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We need content creators now more than ever, because as a divided country we are all looking for change – something new that can provide a sense of relief and release from all the pent up tension.

As much as I am encouraging clients and colleagues to start something new, to create and to become active in whatever you’re passionate about, it comes with the warning about the results of publishing content in an age where online bullying and vile rhetoric are normalized.

We live in a culture where algorithms make sure we’re all screaming into an echo chamber, and so the reach we want to have online can be crushed by the same technology that allows us to post content for an audience to consume. This is another frustration for the content creator. There are a lot of others trying to get a message out, so it can seem like there’s too much competition and sometimes that idea can allow us to procrastinate on our projects.

Developing something new, a new modality, or writing a book or being a public speaker of any kind brings with it a pressure to perform, a pressure to find the audience, and then to ultimately reach your target audience. Part of the motivation to create content is about the desire to make an impact in some way on our chosen industry. We want to be effective, and we hope to feel supported.

Another part of the motivation can be simply for the outlet of our own creativity in hopes that we connect with an audience who can appreciate it. It can be stressful to try to reach people because so many times it is not easy in the beginning to capture the attention of an audience. Once we do capture the attention, the reaction of the audience may not be what we were wanting or expecting. The comments section or the emails people send can be soul crushing if we let them.

Self-Care for content creators is important for emotional and mental wellbeing.

Why? Because without it our creative juices can get drained. We can also find ourselves in a position of being stagnant in not gaining an audience, and possibly losing some followers. Once we hit a dry spell, our self confidence can take a hit. In fact, content creators have their ego up for bruising more than any other Online user.

Here are some tips for self-care for the content creator:

