One thing you may have noticed about me is how much I value consistency—in branding, in business, and in the weekly blog posts I write. This is even something I preach: to build a smokin’ online presence, you have to show up when you say you will, with fierce dedication and heart.
But when life throws an ugly curveball, it’s time to reevaluate.
There’s a reason I’ve been oh-so-quiet for the past few weeks. I want to tell you exactly what’s going on with me so you know I haven’t been abducted by aliens or—worse—stopped caring about you, your website, and the great work that you do.
I haven’t been feeling so hot over the past year. I’ve been experiencing pelvic pain that has been steadily increasing to the point where I’m in constant, daily pain that ranges from mildly annoying to holycrapicantfunctionMAKETHISSTOP.
In early spring, after months of dealing with this chronic pain, doctors appointments, referrals, tests, and a completely new diet/supplement/therapy regimen, I was diagnosed with endometriosis. Although I was relieved to know what was up with my body, unfortunately the diagnosis was only the beginning.
As time went on, it began clear I wasn’t getting any better. With careful monitoring from my MD, Naturopathic doctor, and OBGYN surgeon, we’ve decided that surgery is the next step. I’ve been on a waiting list for a while now (YAY Canadian health care system!!), but in the meantime the pain has gotten worse and worse.
About two weeks ago, when the pain became so intense that I couldn’t get out of bed for a few days, I realized I needed to make some big changes in my business and personal life until I’m back to my old self.
More self-care. Focused work days. Fewer to-dos. Less stress.
You see, without getting into all the medical details, one of the major contributors to endometriosis is unbalanced hormones. One of the biggest contributing factors to unbalanced hormones is increased stress levels—and we all know how much there is to do when you’re running an online business you love.
That’s why I’ve decided to put my blog and Weekly Winks on hold until I’m feeling better. Once I finally get in for surgery I’ll need another month to recover, which means it might be a few months before I start blogging with the regularity I cherish.
I’m stoked that as a freelancer I’m able to keep working, just with more simplicity. I’m still creating dreamy WordPress websites for my signature clients, and I’m currently booking new work for November.
It’s hard for me to post this letter because I feel such a sense of loyalty to you but check it out: I’ve curated a little list of places you can turn to when you miss me (hehe), get stuck or need some inspiration:
- In-depth WordPress tutorials on my blog
- My favourite list of go-to resources (plugins, themes, hosting, email and more!)
- WordPress.org support forums
So thank you.
Thanks for being a part of my community. And thanks for all your support. I SO look forward to connecting with you, on the regular, in the coming months.
xo,
Jamie