I'm so happy to announce that I've been nominated for the Blogger Recognition Award 2017, awarded by Brains and Bodies! Morgan blogs about having EDS, and other mental health issues that have been very influential on her readers, and other bloggers who also want to help people!
Now I get to nominate 15 other blogs who I think are also influential, and I don't want to only be biased towards mental health blogs, so I'm going to include a couple of lifestyle and fashion blogs as well!
Here are the requirements if you're nominated:
Publish a post about the award
Thank the blogger who nominated you and provide a link to their blog
Write a brief story about how your blog began
Provide two pieces of advice to newbie bloggers
Select 15 blogs to nominate
Comment on each nominee's blog and provide a link to your post about the award
My next order of business is thanking the blogger that nominated me, Amber Kemp, the blogger from My Life in Colour!
Her mental health blog helps others with their mental health problems, here are a couple of her posts to check out:
How Mindfulness Physically Changes the Brain
Depression: How Can I Help Myself?
Okay, now for the good stuff. Here are my nominees for the Blogger Recognition Award 2017!
Mental Health/Personal Development Blogs
August, from Survival is a Talent
Lauren, from Celestial Living
Amanda, from The Light Owl
Kel, from Anxious Lass
Lauren & Milly, from Milly's Guide
Fiona, from Fiona Likes to Blog
Heather, from Heather LeGuilloux
Dominee, from Blessing Manifesting
Lifestyle/Fashion Blogs
Alice, from Dainty Alice
Jenise, from Jenise McDaniel
Anna, from Anna Nuttall
Shannon, from Clothes and Quotes
Emma, from What She Styled
Melissa, from Simple Lion Heart Life
Jessica, from Jessica Jade
How My Blog Began
My blog began in February 2017, and it didn't start off as a mental health blog. I began blogging as a lifestyle blogger, unable to pick a topic or niche and so I blogged about whatever I wanted! As I continued blogging over the months, I realized that mental health was what interested me most, and had the biggest impact in my life. I also realized I was way more qualified to blog about mental health than makeup and clothes (lol).
I wanted to help people overall, and now that I've finally narrowed my topic and focused my energy on mental health, self-care, self-help, personal development, and reducing the stigma around mental disorders. Blogging about these topics makes me feel like I have a purpose, like blogging will and can help other people looking for this information. Little did I know just how many people were looking!
My blog "exploded" once I finally began focusing on a niche, and I was so relieved my decision to narrow my focus was the right one. People began really responding to my work, and I felt/feel like I can actually make a difference.
2 Pieces of Advice to Newbie Bloggers
1. My first piece of advice is to plan out your blogging goals, brand, audience, and niche before you try and make your blog go viral! I went straight in to the blogging scene, and I had no idea what I was doing, all I knew is that I wanted to start and blog and I liked to write. If you're interested in starting a mental health blog, I wrote Mental Health Blog- Everything You Need to Start Yours. I decided I could take everything I've learned and put it into a post, so that others looking to start a mental health blog would have a better starting point than when I first did!
2. My second piece of advice would be to join as many groups of bloggers in your niche that you can! In my post above about starting your own mental health blog, I include a list of all the Pinterest and Facebook groups I'm a part of to help promote and connect with other bloggers. However, finding niche-specific groups gives you direct access to the audience you want, and also helps you connect with bloggers trying to do the same thing as you! I couldn't find many groups specifically for mental health bloggers, so eventually I created my own! You are welcome to join either of the groups. For the Pinterest group, message me here (my personal Pinterest) saying you'd like to join the group!
Mental Health Minds (Pinterest group board)
Mental Health Minds (Facebook group)
I wanted to thank everyone again, Amber and Morgan especially, for encouraging my blog and supporting what I do! Feel free to check out any/all of these blogs, because they all have something great to offer. If you need to contact me, visit here to do so.
If you're a mental health blogger looking for resources, head to my page specifically for mental health bloggers!
#mentalhealthblog #howtostartablog #mentalhealth #selfhelp #personaldevelopment
