I don’t know who is getting notified of what, or where, or what planet things are happening on anymore, so here is the link to my first post on the new site, in case you are interested!
Another Update After All
The process of transferring from this domain to sadie-hall.com is proving tricky.
I know how to “do” the things, although the export/import part is causing problems.
But I’m not sure what to do on the new site:
- Update all my old posts so that they “fit” the new site?
- Trash them and start from scratch?
I don’t like either option.
It feels weird to go back and “edit the journey.” Inauthentic.
But if I don’t, then I’d have all these Blushy Ginger branded posts on my new site, where I think I’m going to be doing things a bit differently.
It’s hard to explain without going into painstaking detail.
So, long story short, I’ve removed the redirect from this blog to the new site.
Which means that blushyginger.com is fully active. I think I’ll keep updating this one as I get to know the new site.
Hopefully, with time and familiarity, the solution will present itself.
In the meantime, I want to be able to blog!!!
I can’t think of any other option that doesn’t make my head explode.
That’s the mini update for now.
I’ll still be checking comments and stuff on here!
Also can I just say that trying to switch between two different WordPress accounts is infuriating?
Hope you’re doing well today xoxo
Sadie
Update: Last post on this domain!
Hey guys!
I’ve decided to stop trying to make the new site perfect before setting up the redirect.
Because I’m driving myself crazy.
And having to log into two different WordPress accounts is a surprising pain. (If you’re a person who tends to make mountains out of molehills, which I am.)
So I will be setting up the redirect from blushyginger.com to sadie-hall.com today, assuming I don’t run into issues with it.
The new site will be a work in progress. The thing I’m overthinking the most right now (since I’m not longer worried about migrating followers, thanks to Skinnyhobbit‘s help!), is whether to upload all my existing posts to the new site.
And if so, whether to upload them as is. Or whether to update them so that they better represent where I am now.
I don’t knowwwww.
I feel like I’m moving in the direction of using Instagram for my less formal, don’t-have-to-worry-about-SEO, timely content, and using my blog for more evergreen type content. Like stuff that would be helpful whether or not you’ve been following my journey.
But I’m stuck in overthinking limbo and I need to just say GO.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE! I hope I see you on the new site soon!
Sadie
New Site/Rebranding Update + Sneak Peek!
Hey guys!
This will be one of the last posts under this domain. Eep!
I’m working hard on the new site, and with all the ideas I have for it, I think it makes more sense to just launch it imperfectly and keep working on it as I go, and sharing the process.
Because realistically, it’s not going to be perfect from day 1, no matter how much time I spend tinkering.
But I thought I’d use this post to share some tools I’m finding helpful in case you’re considering a similar shift.
And also to answer a couple of questions I’ve gotten. ๐
First the questions:
Why go self-hosted?
Itโs definitely a big change and a learning curve. Iโve gone with Bluehost, so, so far, the actual hosting part hasnโt actually been too complicated.
I just want all the options and freedom that comes from self-hosting. Plug-ins and widgets and themes and just more creative control.
Plus, all the advice Iโve read from established bloggers is to self-host.
So, Iโm giving it a try and hoping for the best haha.
With the caveat that I don’t 100% know what I’m doing and may regret part or all of my decision.
Why stop being “Blushy Ginger”?
I’d be lying if I said my heart doesn’t ache a teeny bit for moving away from this domain.
But I really want to stop having to manage (and pay for) two sites. I’ve had sadie-hall.com through Squarespace as my freelancing site for years. And I don’t like it, and I don’t have the time to manage two sites. So sadie-hall.com was being neglected.
At the same time, I don’t feel like I can use Blushy Ginger for everything I want to do.
So, what I think I’ll be doing is keeping my Instagram account as @blushyginger. I’ve been debating changing to something like its.sadiehall or bysadiehall or withsadiehall, but I think I’m not ready to say goodbye to blushyginger yet.
So yeah, that’s my thinking on it all.
now the list of resources!
- The whole section of Anxious Lass’ site. Especially this post: HOW TO START A MENTAL HEALTH BLOG.
