I wrote a couple of weeks ago about an unintentional extended absence from posting here on Twaddle and included my thoughts about the future of the blog. In that post, I considered two options I had been thinking about for the blog, either an intentional period away from posting to work on my other writing projects, or else setting myself a regular posting goal to focus the mind and make sure I kept the blog ticking over. At the time I said I was unsure of the plan, but I think I have reached a decision of sorts.
For fans of the blog (and I know the plural is doing a lot of work there…), you will be pleased to hear I have decided against option 1. I will be keeping the blog going for now, with a plan along the lines of option 2 to set myself regular posting goals (weekly feels right, but it might be fortnightly if life and work start to get in the way).
What I had not considered in my previous post was the content of the blog moving forwards. As the name of the site suggests, Self-Indulgent Twaddle has never had a particular theme. I have written about everything from alien life to mindfulness to the nightmare which is garnish, while during the first COVID lockdown in the UK this blog became a daily journal of sorts. I have also used the blog as a way to promote my books (have I mentioned A Tale in Few Words is out now on Kindle and paperback…?).
What I have been wondering over the weekend as I reached my decision whether to consider focusing the blog a little, more specifically to focus a little more on health and wellbeing.
This choice of theme might appear an obvious one, after all as a psychiatrist my goal is to improve the health and wellbeing of my patients. Partly this is my thinking behind the choice of theme, after all it is good advice to write what you know, but I was also struck by the engagement with my post on sleep at the weekend. Looking back over previous posts, it is those related to health and wellbeing which have done the best, so clearly there is a desire to read more about wellbeing, and given the last year you can well imagine why.
At the same time, the internet, bookstores and increasingly TV and radio are awash with wellbeing guidance and advice (some better than others). To make it worthwhile for me writing, but most of all you reading, my posts, it needs to offer something different. I am still working on what exactly will be different in my posts, and it might well take a bit of trial and error, but I think I can provide something useful to people wanting to focus on their wellbeing.
The broad plan at the moment is to write a post on a particular topic each week, with anecdotes and guidance galore. Rather than covering big overarching topics like anxiety or depression, I will write about subtopics within them, with an emphasis on practical advice rather than dense theory. I will try to offer the evidence to support ideas when I can, but this will be to provide a rounded picture rather than a detailed medical review, so those of you allergic to mathematics and data do not need to worry. I will also be staying away from medication when it comes to advice, and for anyone struggling to the point they may need medication should of course be seeing their doctor.
For those of you not overly interested in health and wellbeing, never fear. While I hope my posts moving forwards will still interest you and may well change your mind, I will also throw in the occasional piece of Twaddle to make sure the blog lives up to it’s name, though this will not be quite as regular.
At the moment my plan for next week is to write about Shinrin-Yoku, an idea from Japan known in English as forest bathing, and a particular interest of mine. There is a big caveat here, there is no guarantee a topic I want to write about more will not come along between now and publishing day, but I will do my best to focus on the task!
Finally, if you have any ideas or requests for topics to cover moving forwards, drop me a comment below and I will see what I can do!
Self-Indulgent Twaddle 