Overwhelmed

I was going to write a pithy intro about the word overwhelmed along the lines of “I don’t even remember being whelmed”. But then I googled it and it seems it is actually a word.

whelm

wɛlm/

ARCHAIC

verb

past tense: whelmed; past participle: whelmed

1 engulf, submerge, or bury.”a swimmer whelmed in a raging storm”

◦ well up or flow.”the brook whelmed up from its source”

So yeah, I’ve been whelmed by information about self publishing for some time and I feel like this week, I’ve reached saturation point. Although it’s more that I’m frustrated with myself because I’ve gathered loads of information about book launches and email lists etc etc and I just feel like I need a little break!

Add to that a decent case of comparisonitis to use the term coined by Joanna Penn. (writer peeps, check out her awesome podcast and website for everything indie-publishing related.)

You know, it’s nothing but crazy to listen to successful authors who’ve been at it for years and compare myself, in my first year as a writer. I listen to these people and think “of god, I’ve got sooooo far to go!” Joanna Penn has a brilliant page on her website showing her author timeline. It’s so important to keep perspective and stop bloody comparing ourselves

---

But how wonderful to have people in our lives who push us to be our best selves. I am so happy that I now have a group of friends and family who send me articles and podcasts they think I’ll enjoy. And how wonderful to get together with friends and family and talk about the books we’re reading or the latest movie we’ve seen.

I don’t remember when the gossip and complaining stopped but I’m so glad it stopped.

---

I’ve been spending far less time on Facebook, just 10 minutes a day, and weekends off. Social media cops a lot of flack, but I think of it like alcohol. Facebook isn’t inherently bad, but it can wreck your life if you use it unwisely or if you binge or let it turn you into a whinging idiot or a mouthy ranter.

Facebook for me, in diet terms, I’m a moderator. Twitter on the other hand, I stay away. I’m an abstainer. It’s a horrible place.

But oh I love my Instagram. Found this gorgeous post on Mark Whitwell’s Instagram

It helped me take a breath from the overwhelm.