- Ashley’s Blogging and Writing Tips section of her site (Mental Health @ Home)
- This YouTube playlist by Cathrin Manning: Blogging Tips (she has other blogging playlists worth checking out too)
- This podcast: Blogging Breakthroughs with Faith Mariah
I’m working on compiling a complete list of blogging tools and resources I’ve found helpful, but the links above give you the top of list! ๐
And finally, a sneak peek at the new site!!!
I hope you have a lovely weekend! ๐
I’ll publish an announcement when the domain redirection is about to go live! The sad thing is that I think I will lose all my wordpress.com Reader followers, because the Reader is only a wordpress.com feature. So… that’s probably the biggest thing delaying the switch as a I figure out what to do.
Leave any questions below! I’ll answer them here and add them to a future post as well.
Talking About Overcoming Social Anxiety and Perfectionism on the Smart Habits for Translators Podcast
I’m thrilled to be able to share this with you. A couple of weeks ago, I recorded an interview for the Smart Habits for Translators podcast. We talked about social anxiety, perfectionism, freelancing, and more.
This was a BIG DEAL for me. I don’t have a vision board, but if I did, “be a guest on a podcast” would have been on there. There’s something empowering and exhilarating about doing the things that social anxiety always told me I couldn’t do.
I’m including links below if you want to have a listen! The context of the discussion is freelance translation, but I think it could be relatable for any type of freelancer or creative entrepreneur.
HUGE THANK-YOU to the hosts, Veronika Demichelis and Madalena Sรกnchez Zampaulo. And a warm, grateful thank-you to Corinne McKay for connecting us.
Links:
- Apple Podcasts: Episode 22: Smart Habits for Managing Social Anxiety and Perfectionism with Sadie Hall
- Spotify: Episode 22: Smart Habits for Managing Social Anxiety and Perfectionism with Sadie Hall
I think it’s also available on a variety of other podcasting platforms as well!
If you end up having a listen, I’d love to hear your thoughts! ๐
BEHIND THE SCENES: Changes I’m Working On
Happy Monday! Here’s what I’m working on (aka overthinking but like, strategically) this week.
Migrating from hosted (wordpress.com) to self-hosted (wordpress.org).
This is something I’ve wanted to do for a while but been 1) too afraid of f-ing it up, and 2) unsure whether “Blushy Ginger” was going to stick as the long-term domain.
I am still very much afraid of f-ing it up, and if you happen to see this blog go dead sans redirection, you’ll know that I succeeded. In f-ing up.
The plan I’m trying to accomplish is to migrate this blog and its content to sadie-hall.com. This is a domain I already own and used to use strictly as a freelancing portfolio.
Anyway, this week, I’m setting myself up with self-hosting (Bluehost) under sadie-hall.com AND migrating blushyginger.com there.
I’ve got it mostly figured out behind the scenes, except for how to migrate subscribers and followers. Is that even possible? My research continues.
Why GO To all the trouble?
Why not just keep blogging on blushyginger.com? Well, to be completely honest, I want to make a living from my writing. I already freelance in the language services field as a translator and editor, but my real dream has always been to earn an income as a writer.
I just never had the confidence to pursue it.
I want to write for other sites, write my own books and guides, and write a successful and helpful blog (that earns an income).
And since I do business as Sadie Hall and not Blushy Ginger, it makes sense to rebrand under my own name.
The rough plan
I have a rough plan of how to do this.
- From the blogging perspective, I know I need to be self-hosted, and I know I need to learn about Pinterest, and affiliate marketing and ads. I’ve always shied away from those last two. I know for sure that I don’t want to turn this into a sales-pitchy blogmercial experience. So we’ll see. I’m just researching at this point.
- From the “becoming a freelance writer” perspective, I’ve been learning about content writing versus copywriting. My mental roadblocks are imposter syndrome (for content writing) and fear of sales-y language (for copywriting).
- From the “selling my own writing” perspective, I know I want to write a memoir, but I don’t know yet about self-publishing versus finding a small publisher. I do know that I need a platform of readers before it makes sense to try to sell my own book.
Are you interested in the behind-the-scenes process?
