How I’ve kept the joy in my Substack journey
Lessons from 9 months of consistency with ADHD
Hey there, lovely friends! 😊
I am really excited about today’s newsletter.
As someone with ADHD, I often have the challenge of starting something new and sticking with it. The distractions, the endless ideas swirling around, and the struggle to stay on track—it’s a lot! But guess what? It’s been over 9 months since I started showing up on Substack constantly, and I’ve loved every moment of it!
From the beginning, I knew Substack was different to anything that I had experienced before—the quality of writing by other writers, the immediate connections that could be made, the freedom to express yourself, the list goes on and on. It's hard to put into words, but I felt a deep instinct to protect this space from the usual overthinking and perfectionism that I’ve wrestled with in the past. I made a promise to myself to keep things light and fun. Here’s what’s kept me sane and thriving over these past 9 months:
Instead of feeling down about having few subscribers, I saw it as the perfect opportunity to experiment—exploring what others were doing, discovering what resonated with me, and finding my own rhythm.
Instead of feeling alone and on the fringes, I left heartfelt comments on pieces that moved me, generously shared others’ work, and actively engaged in Notes.
Instead of feeling pressure to pump out a lot of content, I experimented and found a cadence that worked for me and my lifestyle.
Instead of feeling the need to be “on” or “show up” all the time, I embraced the moments when I needed to step back and take breaks.
Instead of being disappointed when my metrics dipped, I stopped looking at the numbers and redirected my energy toward activities that truly fulfilled me.
Instead of feeling like I should follow what others are doing to make money on Substack, I gave myself the time to figure out what feels right for me—even if it means my growth is slower than others.
Please remember, this journey is ours. There’s no boss here telling us what to do. We make our own rules. It’s perfectly okay to take our time, to feel a bit lost sometimes, and to say “not right now” when we need to.
Do you have any questions? I will go into more detail next week.
✍️ I would love to know, how’s your Substack journey been like so far?
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I am currently working through a self made struggle of trying to commit to showing up for myself here on Substack so that I can build my writing habit and to improve my writing. I have your page, THIS page, bookmarked and I open it almost daily to read the words you shared.
I don't have a lot to add to your piece here other than to let you know that your words touched me and have inspired me to get back to my love for writing. <3 I hope you will come back to my comment at any point when you may struggle and that my words might help you to keep going - even when it's difficult.
Mika, what you write here is so refreshing and so liberating. You remind us to
💫have fun
💜 honour how we are feeling and to do the things that make our heart smile
🌸to support, rejoice and praise other people
❤️ find our own way and to know that our way highlights our own individuality rather than following the trend and feeling boxed in because it "isn't us".
Mika you are DIVINE!!