogs I was creating – especially the red carpet rants and open letters to celebrities, which required me to tap into a persona quite far removed from my own. 

Like most bloggers, I decided to focus my attention on social media content creation instead. For a few years I was creating fun content for my Instagram… Until the pandemic hit and I suddenly had no desire to create anything. 

This was due to a number of reasons, some health-related, but ultimately it was the feeling of being a hamster on a wheel, living through an eternal Groundhog Day. Can you relate to this? 

After reading this New York Times article, I found the right word for this feeling. Languishing.

“Languishing is a sense of stagnation and emptiness. It feels as if you’re muddling through your days, looking at your life through a foggy windshield.” – The New York Times

I knew things had to change, so I set out to find my groove again. These are the steps I took.

1. I revived an old hobby

“What do you do for fun?” 

My moment of realisation was when I couldn’t answer this question. One of my friends put it so well when she said, “When we were kids, we used to play outside after school. Now we get home and we don’t play outside anymore.” 

I needed to start playing outside again, in the metaphorical sense. (As a 1.78m woman, I don’t think I can play hide-and-seek anymore.)

This was when I decided to revamp my blog. It was one of my favourite hobbies back in the day, and it might not be that popular amongst content creators anymore, but I’ve missed it – especially the more personal pieces I used to write. 

Revamping my site took a lot longer than expected, but the journey was fun and challenging. I also really enjoyed working with Monet Gous on my logo, and Lisa Gabriel who shot the gorgeous images on my homepage. 

2. I found new hobbies 

At the beginning of this year, my friend Candice invited me to a pilates class in Muizenberg and I was hooked. I enrolled at a studio near my house, and I’ve loved having this time to myself. It is the ultimate switch off, because I have to unplug completely in order to be there. No phone, no computer, just me and my mat. 

I also discovered that I love hiking, something that I would’ve never tried in my pre-COVID life.