Let me know if you’d be interested in hearing about this whole process! I’m happy to share behind-the-scenes, from the techy logistics stuff to the business considerations to the mental roadblocks.
And if you have any advice, feel free to comment or drop a link!
Okay now let’s all cross our fingers that I don’t sh- the bed on this whole thing.
What I’ve Been Up To & Why I’ve Been Quiet
Hey you guys!
…you’re still here, right? My silence hasn’t scared you away?
Oh good.
Hi. ๐
I suppose I would summarize it as:
ANXIETY
+
[parenting, freelancing, blogging, body, social media presence]
=
What I’ve been up to & why I’ve been quiet
So yeah.
The kids were away for a week a couple of week ago, visiting Jesse’s mom and stepdad. The break let us rest and reset our routines and priorities.
I introspected (as I do). I realized that the more burnt out I had been feeling as a mom in lockdown, the harder I was leaning into my Instagram account and, especially, leaning on my community there for support and company.
Which is good…
But the more I leaned into my Blushy Ginger-ing, the more I was feeling disconnected from the kiddos, and it wasn’t helping my burnout on the mom front.
So when they got home, I became very quiet online, left my phone in other rooms of the house (gasp!), and just focused on spending time with them.
Which Is good…
But the more I leaned into “being the best mom I can be,” the more I was feeling disconnected from my support system online. It might be hard to believe if you don’t do the online thing, but the friendships I’ve made online with other mental health and motherhood writers and creators have been huge sources of comfort and encouragement.
So… I’ve been having kind of a crisis of clarity and balance.
Obviously the kids are my world, my priority, my snuggly little cupcakes of cuddles and giggles. But I do still need my own time to use my brain and work on my mental health.
I’ve been having trouble finding balance.
So, I went quiet online, especially on my blog.
I’ll save the freelancing and body parts of the equation for another post.
I just wanted to give a little update.
Oh, and I redesigned my site, yet again. This time, it’s to bring my freelancing services under the same umbrella as my mental health blogging. I’ll chat about that soon too. ๐
Thanks for still being here.
Anxiety Mama Series #1: Our Journeys Through Anxiety with Marijke Visser
I went live on Instagram for the first time! My friend Marijke (@girlmom.strong) and I chatted for an hour about how anxiety has impacted our lives and influenced our motherhood.
Some things we talked about:
- Anxiety levels at the beginning and end of the Live
- What anxiety looks like for us
- How anxiety impacts our parenting
- Tips for someone experiencing anxiety
- Favourite books on mental health or motherhood
- Questions from viewers
This video is now available on IGTV for anyone who might be interested! (Or you can scroll down!)
I can’t bring myself to re-watch it yet.
We’re talking about making this a monthly series, like Anxiety Mama Monthly or something. ๐
- The feature photo for this post includes part of the promo graphic created by Marijke.
Blast From The Past: I Used To Blog About Freelance Translation and Editing
So, this isn’t something I’ve talked about much on here, but when I’m not blushing gingerly or being a wife and mom, I do freelance translation and editing.
Before the kids were born, this was my full-time job. Over time, it moved to part-time, and the flexibility to be able to do this is exactly why I chose freelancing.
Since lockdown started, I have hit pause and I’m not taking on work (with one possible exception upcoming). It’ll continue like this for the summer since school is over now. I know this is a privilege not all families have, and I’m grateful that we have the option to have one of us pause work.
Aaaanyway, this is all a long preface to say that, years ago, I wrote a blog on being a freelance translator and editor. And this post that I’m reblogging is from the blog. (Unfortunately, I am not able to get back into the site as an admin. I tried but it says the blog is deleted… which it clearly isn’t.)
I had a bit of a worlds colliding moment (to quote my friend Liz) this week when someone approached me about possibly discussing translation and anxiety.
And it made me realize that I have never really talked about how severely my freelancing growth has been affected by social anxiety.
So I wanted to share this post. I’m contemplating whether or not this is a topic worth spending some time on going forward. Social anxiety as an entrepreneur must surely affect lots of people, right?
Here’s the post! I hope you enjoy. ๐ It feels like revisiting a past life, for me.