1. Go or keep going. Congratulations! You’ve decided that creating content and reaching an audience is what you would like to do. I encourage you to do it. If you’ve already started – keep going!! WE NEED YOU!! What you have to say and what you have to express and offer to your target audience is important. You have something to offer at a time when people are looking for change and real connection. People are looking for something positive and something that can be inspiring to them. You can do this!!! Find a way to stay motivated. Journaling your intent plus what keeps you motivated can give you something to refer to when you need a little reminder.
2. Do not take it personally if you don’t get the kind of support you want. Staying sane involves the balance of feeling confident and feeling supported. Success comes from a balance of several elements and a support system is important. Yet, the people closest to you, the people that you desire support from the most, may not support you in the way that you want them to. They might not be used to this version of you, and they may have a hard time adapting to it. Remember, family and close friends may not want to change their way of seeing you and they may not include your creativity in their affection for you. Don’t let this crush you and keep moving forward. There will be more tests of not taking things personally in the future, so use these initial lessons as a way to overcome disappointment of not getting the kind of support you wanted up front.
3. Define your audience because you will have supporters and followers. A following big or small is still a following and be ready, because yes! you will have an audience and some supporters that you’ve never met in person. This is the magic of putting your content Online and having an Online following. If at first, you seem to be having a hard tome reaching people, make sure you define your audience and your theme. There are a lot of influencers and content creators, and there is room enough Online for everyone. Gaining an audience and gaining momentum with content creation happens best when you know who you’re trying to reach and what exactly you want to communicate to them. Your confidence will grow and your content will improve with time. Slow and steady wins the race. Well thought out approaches to content creation for your audience and core purpose will help you feel better about the quality of your work. Once you have that – again, don’t take reaction personally!
4. Don’t allow the comments section to drain your energy and time. Comments, both good and bad, can really have a strong influence on our thoughts, emotions and willingness to keep going. As much as the positive comments help us to remain motivated and inspired, the negative feedback or harsh criticisms can send us reeling into a rabbit hole of worry and contempt for the critics and bullies. Once we start to reach a larger audience, that’s when the success brings out the most comments and usually, it can be overwhelming to read and consider each one, plus respond to each one. If your content is inspiring conspiracy theories or the ire of Online bullies and this is bothersome, consider the idea that you don’t have to read the comments section. Most of us don’t have to interact in the comments section or respond to emails directly to post content and have a following, but it can feel important to because your listeners may feel more connected to you if you engage with them in this way. So if you feel that you must engage, think about why and decide if it is very important for your goals and impact, or if it can be a less important component of your business model as a content creator.
5. If possible, partner with someone who can manage your comments section and emails. If you have a partner who helps you edit and produce your content or even someone who shares a lot of it Online to their friends, use that person to sort through the comments section for you. they can be there to let you know about comments that may need a response, or feedback that has a main theme. Maybe your audience wants you to address a particular issue and combing through the comments can actually inspire more content. This way, any outrageous comments or forms of bullying can be bypassed. If there isn’t anyone to partner up with you on this, dedicated a certain amount of time per week and on certain days and limit that with a timer or an alarm. If you dedicate 1 hour at a time on Monday, Wednesday and Friday to reading through and responding to comments and emails, set the alarm and walk away when it goes off.
6. If you do make the choice to respond to negative comments, be brief and don’t waste anymore energy on the heavy thoughts that can flood in when you’re protecting yourself. The best response is no response when it comes to the Online bully. It’s appropriate to delete the comments that are outrageous, hateful or unnecessarily harsh. It’s appropriate to block an Online bully. Remember, you make the rules for your content – it’s privately owned content, so is the account you create to publish your content – so don’t let anyone make you think you have to let everyone have their say on your thread. If you respond at all, let it be very brief, with 2 to 3 sentences maximum. Remember, these people want to soak up all of your good vibes and all of your time and energy – it’s their purpose. Your best redemption is to succeed and move forward whereas that kind of immaturity has no effect on you. Thoughts have energy, and worry, anger and negativity can weigh us down – so the self-care of just letting it go and moving forward with light emotions is some of the best medicine we can offer ourselves.
7. Give yourself the love and encouragement you need. Even with the many followers and fans you’re likely to get once you have been consistent with content creation for a while, you might still feel like a lone wolf. Sometimes we can fill up a room with an audience and even perform well during the show, but we can come off stage and return home at the end of the production feeling less than fulfilled, lonely and unsupported. We can succeed at every goal we have ever wanted to meet and still feel alone. While it is most important to you that you succeed with your projects and businesses, the people closest to you play different roles for you and they might not react with nurturing or encouragement in this particular area of your life. Have positive affirmations for yourself, write yourself love letters, call yourself a rock star. Because it works. We can get drained even when we do have loving people around us. We can’t expect our loved ones to provide an endless stream of compliments and pep talks, and content creators can certainly use as much of that as we can get!
8. Don’t think of creating your content as a competition and resist the urge to spend time comparing yourself to others. One part of American culture that we can benefit from overcoming is the urge to compete with our colleagues and peers. We love sports and the things that we consider “healthy competition” and yes, there’s a benefit for everyone in it. We aspire to be like those we admire. Yet, we also enable and normalize competition in just about everything in life, including creativity. Something like The Grammy Awards, for example, are just the tip of the iceberg for how we encourage and embody competition and comparison within our creativity. The tendency to waste time Online trolling other people to see what they are posting is also a normal part of many Americans’ lifestyle. It can have you missing deadlines, falling behind on creating your content, and getting so wrapped up in Online drama that you forget to move ahead with your own dreams and goals. Life is short and time goes fast, so there’s not a moment to waste if you’re serious about your vision for creating and publishing your stuff for an audience that wants it and needs it. Creating from the heart and making that the priority helps you avoid wasting time trying to cultivate motivation through competition and comparison.
9. Don’t worry about the statistics and the analytics. It can be challenging to build an Online following because of so many factors. We live in a cyber world of echo chambers and algorithms and if we lack shock value and divisiveness – the content gets lost in a seas of rainbows and unicorns, and can sometimes just get overlooked in the blink of an eye whose attention was captured by a cute kitten playing with an adorable puppy. For most of us, it takes a while to develop a following. Many people that have a large following were creating content for years and over a decade before getting ten thousand followers. If you’re living your dream, and you’re living on purpose for yourself, then the analytics, the numbers, they don’t matter. If there are two people in the audience, perform like you’re at Madison Square Garden and the place is packed. Give 100% of yourself no matter what is going on. So if that means running to a department store for a computer cable in the middle of the night – you happily do it and do it with a smile and a lot of energy. Your zest and motivation will come from your passion to really create the content – not from the analytics. Work from the heart.
10. Stay with you and don’t lose the essence of who you are apart from your content. You are not your content. It’s important to work from the heart center of your person, not from the angle that everything you are depends on the content you create, how it is received and how that makes you appear to others. Because if natural duster were to strike around you, and you were unable to access the World Wide Web for a month or two – there is still a “you” that is functioning and living through a reality separately from the content and separately from the audience. This is the main reason why self-care is so important. There’s a self in there that needs rest, nurturing, peace, calm, and love to really feel fulfilled. Find the well-rounded life that is going to be stable and steady whether the content and the impact formulates as expected or whether things change and life takes you in a different direction. There are so many times I have seen people end up with better than what they dreamt up to be their greatest potential. Know yourself, trust yourself, and love yourself more than your content and more than the way being a performer makes you feel. There’s life after the show.
11. Finally, take some time away from creating content a few times a year so that you can rest and restore. Vacations from “work” are a necessary part of self-care. I personally love the staycation. Being at home and letting myself consume content while laying in bed eating snacks is not a way of life – that’s a staycation I love to give myself as a luxury a few times a year. It can be hard to pull away from something that you’re passionate about and committed to – and it can also be refreshing and rewarding. Once we get to reboot – we can then create at our best with more clarity and focus. Letting things flow easy is a lighter way to travel throughout life rather than trying to force and rush. Slow and steady wins the race. Resting up between races keeps us going strong for years to come.

Keep going! We need you, content creators! Take care of you, because the last thing you want to do is become drained and weighed down by the heavy things in life to the point of procrastination on your passion and creativity. Self-care will inspire momentum.