My Blogging Comfort Zone: How Much Should I Share?

Image provided by Unsplash (unsplash.com) and edited by me.

When it comes to blogging, I struggle with a lot of things.

One of my biggest struggles is simply finding the time to write quality content. I know that I'm probably not as busy as some people, but I still regularly find myself with a pretty packed schedule.

Unfortunately, having some quiet time alone doesn't always translate into writing an amazing blog post. Sometimes I'm too tired to come up with anything even remotely coherent. Sometimes I haven't really done anything I'd consider "blogworthy" (if I'm being totally honest, my life can be pretty boring at times). Sometimes I sit down in front of my computer and my mind just goes blank.

And sometimes I think of something I'd like to write about, but I'm not sure if I should share it.

As a blogger (even a blogger with a very small following), there's always a question of how much is too much. What am I comfortable putting on the internet for random people (and possibly people I know) to read, and what should remain private?

This is, without a doubt, one of my biggest struggles with blogging. I can be private about some things, but, for the most part, I'm a pretty open person ... And this can easily turn into oversharing.

So where do I draw the line? How do I know what's okay to tell others about myself and my life experiences?

These are questions I ask myself every time I sit down to write a more personal blog post, and, unfortunately, I still don't know the answers. If I'm sharing a personal story, I usually just start writing ... I know I can edit out anything I decide I'm uncomfortable sharing before I post.

But, depending on the topic, the entire post could make me uncomfortable ... So what then?

If I'm being completely honest, I often get nervous when I'm posting anything even remotely personal on this blog. (And I know this probably sounds crazy because I'd estimate that at least 90% of my posts have been labeled as "Personal.") But every time I hit "Publish," I think of the fact that anyone could read what I've just written and see the pictures I've just posted. And while that's obviously the point of blogging (I mean, I want people to read my posts and comment and hopefully find them at least somewhat interesting), it's also something that's always in the back of my mind.

I think I've shared a lot on this blog since I started it last April (I haven't quite reached my blogiversary yet, but it's getting close!), but I'm still trying to figure out where to draw the line when I'm sharing personal thoughts and stories. I've never been embarrassed about anything I've written, and I'd like to keep it that way.

If you're a fellow blogger and feel like sharing your thoughts, how do you decide what's appropriate to share on a public blog and what's best left private? Is there anything you'd absolutely never write about?