Sadie
Iโm a little ashamed to admit that I have been unfairly interpreting my catโs refusal to spend time with me as targeted rejection on a very personal level.ย Heโs a recent rescue cat, you see, and very timid. He spends most of his day behind the washer, and hisses when heโs afraid (which is always).
This weekend, I had an Aha! moment that has already helped me not take my catโs behaviour to heartโand I think itโs a lesson that can help us freelancers deal with rejection from prospective clients as well.
My moment of clarity occurred thanks to an excellent event this past Saturday called โBuilding Your Freelance Business: A One-Day Seminar for Writers and Editors.โ For me, one of the quotes of the day came from Diane Davy (Work in Culture) during her presentation โRunning Your Business Better.โ Iโm paraphrasing a little from memory, butโฆ
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Social Anxiety in the Bedroom #2: 15 Shockingly Honest Thoughts
Content warning: If you are related to me and/or a client and/or a former employer and/or a little squeamish about hearing details of my brain on sex, you may want to skip this one. (Obviously you’re welcome to read on if you’re cool with this topic.) The previous post is not about sex, and it’s here: Social Anxiety Is Standing In My Way Today. No worries, no pressure. xoxo
People are sometimes surprised when I say my social anxiety doesn’t “go away” when I’m with my husband.โ
โ
And I totally get where the surprise is coming from, but the reality is that social anxiety is present even when I’m by myself.โ
โ
Because my mind is always with me.โ
โ
Social anxiety is a disorder. It’s not the same as shyness, which can fade with familiarity with someone. โ
โ
I definitely don’t experience social anxiety symptoms as intensely with my husband. But they’re still there. They’re always there. โ
โ
And I know from chatting with others that it can be hard for a non-anxious partner to understand just how ever-present the disorder is. โ
โ
Especially when it comes to sex.โ
โ
And I can empathize with that, too. If I’m getting naked with this other human, shouldn’t that mean I’m fairly comfortable with myself in this situation? โ
โ
Yeah. No. Social anxiety laughs at that naive hope. โ
Today, I’m sharing a very incomplete list of anxious thoughts I’ve had in the bedroom. I hope it’s relatable and helpful and makes you feel less alone.
15 Socially Anxious Thoughts I Have During Sex
- Exactly how clean am I right now? When’s the last time I peed/showered/used a baby wipe
- What’s the last thing I ate? Should I brush my teeth, or will that be *too* fresh?โฃโ โฃโ
- Why am I wearing my [insert geeky graphic tee] again? (He has legit said, “Is it a Foxy Mama kinda night or a Snaxolotl kinda night?”)
- Should I take charge? I don’t want to take charge.โฃโ โฃโ
- Have I gone on top yet this month? This season? (I’m not against going on top, it’s just that I’m always tired and also it’s also a very tummy-flappy position and when I’m on top, my knee pops, and that makes me feel old. I don’t want to feel old.)โฃโ โฃโ
- Oh shit, does ๐ฉ๐ฆ think I’m old?โฃโ โฃโ
- Ow, my hip.โฃโ โฃโ
- Do I look weird from this angle?โฃโ โฃโ
- Am I boring? โฃโ โฃโ
- Do I look old from this angle?โฃโ โฃโ
- Oh god I just saw my tummy. It looks like a waterbed. Don’t look down. Never look down.
- Am I looser since having the kids? Mental note to ask him after.โฃโ
- Is my climax face weird? Mental note to ask him after.โฃโ โฃโ
- Is he bored? Definitely don’t ask him right this second..
- Wow, that was an intense 10 minutes mentally. Anyway!
Parting Thoughts
These worries are real, but I’ve presented them in a lighthearted way.โฃ This is also a shortlist.
โฃโ
I don’t necessarily have ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ thought above in this ๐ฆ๐น๐ข๐ค๐ต order ๐ฆ๐ท๐ฆ๐ณ๐บ time we get naked. โฃโ
โฃโ
But… I definitely have had all these thoughts often enough to write them down. โฃโ
There’s a lot more to say about the intersection of (social) anxiety and sex/sexuality.
But I think I’ll leave it here for now.
This post originally appeared as two posts on Instagram. This one and this one:
